The largest wind farm in US history just got the green light

Jorge Luis Plata/REUTERS

The largest wind energy project in US history just won approval in Iowa.

Called Wind XI, the $3.6 billion project will include 1,000 turbines and is expected to be completed in 2019. Once it's up and running, the wind farm will have the capacity to generate up to 2,000 megawatts of electricity — enough to power roughly 800,000 homes in the state.

On August 29, the Iowa Utilities Board approved MidAmerican Energy's proposal for the project, the AP reports. The location of the turbines is still undetermined.

The new project will jump-start MidAmerican Energy's vision of powering Iowa on 100% renewable energy. The company says the farm will allow it to meet 85% of its customers' energy needs with wind power by 2020.

Unlike fossil fuel energy, which produces 90% of greenhouse gas emissions in the US, wind turbines do not pollute the air. The potential for offshore and onshore wind energy generation is huge in the US — the cost of deploying wind energy has dropped by 90 percent since the 1980s, thanks to strides in wind technology and policy, according to the US Department of Energy.

The new Iowa project will be a major step toward a sustainable energy future in the US.

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