Photo by cannellfan, Flickr.

Officials with Clipper Windpower confirmed Monday that layoffs will remove 174 positions from the wind energy company, including as many as 75 from a plant in Cedar Rapids.

Clipper Windpower Human Resources Manager Christina Stowell e-mailed the following statement to The Gazette confirming the layoffs.

“In response to continued challenges facing our industry and our company, Clipper management has been working on developing a sustainable business model with an emphasis on its service business. The effort requires a downsizing and refocusing of our operations, reducing the company’s total workforce from 550 employees to 376.”

Wind power enthusiasts in Iowa cite Clipper’s recent sale by United Technologies to Platinum Equity of California as the cause for the layoffs, but wind energy tax credits that are set to expire at the end of 2012 may have also been a factor.

For more information, read the full article at The Gazette.