MidAmerican Energy flips the switch at 100-megawatt solar array
MidAmerican Energy has completed its 100-megawatt Holliday Creek solar array in Webster County. According to a news release, it is the largest of the company’s six inaugural solar projects with 265,000 solar panels, and will produce enough electricity to power 19,000 homes. The Des Moines-based utility’s other solar projects are in Adair, Franklin, Johnson and Woodbury counties, and in Waterloo. The first to go online was near Iowa City in January. The solar projects range from 3 megawatts to 100 megawatts of generating capacity. According to the release, MidAmerican operates the largest wind energy network of any investor-owned utility in the country. In 2021, 88.5% of energy supplied to electric customers came from renewable sources. Adding solar energy to its portfolio will further help the company reach its goal of generating power from renewable sources to 100% by 2025 through its Wind PRIME project, which is pending before the Iowa Utilities Board. MidAmerican has set a goal of net-zero greenhouse emissions by 2050 as it plans to invest in lower and non-carbon generation technologies. MidAmerican serves 804,000 electric customers in Iowa, Illinois and South Dakota, and 781,000 natural gas customers in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and South Dakota.