73rd largest plant in Iowa · 2286th nationally
Contrail Wind Farm is a wind power plant in Iowa with a nameplate capacity of 112 MW. It generates roughly 338.0k MWh per year — enough to power about 32,190 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 34% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Contrail Wind Farm |
|---|---|
| Operator | Midamerican Energy Co |
| City | Bedford |
| County | Taylor County |
| State | Iowa |
| ZIP | 50833 |
| Coordinates | 40.66741, -94.83163 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COWF | Onshore Wind Turbine | Wind | 112 MW | Operating | 2020 |
| NERC Region | MRO |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc.. |
Wind farms harvest kinetic energy from moving air using large rotor blades coupled to generators. Like solar, they produce zero emissions but vary with weather. Onshore wind capacity factors typically run 30–45%; offshore can exceed 50%.