Unprecedented wind announcement will have customers running on 85% clean energy by 2020
DES MOINES, IOWA–(ENEWSPF)–April 14, 2016. On Wednesday, in a major boost to America’s burgeoning clean energy economy, Warren Buffet’s MidAmerican Energy announced that it would add 2,000 MW of new wind energy installations in Iowa, in addition to the 4,000 MW they have already built. If approved, this $3.6 billion investment would be installed by 2020 and allow families to run their homes and businesses on 85% clean energy by 2020, without a rate increase for customers.
In response, Bruce Nilles, Senior Director for Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, released the following statement:
“MidAmerican made clean energy history today. Iowa and MidAmerican’s rapid transition from dirty coal to affordable wind offers a game changing new model for how utilities will reach 100 percent renewable energy more quickly than anyone would have predicted.
“Just over a decade ago, the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign cut its teeth organizing against three proposed coal plants in Iowa. After years of work by a handful of organizations that stopped several proposed coal plants and secured the retirement of other existing coal plants in the state, MidAmerican is now moving Iowa in a decidedly different direction. MidAmerican continues to lead Iowa’s pivot away from coal to clean, renewable energy that will grow Iowa’s clean energy economy without threatening clean air, clean water, or the health of our communities.
“In the past two days, we have seen two dramatic developments in the shift from coal to clean energy, clear illustrations of the rapid changes for the better in America’s energy landscape. Peabody Energy’s collapse shows that coal is just not competitive when utilities like MidAmerican can not only transition away from dirty fuels to clean energy, but save consumers money in the process. We still have tremendous work to ensure that this transition keeps moving full speed ahead, but one thing is certain: as the clean energy economy grows, we aren’t going back to dirty fossil fuels. We heartily applaud this major boost that Warren Buffet and MidAmerican are giving to America’s booming clean energy economy.”
Source: http://www.sierraclub.org
