by jboullion | Sep 11, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Nick Halter in the Wausau Daily Herald:
A new biomass power plant in Rothschild would cut dependence on fossil fuels, reduce acid rain and be nearly carbon-neutral, according to studies and experts.
It’s also a step, albeit a small one, toward Wisconsin reaching its goal of having 10 percent of all energy produced using renewable resources by 2015 — a goal established in Gov. Jim Doyle’s Clean Energy Wisconsin Plan.
We Energies announced plans Sept. 1 to build a $250 million power plant that burns low-quality and unusable wood and paper waste, powering the Domtar paper mill and providing electricity to homes in Wisconsin. The plant still needs state approval before construction can begin.
Burning wood is much cleaner than burning coal, the source of 70 percent of the electricity on Wisconsin’s power grid, said Keith Reopelle, senior policy director for the environmental advocacy group Clean Wisconsin.
“I think that biomass will and needs to play an important role in replacing coal generation in Wisconsin and I think there will be a trend towards it, Reopelle said.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, burning wood is nearly carbon-neutral because the carbon dioxide generated during combustion is equal to the carbon dioxide the tree consumes over its life. But the process will remain carbon-neutral only if forestry companies that supply wood to the power plant replace the trees that they cut.
by jboullion | Sep 9, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Governor Jim Doyle:
Legislation will improve bus and rail service and roster regional cooperation in Milwaukee, Kenosha and Racine
MILWAUKEE – Governor Jim Doyle today announced a framework of a proposal crafted with legislators from southeastern Wisconsin on a plan to improve bus and rail service in Milwaukee, Kenosha and Racine through a Regional Transit Authority.
“Investing in safe, reliable modes of transportation allows people to travel and commute efficiently and it strengthens the economy,” Governor Doyle said. “I am pleased today to announce that leaders from Milwaukee, Kenosha and Racine have joined me in support of a truly regional approach to improving and expanding transit in this area.”
Governor Doyle has supported Regional Transit Authorities in Wisconsin that serve a population base, rather than any specific municipal jurisdiction, and are independently governed. Under the Governor’s priorities, RTAs also should provide property tax relief and be focused solely on transit.
The proposal satisfies those conditions and will create an RTA in southeastern Wisconsin that would phase in independent governance. Milwaukee, Kenosha and Racine would initially operate as sub-RTAs, with varying sources of previously approved funding.
Over time, the sub-RTAs would merge into a common board. Representation would be proportional to population. A primary goal of the RTA would be to better position the proposed Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail line for obtaining New Starts funding from the Federal Transit Administration.
by jboullion | Sep 9, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Nathaniel Shuda in the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune:
With renewable energy becoming an increasingly popular topic across the country, central Wisconsin leaders hope to be on the cutting edge as demand grows.
Mid-State Technical College classes have begun for two new renewable energy programs, and three others already were in place. Demand is fueling the need for a sustainable/renewable energy training center at the school’s Wisconsin Rapids campus, officials said.
“This is a really solid start,” Mid-State President John Clark said Monday during a meeting with U.S. Rep. Dave Obey, D-Wausau. “We’re hoping (others) will be using this as a pattern for future projects.”
Leaders hope to use a $428,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, which Obey earmarked within President Barack Obama’s $410 billion budget bill earlier this year, to purchase solar panels, wind turbines and other lab equipment.
Mid-State also is working with leaders at Energy Composites Corp. in Wisconsin Rapids and the North Central Wisconsin Workforce Development Board to develop a first-of-its-kind curriculum for wind-energy and composites training, an endeavor for which the board recently garnered a $100,000 grant from the state Department of Workforce Development.
Energy Composites continues its efforts to obtain LEED Platinum certification for its planned 350,000-square-foot manufacturing plant that will produce blades for industrial wind turbines in Wisconsin Rapids, President Jamie Mancl said.
“We’re trying to put everything together,” Mancl said Tuesday, after a closed session meeting with the Wisconsin Rapids Common Council to discuss the company developer’s agreement with the city. “It’s going to take some time, but we’re still on schedule.”
Energy Composites isn’t the only company that has been working on such a certification.
