MidAmerican Energy Company is No. 1 in the nation in ownership of wind-powered electric generation among rate-regulated utilities and has more than 1,393 megawatts of wind generating facilities in operation, under construction and under contract in Iowa. According to a recent study published by the American Wind Energy Association, MidAmerican ranks No. 1 in the nation for installed wind generation capacity among regulated utilities.
MidAmerican began building wind turbines in 2004 and has made the investment without raising customers’ electric rates. The price of electricity per kilowatt-hour, the electric rate, for MidAmerican customers is lower today than it was in 1995, and the company has committed to not seek an electric rate increase to become effective until 2014, which is nearly 20 years without a rate increase. Also, the company does not have any electric rate increases planned for its customers in Illinois or South Dakota.
Approximately 20 percent of MidAmerican's existing electric generation capability comes from renewable resources.
MidAmerican's parent, MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company, already is a world leader in renewable energy, with approximately 24 percent of its generating capacity coming from renewable or noncarbon fuel sources. The company's worldwide renewable power sources are wind, geothermal, hydroelectric and biomass.