by jboullion | Aug 10, 2010 | Uncategorized
A news release issued by the Public Service Commission:
MADISON – Today the Wind Siting Council presented the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) with a report on its final recommendations for the wind siting rules. The report is the result of the Council’s work conducted in 20 meetings over the course of more than four months.
[The Council vote 11 to 4 in support of the recommendations, with RENEW executive director Michael Vickerman voting with the majority.]
Originally appointed by the PSC pursuant to 2009 Wisconsin Act 40 (Act 40) in March 2010, the Council has worked diligently to provide the Commission with sound advice to consider in finalizing the wind siting rules. The PSC is conducting the wind siting rulemaking pursuant to Act 40, and issued a proposed rule draft in May, 2010 in docket 1-AC-231. The PSC accepted public comments from the public on the proposed rule until July 7, 2010.
“I look forward to carefully reviewing the Wind Siting Council’s final report, and I thank them for their unwavering commitment to provide the Commission with useful advice to consider as we finalize the wind siting rules,” said PSC Chairperson Eric Callisto. “I am confident that the rules the Commission sends to the Legislature will provide a fair, uniform foundation to ultimately benefit future energy projects in Wisconsin.”
The PSC plans to complete the rulemaking by the end of August. Once finalized, the uniform rules will set forth consistent standards for the local regulation of wind energy systems in Wisconsin.
View the Wind Siting Council’s recommendations here. Documents associated with the wind siting rules can be viewed on the PSC’s Electronic Regulatory Filing System. Enter case number 1-AC-231 in the boxes provided on the PSC homepage, or click on the Electronic Regulatory Filing System button.
by jboullion | Aug 10, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Alliant Energy:
“Higher summer temperatures and humidity levels mean higher electric bills. This is a direct result of the increased use of air conditioning and other appliances,” says Tim Heinrich, Director of Customer Support Services for Alliant Energy. “However, there are many free and low-cost ways to stay cool and comfortable this summer – while keeping electricity costs in check.”
Customers utilizing window air conditioners may want to consider using a timer to turn on the air conditioner half an hour before returning home rather than running it while you’re gone. Be sure to keep the filters clean to maximize performance. If possible, locate the unit in a window that is most central to the area you are cooling and on the shadiest side of the building. Customers in the market for a new window air conditioner should make sure it is the proper size; it’s better to get one that’s too small than too large. A larger unit will start up and turn off more frequently and won’t be as effective at dehumidifying the air.
For customers with central air conditioners, Alliant Energy suggests keeping them well maintained to ensure peak efficiency. That means scheduling yearly maintenance and regularly checking the refrigerant charge as well as indoor and outdoor air coils.
Setting back thermostats or using a programmable thermostat during long periods of time, such as at night while you are sleeping or during the day when no one is home, allows homeowners to save energy without having to sacrifice comfort. Resist the urge to override the pre-programmed settings. Every time you do, you use more energy and may end up paying more on your energy bill.
Used in combination with your air conditioner, a ceiling fan will allow you to raise your thermostat setting without reducing your comfort. The airflow produced by the ceiling fan creates a wind-chill effect, making you feel cooler. Be sure to turn the fan off when you’re not in the room to save energy – ceiling fans cool people, not rooms.
Finally, the less you use air conditioning, the less electricity you use. If you keep your windows closed to keep humidity out while the air conditioning is off, a well insulated home should only rise a few degrees throughout the day while you’re not home.
Alliant Energy offers a few additional tips for customers to save energy and reduce electric bills, by:
* Keeping window blinds and shades closed during the day.
* Grilling outside or cooking with microwaves instead of conventional ovens.
* Using the dishwasher only when it’s fully loaded. If available, use the dishwasher’s energy-saving features such as partial-load setting and no-heat drying cycle.
* Replacing incandescent light bulbs, which generate heat, with more energy efficient fluorescent bulbs as they consume less energy and last longer.
* Considering whether maintaining a second refrigerator or freezer unit is worth the additional $150 dollars it costs a year to run. If so, place the extra unit in the basement where it is naturally cooler so the appliance will not have to cycle as frequently.
For additional information on how to become more energy efficient year-round, Alliant Energy encourages customers to contact Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s statewide program for energy efficiency and renewable energy, by calling 1(800)762.7077 or visiting focusonenergy.com.
by jboullion | Aug 9, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Jessica Larsen in The Tomah Journal:
Seven activists from the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group hit the streets of Tomah on Tuesday in search of supporters of public transit and a high-speed rail.
The group collected about 140 signatures from residents and 23 from small-business owners.
The research group is based in Madison. Its mission: “To deliver persistent, result-oriented public interest activism that protects consumers, encourages a fair, sustainable economy, and fosters responsive, democratic government.”
The signatures collected in Tomah will be added to about 1,000 other signatures from La Crosse, Sparta and Eau Claire. Then the signatures will be combined with others statewide that the group has collected, and shipped off to Sen. Herb Kohl.
