by jboullion | Apr 20, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an editorial in the Eau Claire Leader Telegram:
Clean Wisconsin is part of a coalition of dozens of groups – including environmentalists, labor unions, utilities such as Xcel Energy, and business representatives such as Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce – that supports a soon-to-be-introduced bill that would require the state Public Service Commission to create statewide standards for wind projects. Under current law, local governments can block these projects for health or safety reasons – but those reasons aren’t well-defined, which has led to blanket restrictions such as the one in Trempealeau County.
Critics likely will charge that the bill is an attack on local control. However, it still lets local governments make wind-siting decisions, and allows those who disagree with them to appeal to the PSC and the courts.
It’s understandable that potential neighbors of any large project – including a wind farm – would be concerned about how it might impact their lives. However, the hum of a windmill or the flickering shadows it may create seem greatly preferable to the sulphurous fumes of a coal-fired plant or the potential deadly contamination of a nuclear reactor. Unless we redouble our efforts to pursue clean energy, those may be our only other options to keep the lights on.
by jboullion | Apr 20, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Alliant Energy:
MADISON, WI – April 17, 2009 – In the middle of 2008, Reedsburg Hardwoods decided it wanted to reduce its energy cost by taking advantage of a plentiful by-product of its own manufacturing process: wood waste. At the time, the company was using two natural gas-fired boilers and one wood waste boiler to process steam for its kilns, steamers and dryers. While the lumber mill was already powering about two-thirds of its processing operation with the wood waste boiler, it had more wood waste available to do more and wanted to effectively eliminate the use of natural gas for its wood processing energy demands.
“We really saw a great opportunity for our company to move toward completely using a renewable resource to power our lumber mill process,” said Doug Hilber, Reedsburg Hardwoods Facility Manager. “With the excess wood waste we generate and had available on and off-site, it made sense to look at purchasing a larger capacity wood waste boiler that could handle processing steam for all of our lumber mill process now and into the future.”
As with any business, cash is important and paying for the new wood waste boiler and the other upgrades needed to support it, would take upfront dollars before the long-term energy-efficiency gains could be realized. That’s where Wisconsin Power and Light’s (WPL’s) Shared Savings program stepped in to assist the company.
The Shared Savings program is an initiative that assists industrial, commercial and agricultural customers with identification and implementation of energy efficiency projects – and invests the capital to finance them. The program’s low-interest financing, and ability to repay the loan using the energy savings, is attractive to many businesses.
by jboullion | Apr 19, 2009 | Uncategorized
Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, April 19, 2009
Windmills were once a frequent sight in the Wisconsin countryside, pumping water on countless family farms before the use of electricity became widespread.
Now, windmills could again become common as the state tries to meet its goal of generating 10 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2015. In the coming weeks, the state Legislature will have a chance to make it easier for clean-energy creating wind turbines to proliferate in Wisconsin.
These windmills are larger and more powerful than their ancestors. For example, turbines at a wind farm in Fond du Lac County reach nearly 400 feet in the air (counting their blades) and can generate up to 1.65 megawatts of power. (One megawatt is enough for 800 to 1,000 homes.)
Last year’s spike in the price of dwindling fossil fuels should be enough reason for our society to begin shifting to cleaner, more renewable sources. Add to that the growing evidence of global climate change caused by excessive amounts of carbon dioxide released by the burning of those fossil fuels, and the need for renewable energy becomes even more critical.
Today, Wisconsin gets just 3 percent of its energy from renewable sources (mostly wind), far below the 10 percent target looming in six years. Ryan Schryver, a clean energy advocate for Clean Wisconsin, a statewide environmental group, says an additional 600 megawatts of wind power are ensnared in red tape. The state isn’t to blame, however; instead, some local governments have adopted ordinances that restrict the development of wind power. Among them is the Trempealeau County Board, which voted in 2007 that wind turbines taller than 150 feet must be one mile or more from residences, schools, hospitals or businesses. The ordinance essentially prohibits wind power in the county.
Clean Wisconsin is part of a coalition of dozens of groups – including environmentalists, labor unions, utilities such as Xcel Energy, and business representatives such as Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce – that supports a soon-to-be-introduced bill that would require the state Public Service Commission to create statewide standards for wind projects. Under current law, local governments can block these projects for health or safety reasons – but those reasons aren’t well-defined, which has led to blanket restrictions such as the one in Trempealeau County.
Critics likely will charge that the bill is an attack on local control. However, it still lets local governments make wind-siting decisions, and allows those who disagree with them to appeal to the PSC and the courts.
