by jboullion | Sep 18, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article submitted by Focus on Energy and published in the Wausau Daily Herald:
Small systems an attainable way to generate renewable energy
For more than 1,000 years, we have been harnessing the power of wind to sail boats, pump water and grind grain. As time passed, new uses for wind power evolved and today it is used to generate clean renewable power for homes, businesses, farms and schools.
And demand for this clean power is growing as Focus on Energy co-funded small wind turbine installations are expected to more than double in 2009 compared with 2008.
Wind turbines have become an important technology in the search for a renewable way to generate electricity. And as this technology improves, a growing number of Wisconsin residents and businesses are investing their time and resources into this industry. In many of these cases, small wind turbines make the most sense.
A small wind turbine has a rated capacity of 100 kilowatts, or kW, or less. These systems work when wind passing over the turbine creates a rotary motion that turns an electric generator and creates electricity.
The electricity output of a wind turbine depends on its size and the wind’s speed through the rotor. As wind speed increases, the energy produced increases exponentially. For example, a 10 percent increase in average annual wind speed from 10 mph to 11 mph can result in a 33 percent increase in total electricity production.
“A 10 kW wind turbine can generate about 10,000 to 16,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually, a bit more than the amount of electricity a typical household uses,” said Rich Hasselman, small wind technical lead for Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s statewide resource for energy efficiency and renewable energy.
by jboullion | Sep 18, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a post by Craig McCarthy on Mequon Now:
A workshop on fuel economy takes place at Concordia University Wisconsin on September 18th and 19th. The event is entitled, 35.5: Your Target MPG, and will include presentations and panel discussions on energy independence.
One of the highlights of the two-day event will be energy efficient vehicles, like the Smart Car and the Toyota Prius, displayed around Concordia’s Mequon campus. The American Lung Association will show off their Bio-fuel vehicle and members of the Milwaukee Hybrid Group will be on hand to talk with people about the important role hybrids are playing in achieving fuel efficiency.
“The goal of the symposium is to challenge people’s thinking about how our country can use less fuel,” said Dr. Lawrence Sohn, Interim Sustainability Coordinator at CUW. “Students, staff, faculty, and the community will not only view energy efficient vehicles during this event, they will get useful information that will help them drive and live more fuel efficient,” Sohn added.
“Fuel economy is a primary area in which the average citizen can easily make a significant impact, decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels, particularly from foreign sources,” indicated Prof. Bruce Bessert, Director of the Concordia Center for Environmental Stewardship. It also promotes the use of renewable energy sources while, at the same time, saving money in a tight economy,” he added. . . .
For more information on this event log onto, www.cuw.edu or visit http://energy.cuw.edu
by jboullion | Sep 17, 2009 | Uncategorized
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2009
MORE INFORMATION
Michael Vickerman
RENEW Wisconsin
608.255.4044
mvickerman@renewwisconsin.org
Wisconsin wind energy prospects advanced with bipartisan Assembly support for legislation to set uniform statewide permitting rules.
Under the Wind for Wisconsin umbrella, more than 60 organizations as diverse as unions, trade associations, environmental advocates, health groups, and renewable energy manufacturers sought uniform permitting standards for future wind developments.
As in the State Senate, Senate Bill 185 won bipartisan approval from 48 Democrats and 17 Republicans voting in favor of passage.
Michael Vickerman, executive director of RENEW Wisconsin, a nonprofit sustainable energy advocacy organization, expects Governor Doyle to sign the bill into law.
“The Assembly’s vote is critical to reviving the development of a high priority renewable energy resource in accordance with Wisconsin energy policy,” said Vickerman.
“We believe that wind energy suppliers will see the action as an invitation to locate and do business in Wisconsin. Our economy will benefit from the investment and jobs in a sustainable energy future,” Vickerman said.
“We look forward to working with the Public Service Commission in shaping the specific standards for permitting wind projects,” Vickerman said.
“RENEW and our members thank Rep. James Soletski (D-Green Bay) and Rep. Phil Montgomery (R-Green Bay) for guiding the proposal through the Assembly. The entire legislature should be proud of this accomplishment, which we view as a prerequisite for a more aggressive renewable energy standard likely to be included in a comprehensive global warming legislative package,” commented Vickerman.
The bill now goes to Governor Doyle for his signature before becoming law.
Read additional statements from Rep. James Soletski and Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan.
by jboullion | Sep 17, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Nathaniel Shuda in the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune:
More than a year after it was shut down, the Domtar paper mill in Port Edwards continues to attract attention from those who want to use the site.
After issuing a reuse strategy in April that details proposed plans for the facility should the Canadian-based papermaker decide to sell it, village officials and local economic development leaders began receiving more inquiries about the property.
“Within the last couple of months, there have been about five (inquiries),” said Melissa Loken, economic development director for the Heart of Wisconsin Business Alliance. “Domtar is drawing more attention than a normal site.”
Several of the roughly 30 parties that expressed interest since the mill shut down in June 2007 produce biofuels or other renewable energy products, such as solar panels, Loken said. Although those companies want their identities to remain confidential, several others were made public this week for the first time when south Wood County municipal officials submitted a federal stimulus grant application for a proposed Highway 54 bypass and bridge.
Onalaska-based Mathy Construction Co. has expressed interest in using part of the site for the storage of its petroleum products and possibly biofuels, Port Edwards Village Administrator Joe Terry said.
“The other thing that interested them is the concept of purchasing lower-grade waste heat from any of the neighboring facilities,” Terry said.
Innovolis, a local alternative energy producer that, according to its Web site, uses tidal and river currents to generate power, also has expressed interest in using the site, as have University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point researchers, who are investigating the possible development of an $8 million experimental biorefinery.
by jboullion | Sep 17, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a Tom Content post on JSonline.com:
A bill to adopt uniform siting standards for small wind farms across the state is headed to Gov. Jim Doyle’s desk.
The state Assembly passed the bill Wednesday, one day after the state Senate endorsed it. The Assembly voted 65 to 31 to approve the bill. The vote came after several amendments to the bill were rejected.
Supporters said the bill is needed to help meet the state’s renewable energy targets and to help break a logjam of wind developments across the state. Opponents say the bill would rob local governments of local control over projects they say has resulted in wind developments being located too close to homes.
Read additional statements from RENEW Wisconsin, Rep. James Soletski, and Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan.
by jboullion | Sep 17, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an Asssociated Press article in the Telegraph Herald (Dubuque):
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Flood-damaged homes in Cedar Rapids may soon be generating electricity in southwest Wisconsin.
The Cedar Rapids/Linn County Solid Waste Agency on Tuesday approved a contract to sell at least 6,000 tons of ground-up wood debris to a Cassville, Wis., plant that will burn it to produce energy.
DTE Energy Services of Ann Arbor, Mich., has converted an old coal-fired plant in Cassville to one that will burn biomass.
