Warren Buffett is apparently not an unadorned green but instead falls in the category of self-interested capitalist. Shocker, right? The billionaire is under scrutiny because one arm of his vast Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate – the Nevada utility NV Energy – is trying to keep a 3 percent ceiling on net-metered solar in the state. Meanwhile, other arms of Berkshire… Keep reading →
MidAmerican Energy this week has announced $1.5 billion in planned new wind power investment, including $900 million to build 552 megawatts of new capacity in Iowa. And that state’s Republican governor, Terry Branstad, couldn’t be more pleased. “Iowa derives a greater percentage of its electricity from wind than any other state, and we’re second in the… Keep reading →
U.S. renewable power continued to grow in 2014, with preliminary federal data showing almost exactly half of the year’s new installed capacity coming from renewable sources. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission reported on Thursday that 15,384 megawatts of new generation went into service in 2014, and 49.9 percent of that came from wind, solar and… Keep reading →
It’s not hard to find stories of fervent wind-energy opposition, despite public opinion polls that show widespread support. From Maryland to Scotland to Vermont to Ontario, proposed projects face claims that the giant turbines are bad for human health, slice and dice birds, explode bats, ruin views, torpedo property values, leak toxic fluids, are about… Keep reading →
New legislation has been proposed to increase US military energy efficiency and reduce fossil fuel reliance. This shift, however, is driven more by troop safety and operational security than a desire to be “green.” “The bill, called the Department of Defense Energy Security Act of 2014, was announced yesterday by Senator Mark Udall (D-CO) and… Keep reading →
Google struck a deal for 407 MW of wind power – reportedly its largest clean energy contract to date – with MidAmerican Energy, a firm mostly owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate. The power will be used at Google’s Iowa data center. “The deal includes both direct energy generation from MidAmerican’s wind farms and… Keep reading →
The US wind power industry had a banner year in 2012, as developers raced to bring on projects before the federal production tax credit was set to expire at the end of the year. The frantic rush to take advantage of the tax incentive resulted in some impressive statistics highlighted in the American Wind Energy Association’s U.S. Wind Industry Annual Market Report for 2012, released Thursday.
Breaking Energy recently sat down with AWEA’s vice president of public affairs Peter Kelley ahead of the launch to gain some insight into what made 2012 so important and what to expect from the industry going forward. Keep reading →
With government incentives and long-term contracts, what is there not to like?
Billionaire investor Warren Buffet has turned into something of a sage. As a long-term value investor, his decisions are followed with great interest. So when MidAmerican Energy Holdings, the utility arm of Berkshire Hathaway, bought First Solar’s 550 MW Topaz Solar Farm Power Plant in San Luis Obispo, California for an undisclosed amount, everyone took note. Keep reading →
Policymakers must make more effort to de-risk geothermal exploration for investors and companies, said a vice-president at a leading US generation and utility company.
Jonathan Weisgall, VP of legislative and regulatory affairs at MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company, said: “We need to de-risk this industry. The tech costs have to come down for investors too, and all the time there is the spectre of low natural gas prices. But above all we need regulatory certainty.” Keep reading →