The Mead Wildlife Area Education & Visitor Center, near Milladore, announced Wednesday it received LEED Platinum Green Building Certification status, the highest level of sustainable design.
by jboullion | Sep 8, 2009 | Uncategorized
The energy track presentations have been release for the Energy Efficiency in Manufacturing Pavilion at the Wisconisn Machine Tool Show, October 6-8, at State Fair Park:
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2009
9:00am Green and Lean
Presented by Dr. Joe Jacobsen of MATC
11:00am Controlling Your Energy Costs – An Overview Of Focus On Energy
Presented by Nate Altfeather of Focus on Energy
1:00pm Opportunities To Supply The US Wind Industry
Presented by Jeffrey Anthony of American Wind Energy Association
3:00pm Energy Efficiency In Manufacturing Facilities
Presented by Orion Energy Systems
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2009
10:00am A Case Study On Energy Efficiency
Presented by Nate Altfeather of Focus On Energy
11:30am Starve The Beast! Revolutionary Ideas On How To Save Money Operating Your Ventilation Systems
Presented by DuWayne Bohrer of iVEC™ Systems and Kevin Rohde of Hastings Air Energy Control Inc
1:00pm New Manufacturing Opportunities In Stimulus Funding
Presented by Maria Redmond of Wisconsin Office of Energy Independence
3:00pm Opportunities For Cooperation In The Renewable Supply Chain
Presented by Mark Tomkins of GermanAmerican Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009
10:00am Sociable Responsibility In Industry
Presented by American Society for Quality
12:00pm Save Energy, Save Money
Presented by Alex Dodd of Focus on Energy
Energy track seminars sponsored by Focus on Energy.
by jboullion | Sep 8, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Chad Dally in The Daily Press (Ashland):
Similar projects underway at Madeline Island, Mt. Ashwabay
The Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center in Ashland will soon embark on a project testing the feasibility of supplying a portion of its energy from wind power, joining other area projects seeking to take advantage of a consistent alternative energy resource.
This fall, the center will lease a 150-foot “met,” or test, tower leased from the Bad River Tribe of Lake Superior Chippewa and site it along the northern edge of the center’s property to get a more detailed idea of wind power capability. Statewide energy audits have assessed wind power in Cornucopia and Hurley, but those assessments are likely different than averages at the Visitor Center, and on Madeline Island and Mt. Ashwabay in Bayfield, two other areas currently being analyzed for wind power.
A preliminary assessment, completed in 2007 by Focus on Energy, showed wind speeds at the center between 10.2 and 11.7 miles per hour — speeds not capable of sustaining a wind farm-scale development, but that could supplement some of the natural gas used to power the center. . . .
Mad(eline) about wind
Although nine months of data from a test wind tower on Madeline Island has revealed promising potential, organizers behind that effort will face logistical challenges if the island residents’ effort toward energy independence comes to fruition.
Burke Henry, chairman of the island’s ad hoc Alternative Energy Committee, said Wednesday that, based on data gathered from the 50-meter (164-foot) tower erected at Big Bay State Park, it appears there would be enough wind to supply the island with all of its energy needs — although Henry stressed there remain many unanswered questions, with funding chief among them. Along with the tower, SODAR (SOnic Detection and Ranging) equipment is being used to send signals up to 200 meters in the air to further assess wind speed.
by jboullion | Sep 8, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by John Nichols in The Capital Times:
Wisconsin officials have seemed for too long to be at war with this state’s rich industrial legacy.
It is as if they live in a fantasy world that imagines this Great Lakes state will somehow become the next Silicon Valley.
But when state officials make policies that aim in the direction of fantasy-island developments rather than taking necessary steps to retain existing industrial jobs and to attract news ones, they undermine Wisconsin’s future.
That is what Department of Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi and his aides appear to be doing with their scheming to redevelop the Hoan Bridge/794 corridor in a manner that would decimate roughly two-thirds of the port of Milwaukee.
The port, still one of the largest and most well-situated on the Great Lakes, provides crucial support to our manufacturing base – not only in Milwaukee but all of southeastern Wisconsin, which remains one of the nation’s great centers for small and medium-sized factories.
But the port could be seriously undermined as a support for Wisconsin’s manufacturing sector if Busalacchi and the Doyle administration get their way.
According to documents obtained through an open records request initiated by Milwaukee County Supervisor Patricia Jursik, Busalacchi’s DOT has commissioned – at a cost of $225,000 – a study by the HNTB planning group of strategies for the demolition of the Hoan Bridge and the development of a condo and entertainment complex.
The port will be critical as Wisconsin develops manufacturing capabilities to supply the wind industry.
