MidAmerican Energy Co. released a video depicting the construction of what the company says is the largest land-based wind turbine ever built in the United States.
The video, titled “Reaching New Heights” uses a combination of time-lapse footage, aerial photography and behind-the-scenes action shots to document the steps involved in building MidAmerican Energy’s first concrete wind turbine tower, located at the company’s Adams wind farm in Adams County, Iowa.
Watch the video on YouTube by clicking here.
At 379 feet from ground to hub, the concrete turbine is more than 100 feet taller than its neighboring turbines constructed with steel towers.
The average height of a wind turbine in the U.S. is about 260 feet, according to the Department of Energy.
The 2.415 MW concrete turbine featured in the video is a prototype that will allow MidAmerican Energy to evaluate the amount of additional wind energy that can be generated at higher altitudes.
MidAmerican Energy contracted with Siemens Americas Onshore Wind for the supply and construction of the concrete tower. The wind power tower technology was conceived, designed, engineered and constructed entirely in the United States. The blades for the turbine were manufactured at Siemens’ blade factory in Fort Madison, Iowa, and the concrete formwork was sourced from EFCO Corp. in Des Moines.
Construction of the tower began in August 2015.
