~by Denise O’Brien Van for the Historical Society
Tom Wind, a Greene County farmer with 25 years of wind at his back, will give a blow by blow overview of the history of wind power at a Greene County Historical Society meeting on Friday, Sept. 6.
The free 12:45 pm program, “What is It About? Iowa and Wind Power by a Windy Guy,” follows a noon lunch at St. Patrick Church west of Churdan.
Wind and his family own three wind turbines, all located in the northern half of the county. They are among 158 turbines in the Greene County, 85 of which were built by MidAmerican Energy.
At last count, in 2022, Iowa had more than 6,000 wind turbines, putting the Hawkeye State in second place behind Texas for the its fleet of giant windmills making power from 16-mile-per-hour breezes that waft at about 270 feet above the ground. They produce about 60 percent of the state’s energy needs.
Lunch, prepared by St. Patrick’s parishioners, costs $12. Please call a Historical Society community contact or 515-386-4408 by Tuesday, Sept. 3, to reserve a seat at the table.