It’s understandable that potential neighbors of any large project – including a wind farm – would be concerned about how it might impact their lives. However, the hum of a windmill or the flickering shadows it may create seem greatly preferable to the sulphurous fumes of a coal-fired plant or the potential deadly contamination of a nuclear reactor. Unless we redouble our efforts to pursue clean energy, those may be our only other options to keep the lights on.
– Tom Giffey, editorial page editor
by jboullion | Apr 19, 2009 | Uncategorized
Solar hot water
+ Energizing Fort Atkinson’s Schools with the Sun and Earth, Fort Atkinson, WI
+ Sun Harvest Farm: Solar hot water and more, Ridgeway, WI
+ Sock maker steps up to solar hot water – Wigwam Socks, Sheboygan, WI
+ Solar hot water douses rising energy costs at Madison Fire stations – Fire stations, Madison, WI
+ Solar hot water systems for multifamily buildings – Park Central Apartments, Madison, WI
+ Solar-heated pool passes the test at Osceola school – Osceloa High School, Osceola, WI
+ Solar hot water—straight from the garden – Private residence, Platteville, WI
by jboullion | Apr 19, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Jeff Starck in the Wausau Daily Herald:
Central Wisconsin environmentalists say “green” is not as mainstream as it should be, but the movement has evolved from a rallying cry on the first Earth Day 39 years ago to a common practice today.
It’s hard to miss the push for green and environmentally friendly practices in the Wausau area. Downtown Grocery opened in July 2006, focusing on locally grown, organic foods. Virtually every grocery store and many other shops promote the use of cloth bags instead of plastic bags. Wausau residents recycled 1,959 tons of glass, plastic, aluminum and other items in 2008, an amount barely imagined in 1970 — two decades before the state enacted a mandatory recycling law.
Local government bodies have looked at ways to be more eco-friendly and explore alternative energy and conservation techniques. In November, Wausau School Board members voted in favor of installing two wind turbines on Wausau East High School property.
Much has changed in the decades since the first Earth Day, April 22, 1970, but longtime activists are concerned that some people still don’t take environmental concerns seriously.
“Many people are ‘green’ on the surface, and do things that make them look good,” said Wausau business owner and resident Kari Bender-Burke. “They need ‘greenness’ throughout.”
Bender-Burke, 50, who owns The Needle Workshop and The Quilting Workshop, replaced 40traditional light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs when she moved the stores several years ago to the present location on First Avenue. The switch has saved her about $40a month on her electric bill. At home, Bender-Burke prides herself on collecting rainwater in a barrel for her large garden and compost pile.
Stevens Point architect Tom Brown, who specializes in environmentally sensitive and energy-conserving designs, said the green building boom in recent years is a direct response to consumer demand. As energy prices increased, businesses and homeowners wanted to find ways to reduce their energy use.
“It’s nothing new. These are old, basic design concepts and rediscovering basic principles that work,” said Brown, who participated in the first Earth Day. “This is more of a reaction to poor design than a new design concept.”
by jboullion | Apr 17, 2009 | Uncategorized
From RENEW Wisconsin’s Michael Vickerman:
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory today released its annual assessment of leading utility renewable energy subscription programs across the nation. Several programs offered by Wisconsin utilities finished in the Top 10 in four categories of performance. Deserving of kudos are We Energies, Madison Gas & Electric and two municipal utilities–River Falls and Lake Mills–served by WPPI Energy. Congratulations on a fine performance last year!
Individual program rankings are as follows:
* We Energies’ Energy for Tomorrow program came in 8th in total renewable energy sales and 10th in total number of customer participants.
* Madison Gas & Electric’s Green Power Tomorrow program posted the 4th highest customer participation rate and ranked 6th in terms of program sales as a percentage of overall retail electricity sales.
* The River Falls municipal utility posted the 9th highest customer participation rate and ranked 3rd in terms of program sales as a percentage of overall retail electricity sales.
* The Lake Mills municipal utility posted the 10th highest customer participation rate.
Though NREL does not keep track of solar capacity that were supported by renewable energy subscribers, it’s worth mentioning that from 2006 to 2008 We Energies leveraged the installation of 1 MW of customer-owned solar capacity through its Energy for Tomorrow program. Alliant and MGE also offers a 25 cent/kWh solar rate that is also supported by program subscribers.
For more information about NREL’s 2008 assessment, go to:
http://www.nrel.gov/news/press/2009/679.html
