GRAPHIC: Nearly 60 percent of energy production in Iowa comes from wind turbines

In the course of 15 years, the state of Iowa has managed to increase wind energy production by a whopping 15 times what it was in 2006.

In that year, Iowa produced 2,317 megawatts-hour of wind energy, while other sources produced 44,039 megawatts-hour of energy, according to the Iowa Utility Board. At that time, wind energy only represented 5% of the state's electric generation.

By 2020, the state had increased its alternative energy production to 57% of its total energy output, according to information published by the Iowa Utility Board, based on data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Mónica Cordero is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms.

_{Top image: photo by Darrell Hoemann, Investigate Midwest}