by jboullion | Aug 2, 2013 | Uncategorized
Tom Content’s article for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel examines the repercussions of the Public Service Commission’s decision to suspend Focus on Energy incentives for solar and wind energy installations. Comments from RENEW Wisconsin are included in this article but please also see our website for key points to include in a comment to the PSC in docket 5-GF-191. By registering your concern over this chilling development you are standing up for Wisconsin jobs, 330-Wisconsin based wind and solar businesses, and clean, renewable energy.
By Tom Content
Incentives that help homeowners install solar electric and solar hot
water systems in Wisconsin are being suspended for the second time in
three years. A recent decision by the state Public Service Commission means the
state Focus on Energy program will stop awarding the solar incentives
from mid-August through the end of the year.
Focus is an initiative that’s overseen by the state PSC as well as
the state’s utilities. Focus on Energy was created to to help utility
customers receive incentives to make homes and businesses more
energy-efficient and install renewable energy systems.
“We understand that there will likely be some frustration due to any changes,” Focus on Energy said in announcing the suspension.
“However, the Commission’s direction will help us create a clear plan
for 2014. We anticipate the residential prescriptive incentives for
Solar Thermal and Solar Photovoltaic to resume in January 2014.”
Focus has been providing incentives of up to $1,200 for solar hot water systems and $2,400 for solar power systems.
After Aug. 13, when the PSC is expected to finalize a recent decision
on the matter, Focus will no longer provide the incentives this year,
said Tamara Sondgeroth, director of operations at Focus on Energy in
Madison.
The stop-start approach to funding renewables is bad for small
businesses that were hurt when renewable incentives were suspended two
years ago, said leaders at Renew Wisconsin, a renewable energy advocacy group.
[READ MORE]
by jboullion | Aug 1, 2013 | Uncategorized
PSC Delivers Another Blow to Beleaguered Renewable Energy Contractors
Immediate release — For the second time in three years, state of Wisconsin incentives for customer-sited solar and small wind systems will be suspended, a result of recent Public Service Commission (PSC) decisions affecting Focus on Energy’s renewable energy budget . The suspension will take effect August 13, according to Focus on Energy, and will run through the remainder of the year. Incentives for biogas and biomass installations are not affected by the PSC’s decisions.
The impending cut-off of solar and wind incentives follows an across-the-board suspension of renewable energy incentives that lasted one year before being lifted in July 2012. Focus on Energy is authorized to spend up to $10 million per year on renewable energy incentives.
Through May 2013, Focus on Energy had spent or obligated a total of $3,048,580 for projects expected to be placed in service this year. The suspension ensures that overall renewable energy awards in 2013 will fall well short of the $10 million maximum.
In 2012, the PSC established a two-tiered funding formula that allocates renewable energy incentives based on resource type. So-called Group 1 resources—biogas, biomass and geothermal (ground source heat pumps)–are eligible for 75% of program expenditures up to a maximum of $7,500,000 a year. Funding for so-called Group 2 resources—solar and small wind—cannot exceed 25% of renewable energy expenditures.
Under this structure, outlays for Group 1 resources determine the overall funding level for renewables, even though up to $10 million is available in a given program year.As a result of the funding suspension, no renewable energy incentives will be available to residential customers until 2014. Residential customers account for approximately 60% of Focus on Energy’s program dollars.
The following represents RENEW Wisconsin’s reaction to the suspension of incentives for solar and wind energy systems. RENEW Wisconsin’s advocacy was instrumental in creating a renewable energy component to Focus on Energy.
“First, let’s not stop these incentives simply because the accounting is difficult,” said Executive Director Tyler Huebner. “That may seem like the easiest fix for decision-makers in Madison, but this is going to cost jobs throughout Wisconsin, especially amongst the small businesses that do this work. Second, if the accounting is difficult, and we agree that it is, then let’s change it. The decisions to make the accounting difficult were made by the same three Commissioners just last year, and this recent decision only adds to the complexity.”
“The disruption to solar and wind incentives will inflict measurable financial hardship on contractors operating here, and will result in a net contraction of sales and jobs. This decision will likely force these contractors to shift the focus of their business to other states that are doing a better job of supporting solar and wind.”
“On several occasions before this decision, we communicated to the PSC the tenuous nature of the solar market today, and our best forecast of the likely impact from a disruption in the flow of incentives. By all appearances, the views of Wisconsin’s solar contractors were disregarded.”
“Yesterday, we sent a letter to the PSC asking it to reconsider this decision. This Friday, we will file comments with the PSC regarding future Focus on Energy planning, and our primary goal is to simplify the provision of incentives going forward. In our view, the current structure has proved to be an administrative nightmare, and this latest decision will worsen this already bad situation.”
