Wind leases add steady income for Wright County landowners

Photo: James St. John / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Iowa gets more of its electricity from wind than any other state, roughly 60 percent in recent years.

For landowners, a turbine lease pays every year whether the corn crop is good or bad. Payments vary by contract but commonly run several thousand dollars per turbine per year, plus payments for access roads and lines.

Turbines take only a small footprint, so farmers can plant right up to the pad. Counties collect property taxes on the turbines, which have helped pay for roads and schools in rural counties.

Not everyone likes them. Some neighbors complain about the noise, the blinking red lights at night and the view. Several Iowa counties have passed ordinances setting larger setbacks or limiting new projects.

Curt Hanneman writes for Clarion News Online.