It's good that we have people like Buffet and Soros to balance out the evils of the Kochs, Pickens and Blankenship.
Compare Buffet's efforts to those of Pickens and what might be the biggest economic manipulation of the 21st century in the making.
My heating bill for natural gas increased 50 percent in the last year. What do you think will happen if we start burning the stuff in our cars? Who probably owns more gas wells than any other single person?
Pickens has the nerve to say that burning natural gas is good for the environment, when it's just another greenhouse gas producer. It's only one of the many lies of the profiteers (like "clean coal").
I think I'd rather have a handful of wimpy Arab sheiks squeezing my you-know-whats than old T Boone "Swift Boat" Pickens! Is everyone's memory that short?
Add into the mix the whole wind turbine issue, which allows Enron type companies to reap huge profits at the cost of government subsidies. Here in WV, they put wind turbines in inefficient locales, where they create a nuisance and kill birds and bats, simply because the government handout of our tax dollars makes it profitable. Worse yet, the wind turbines generate so-called "green credits", which result in a net increase of pollution.
My biggest fear is that profiteers and carpetbaggers like Pickens are going to amass wealth and power on the backs of the American public (as they always have), all in the name of the "greening" of America. Pickens is this problem on steroids - the worst example, and I shouldn't have to remind all of you of his politics. Do you all really want to subsidize that? Look what happened the last time Pickens decided to put some money into manipulating an election!
Around this time last year, Warren Buffett’s power company MidAmerican Energy Holdings helped lift the wind industry out its catatonic state with plans to build 258 turbines in Iowa. This December, MidAmerican Energy is jumping into large-scale solar power.
First Solar said today that MidAmerican will buy its 550 megawatt Topaz solar photovoltaic farm in California. Financial details were not disclosed in the announcement. The $2 billion Topaz solar farm located in San Luis Obispo County is one of two largest under construction in the world — both of which are being built by First Solar. When complete it will generate enough electricity to power 160,000 average California homes.
The deal comes at an opportune time for First Solar. The company was unable to lock up a U.S. loan guarantee to help finance its construction. The purchase also marks MidAmerican’s increasing interest in alternative energy projects. The company provides electricity and natural gas to customers in Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota and 52 percent of it is generated from coal. About 20 percent comes from wind, hydroelectric and biomass and 21 percent by natural gas and oil. Seven percent is generated from nuclear energy.
As part of the agreement, First Solar will construct, operate and maintain the Topaz project for MidAmerican. Construction began in November 2011 and is expected to be complete by early 2015. The project will create approximately 400 construction jobs and 15 ongoing operations and maintenance jobs.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company will buy the electricity from Topaz under a 25-year power purchase agreement, helping California to meet its mandate to generate 33 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2020.
Photo: First Solar
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