“Finally, we don’t believe that providing policy support for the advancement of solar energy should be a partisan issue. It certainly isn’t in Georgia, where that state’s all-Republican utility commission ordered Georgia Power to acquire nearly 800 megawatts of solar by the end of 2016, effectively tripling what the state’s largest electric utility had already committed to provide.”
“It’s time for Wisconsin regulators to see the light on solar and let it drive our state’s economy forward,” Huebner said.
by jboullion | Jul 30, 2013 | Uncategorized
The Milwaukee Public Museum announced plans to cover the building’s 8-story tower with a 234 panel solar array. The completed project is predicted to produce 77,533 kilowatt hours of electricity per year.
By Trisha Bee
MILWAUKEE (WITI) – The Milwaukee Public Museum’s south façade is getting a 21stcentury update. The marble cladding on the 8-story tower of the Museum, which was built in the mid-1960s, is being replaced with 234 solar panels. Work on the project, scheduled to last approximately five months, started Monday, July 29th with preparation for the removal of the marble exterior.
Over the past 50 years, the Museum’s heavy marble façade has weathered and become less stable, creating the need for an update on the south wall facing Wells Street. MPM explored both the use of recycled material and solar panels as replacement options, and decided on the later because of the energy-generating potential of solar. Milwaukee-based manufacturer Helios USA has been contracted to produce the Museum’s solar panels.
MPM’s solar wall is expected to generate 77,533 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, the equivalent of having 442, 60-watt light bulbs on for eight hours every day for an entire year. MPM will be the only building in Milwaukee with a full solar wall that is generating electricity.
During removal of the marble cladding, the MPM’s Puelicher Butterfly Vivarium and Bugs Alive! exhibit will be closed to ensure safety of Museum visitors and staff members. This phase of construction is expected to last approximately four weeks.
by jboullion | Jul 29, 2013 | Uncategorized
Wisconsin Environment Research and Policy Center’s report Lighting the Way: What We Can Learn from America’s Top 12 Solar States identifies the twelve states making the greatest contribution to the rise of solar power in the United States. The report observes that while Wisconsin’s solar capacity is growing, this growth is far behind the increase observed in the report’s top ranking states, lagging behind enough to earn Wisconsin a ranking of 26th in the nation for per capita solar installations. The full report and the press release below identify the strong renewable energy policies adopted by the top ranking states and the reasoning for Wisconsin’s low ranking.
Milwaukee – Today, Wisconsin Environment Research & Policy Center releasedLighting the Way: What We Can Learn from America’s Top 12 Solar States, a new report highlighting a solar energy boom across the country. The report outlines the twelve states that have made a considerable contribution to the nation’s rise in solar power. Wisconsin however, missed the cut and ranks 26th in the nation for per capita solar installations. Last year, solar capacity in Wisconsin grew by 7% bringing it to a total of 14 megawatts. But Wisconsin still trails behind leading solar states such as New Jersey that has more than 50 times as many solar installations per capita than Wisconsin.
“The sky’s the limit on solar energy,” said Megan Severson, State Advocate with Wisconsin Environment. “The progress of other states should give us the confidence that we can do much more. Our message today is clear: If you want your state to be a leader in pollution-free solar energy, set big goals and get good policies on the books.”
Solar is on the rise across the country. America has more than three times as much solar photovoltaic capacity as it did in 2010, and more than 10 times as much as it did in 2007. And now the price of solar panels fell by 26 percent in 2012. Wisconsin Environment attributed the solar boom to the leadership of state officials, especially those in states profiled in the report.
“More and more, homes and businesses are turning to solar as a pollution-free energy source with no fuel costs,” said Severson. “With the increasing threat of global warming, Wisconsin must become a leading solar state.”
[READ MORE]
by jboullion | Jul 24, 2013 | Uncategorized
–Immediate Release
In what will become the largest solar electric project serving a Wisconsin municipality, the City of Monona approved a contract this week that will result in the construction of rooftop arrays supplying renewable energy directly to four city-owned buildings. All four solar systems, totaling 156 kilowatts, should be online by year’s end.
The four Monona buildings selected to host the solar electric arrays are: City Hall, Public Library, Public Works Garage, and Public Works Dept. Well No. 3. All told, the solar arrays will produce more than 210,000 kilowatt-hours of clean energy per year, equating to 30% of the buildings’ combined electricity usage.
