MidAmerican aiming for 57 percent of energy from wind

Bill Fehrman, CEO of MidAmerican Energy, said Monday the company could get up to 57 percent of its energy from wind with its latest renewable energy project.

And while wind's growing presence in MidAmerican's portfolio is encouraging, so is news that the Des Moines-based utility is looking to invest in solar projects in Iowa, with community solar gardens and utility-sized solar leading the possible options.

"We're not ready to announce a direction yet, but we're in discussions with a variety of interested stakeholders around doing some sort of solar pilot project in the state," Fehrman said.

He talked with the Register as the utility's parent, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, joined a dozen other national companies in launching the American Business Act on Climate Pledge at the White House.

The companies joining the White House pledge are mammoth — Apple, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, General Motors, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, PepsiCo, UPS and Wal-Mart.

Like Berkshire, some of the companies have a large Iowa presence, including Alcoa, Cargill, Google and Microsoft.

Ambitious green energy goals from companies like Google and Microsoft — both of which want to power its business entirely from renewable energy — are helping to drive MidAmerican's growing wind portfolio. Both tech companies have large data center operations in Iowa.

The company has invested about $6 billion into wind energy since 2004.

Its latest project — spending $900 million to add 552 megawatts of wind — is still awaiting state regulatory approval. With the project, the utility would have more than 4,000 megawatts of renewable generation capacity by 2017, it said.

One reason the utility has invested heavily in wind is because it wanted to reduce the risk to customers with increased federal pressure to reduce emissions, including carbon dioxide.

The federal government is expected to release its final Clean Power Plan rules next month.

Solar will help with that as well.

Fehrman said MidAmerican is weighing community solar gardens, which enables consumers to buy a share of the renewable energy, because it can build them at "utility pricing."

The gardens are "lower cost and allow the chance for customers to be part of solar, without the hassle of doing it at their homes."

The utility is concerned about shifting costs with solar energy, particularly to low-income residents. "We want solar that creates a fair outcome for all our customers," Fehrman said.

With rising egg prices and shortages, Buzz was concerned about Anderson Erickson's ability to make its delicious holiday staple — eggnog.

"We'll have access to eggs for eggnog," said Kim Peter, the AE's marketing director. "A few months ago, we weren't sure our supplier of 50-plus years would be able to provide it.

"Now it looks like we'll have what we need," Peter said.

In addition to its normal supplier, the large Des Moines dairy also could look to a friend — another family dairy that also runs a chicken farm. "They're an option as well," she said.

"We're still working out the details, but it looks like we'll be able to provide that treat that everyone looks forward to every year," Peter said.

And how much eggnog does Anderson Erickson make? Enough cartons so that about every Iowan can have their own, she said.

Danny Homan was elected to his sixth term as president of AFSCME Iowa Council 61 —the state's largest public employee union.

Susie Baker, a drafter at the University of Northern Iowa, was re-elected executive vice president, and Jerry Jones, a correctional officer at the Newton Correctional Facility, was re-elected secretary-treasurer.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees represents about 40,000 public employees in Iowa.

Birthdays

Ciji Mitrisin, chief recycling officer at RecycleMe Iowa, is 32 on Tuesday, and Ray Cole, president of Citadel Communications, turns 60. Thursday's birthdays include Susan Voss, general counsel at American Enterprise Co. and former Iowa insurance commissioner, who's 60, and state climatologist Harry Hillaker Jr., 59.

On Friday, venture capitalist and philanthropist John Pappajohn will be 87, Kerty Levy, president of OTGW LLC, 49, and Register opinion and engagement editor Lynn Hicks, 47. State Rep. Janet Petersen will be 45 on Saturday, and Nick Van Patten, president of Aluminum Distributors Inc., will be 52.

Monday's birthdays include Amy Jennings, executive director of the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute, who will be 39; PR strategist Jamie Buelt, 55; and Iowa's AARP director, Kent Sovern, 67.