“It’s been a great success,” said group spokesman Jordan Less. “Everyone seems to think we spend too much money on gas and time in traffic. It’s a really easy campaign because it’s a good cause.”
by jboullion | Aug 9, 2010 | Uncategorized
Open House – 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Unity School Gym, 1908 State Road 46
Geronimo Wind Energy, LLC, will host a community-wide open house in Balsam Lake on August 11, 2010, to provide residents with information on Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS) and the wind energy resource within Polk County, Wisconsin. Geronimo Wind Energy, LLC, will provide community members with the opportunity to discuss a broad range of topics surrounding wind energy, including the potential for wind power within Polk County. Informative display stations and handout materials will be available to facilitate understanding of WECS.
For more info, call (952) 988-9000 or visit www.geronimowind.com
by jboullion | Aug 6, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Eric Decker, Alysha Schertz, and others on BizTimes.com:
Steve Ostrenga is bringing jobs to Milwaukee at a new Helios USA plant, which will manufacture solar panels. . . .
Milwaukee is known for manufacturing. Companies such as Harley-Davidson, A.O. Smith, Falk, Rockwell Automation and many breweries played large roles in the city’s development.
Manufacturing will drive the city’s future. However, what Milwaukee’s manufacturers produce is changing.
Helios USA LLC, a startup solar panel manufacturer that is developing a 40,000-square-foot plant in the city’s Menomonee Valley, is new to the city. So are its products.
But when the company begins shipping its solar panels throughout the U.S. in early 2011, it will become another of the city’s nationally known manufacturers, tapping into the city’s heritage of supplying the world with parts and components it needs.
“This is a manufacturing center – we put the plant here because of the strong heritage in energy,” said Steve Ostrenga, chief executive officer of Helios. “We’ve got ZBB and Johnson Controls and a lot of other firms that are in the (energy) industry already. And manufacturing is the backbone of this (community) already.”
Helios will hire production workers as early as September as it installs automated manufacturing and assembly equipment. The company hopes to begin full production by January and will have 20 to 40 employees at that time, Ostrenga said.
When it begins production, Helios will use about 15,000 square feet of the total space. The company anticipates several phases of expansion over the next several years. By the time it uses all of the 40,000 square feet of space for production, it will have about 100 employees.
Helios’ production system will be highly automated, using equipment that most workers in the area will not be familiar with, which is why the company will begin hiring this fall, Ostrenga said.
“We’re spending a lot of money on training because this process is unique,” he said. “The solar industry is new.”
by jboullion | Aug 5, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a commentary by Michael Vickerman, RENEW Wisconsin executive director:
About 100 people gathered in downtown Madison in early July to take part in “Hands Across the Sands,” an internationally organized protest against continued oil drilling in and along the world’s coastal waters. Against the backdrop of the weed-choked waters of Lake Monona, they joined hands for 15 minutes to express their fervent desire to see a cleaner, less destructive energy future emerge from the liquid melanoma spreading across the Gulf of Mexico.
No doubt the protestors would like to do more, much more, than simply engage in ritualized protest in front of a few camera crews. But we live in a society that is organized around the expectation of a limitless supply of nonrenewable hydrocarbons feeding concentrated energy into our economic bloodstream. Most of us have not bothered to comprehend the yawning gulf that lies between our best intentions and our abject dependence on the wealth-producing properties of petroleum. Nor how this addiction fills us with delusions of godlike mastery over our environment while blinding us to the reality that we humans have grossly overshot our planet’s carrying capacity.
For those who read and still remember the science fiction classic Dune, the “spice” on Arrakis remains the quintessential literary analogy to the reality of Earth’s oil. Like our oil, the spice held a special place in that world as the ultimate prize worth waging wars and plundering hostile environments for. . . .
Need I mention that once you begin to appreciate the finitude of the Earth’s endowment of petroleum, there’s nothing to stop you from taking immediate steps to curb your personal consumption of this irreplaceable fuel. Whatever you do to lessen your dependence on petroleum will turn out to be a much more satisfying and meaningful response to our energy predicament than any canned protest promoted through Facebook.
As for myself, I made two resolutions since the Macondo well erupted. The first is to go through this summer without activating the household air-conditioner. So far, so good, I can report. (Luckily, we were spared the triple-digit temperature swelterfest that gripped the East Coast last week). It wasn’t that long ago that life without air-conditioning was the norm rather than the exception. If we all resolved not to turn on air-conditioners, we could force the retirement of two to three coal-fired plants in this state.
The other change was to ratchet up my reliance on my bicycle and make it the default vehicle for all my local travels, irrespective of weather conditions. I have been a fair-weather bicycle commuter for many years, but after watching everyone on TV blame someone else for the catastrophe, I felt the need to push myself a little harder. My objective here is to regard my car as a luxury that one day I might do without.
Though the extra perspiration and the occasional dodging of raindrops may take some getting used to, you are going to sleep better at night. Trust me on this.
If the oil spill has prompted a similar response from you, feel free to describe them and send them to the moderator of our Peak Oil blog or post them in a response.