The City will receive a stream of renewable energy credits along with the electrical output under a solar service partnership agreement with Falcon Energy Systems, a Colorado based investment group. Bloomington, MN-based tenKsolar will manufacture the solar generating arrays, and Madison-based Full Spectrum Solar will install and service the equipment on the city-owned sites. Earlier this month, tenKsolar and Full Spectrum Solar teamed up to install a 48 kilowatt system on the Arbor Crossing apartments in Shorewood Hills.
The project team was assembled by Solar Connections, LLC, a Madison consulting group that has also developed residential solar installations that were financed primarily by friends and neighbors of the host customer.
Consultants Kurt Reinhold and James Yockey first introduced this municipal solar model to the Sustainability Committee of the City of Monona in September of 2012, and has since been joined by Janine Glaeser, City Project Manager, to shepherd this project through numerous committees and hearings before Monday’s unanimous vote to adopt the resolution to enter into this solar services contract.
“Five years ago, Monona passed a resolution committing itself to greatly expand its own use of renewable energy by 2025,” said Kurt Reinhold, a principal with Solar Connections. “Not only will this partnership help Monona achieve its sustainable energy goals, it will also help the City save on its energy bills.”
“With this action, Monona joins the growing circle of Wisconsin businesses, communities and individuals committed to serving themselves with renewable energy produced on-site,” said Michael Vickerman, program and policy director of RENEW Wisconsin, a statewide renewable energy advocacy organization.
“Through their actions, forward-thinking entities like Monona will reduce Wisconsin’s dependence on imported fossil fuels in a way that creates jobs and invigorates the local economy,” Vickerman said.
Read Gina Covelli’s article in the Herald Independent to learn more
by jboullion | Jul 23, 2013 | Uncategorized
Laura Ritger’s article for the Fond du Lac Reporter published last Friday provided an outline of the continued debate over the impact of wind turbines on human health. Demonstrating the misinformation frequently used to attack wind farms, Barbara Vanden Boogart of the Brown County Citizens for Responsible Wind Energy anti wind group incorrectly reported to Ms. Ritger that a health study had been conducted to assess the risk for cancer in Brown County residents near a local wind farm. Wisconsin’s renewable energy community was quick to identify and correct the misinformation used by Ms. Boogart’s group with wind energy expert Mike Barnard responding in Barnard on Wind and RENEW’s Michael Vickerman writing the following response to the Fond du Lac Reporter.
By Michael Vickerman
Dear Ms. Ritger:
You
recently wrote an article describing an effort on the part of certain
Fond du Lac County residents to advocate for a state-funded health study
analyzing impacts of utility-scale wind generators
on neighboring residents. Your article contained the following
sentence:
Barbara Vanden Boogart, representing Brown County Citizens for Responsible Wind Energy, spoke Wednesday
about health issues. She referred to a study
that measured increased cancer risk for people living in Brown County
homes near turbines and how some residents were compelled to leave their
homes.
The
highlighted statement is completely false.Yes, a team of acoustical
engineers took measurements of infrasound and low-frequency sound levels
at three houses near the
Shirley wind farm. The results were recorded and written up in a report
titled “A
Cooperative Measurement Survey and Analysis of Low Frequency and
Infrasound at the Shirley Wind Farm in Brown County, Wisconsin.”
While
these acoustical engineers are experts in their field,
their expertise does not extend into medical science. They took sound
readings, nothing more. Moreover, they were unable to persuade the owner
of the Shirley Wind Farm to shut down the turbines at any time during
the testing. Without a baseline sound reading,
it is impossible to determine to what extent, if any, the Shirley wind
turbines are responsible for any sounds recorded by this team. That
being the case, the statement is in error on two grounds:
1. This was an acoustical inquiry, not a medical inquiry.
2.
The measurements taken neither implicate or exonerate the Shirley wind
turbines for any readings taken, because they were always operating
during the testing.
It’s
quite a leap to interpret the data and conclude, as Ms. Vanden Boogart
did, that living near wind turbines increases the risk of contracting
cancer. No peer-reviewed
medical study I’m aware of connects wind generation to any illness or
disease recognized by the medical profession. Moreover, every reporter
who covers this issue ought to know that Wind Turbine Syndrome is not a
medically recognized phenomenon.
I
would ask that your newspaper issue a correction on this point. Ms.
Vanden Boogart completely misrepresented the report in question, and her
quote suggests that there
is a risk from wind generators when in fact none has been determined to
date by many researchers working around the world.
For
a balanced presentation of the Shirley report, please review the latest
post on Barnard on Wind, which sets the record straight on what the
Shirley infrasound report says and does not say.
