MidAmerican Energy Company provided its Iowa customers with more than half of their electricity from renewable sources last year, according to a verified report form the Iowa Utilities Board.

Through a board vote to approve the amount of renewable energy the company provided to its Iowa customers in 2017, the IUB verified that MidAmerican Energy served 50.8% of its retail electric load using renewable generation. MidAmerican Energy expects this percentage to grow annually as the company completes additional wind projects.

“MidAmerican Energy has achieved an exciting milestone as a renewable energy leader,” Adam Wright, MidAmerican Energy President and CEO, said. “We have now crossed the 50-yard line and we’re moving closer to the goal, which is the vision we announced in 2016 to ultimately provide 100% renewable energy for our customers.”

MidAmerican Energy’s GreenAdvantage

The GreenAdvantage program, launched by MidAmerican Energy last year, quantifies the amount of renewable energy its electric customers can claim. This first-of-its-kind value-added program is offered to all MidAmerican Energy customers. It’s particularly important to businesses that claim the percentage of energy they received to meet corporate sustainability goals.

“This achievement is not only significant for us as a company, but it’s significant for our customers and more broadly for Iowa. That’s because everyone benefits from our substantial and still growing ability to harness energy from the wind,” Wright said. “Wind energy is friendly to our environment, helps keep rates low for our customers, and benefits Iowa’s economy in many ways.”

Last year, MidAmerican Energy paid $19.6 million in Iowa property taxes on wind turbines.

Proposed wind project to vault renewable energy to 100%

On May 30, MidAmerican Energy announced plans to be the first investor-owned electric utility in the nation to generate renewable energy equal to 100% of its customers’ usage on an annual basis, upon completing its newest proposed wind energy project. The company expects to complete the project, called Wind XII, in late 2020. Wind XII is subject to IUB approval.

MidAmerican Energy’s investment in renewables has helped make Iowa a national wind energy leader. Iowa leads the country in the percentage of electric generation coming from wind.