The Wisconsin Renewable Quarterly, RENEW Wisconsin’s newsletter, features these articles:
+ Rest in Peace: Cassville Generation Plant
+ Mississippi River Bird and Bat Study
+ Osceola School Heats Pools with Solar
+ Bob Ramlow: Solar Pioneer
+ Focus on Energy Issues Biogas Profiles
+ Focus on Energy Earns National Honor
+ State Plugs into Renewable Energy
The Wisconsin Renewable Quarterly, RENEW Wisconsin’s newsletter, features these articles:
+ Rest in Peace: Cassville Generation Plant
+ Mississippi River Bird and Bat Study
+ Osceola School Heats Pools with Solar
+ Bob Ramlow: Solar Pioneer
+ Focus on Energy Issues Biogas Profiles
+ Focus on Energy Earns National Honor
+ State Plugs into Renewable Energy
From an article by Wayne Nelson in BusinessNorth:
The region’s economy already has a tint of “green,” ranging from hydroelectric and wind-generated power to biofuels development and environmentally-friendly building design.
And it’s in a potential sweet spot for a boost from President Barack Obama’s “green economy” initiative that promises $150 billion in federal funding over the next decade to help address climate change issues, and develop 5 million green collar jobs in the process.
“Any renewables stimulus program will be huge for this region,” said Chris Wiberg, chief operations officer at Twin Ports Testing in Superior. “We have a lot of woody biomass,” he said, noting the challenge is to divine commercially viable technology. “The question is how to use it,” he said.
Twin Ports Testing launched a fuels analysis lab in 1980 and is in the vanguard in this search for renewable biomass fuels. That laboratory has assisted one corner of this sector — producing wood pellets from biomass for residential, commercial and industrial heating — get off the ground.
The article highlights many area businesses in the renewable energy industry.
From a letter sent to hospitality businesses by Focus on Energy:
Dear Wisconsin Hospitality Business:
As energy prices rise, now is a great time to discover the money-saving power of solar hot water.
A hospitality business like yours could save 50% or more on water-heating costs!
Solar hot water systems use energy from the sun to heat water for guest rooms, housekeeping, laundry facilities, food service, swimming pools and more. In many businesses, installing a solar hot water system can generate a positive cash flow almost immediately.
What can solar hot water do for your business?
+ Decrease your water-heating costs by 50% or more
+ Insulate your business from the rising cost of energy
+ Reduce pollution to help protect the environment
+ Enhance your reputation as an environmentally friendly business
For a real-world example of the benefits of solar hot water, click here for a case study that explains how Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells installed the state’s largest solar hot water system to save an expected $590,000 over 20 years.
Reduce your up-front costs with incentives from Focus on Energy.
Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s energy efficiency and renewable energy program, offers financial incentives to help you fund up to 25% of the installed cost of your system. Federal tax credits and depreciation are also available to save you even more. Together, these funds can pay for more than half of the total cost
of your system!
Start saving with solar hot water.
Find out why a solar hot water system is a smart and affordable business investment that can boost your bottom line for years to come. Call 800.762.7077 or visit focusonenergy.com/solarhotel1 to learn more about the benefits of solar water heating—plus energy efficiency tips to help you save even more with this tried and proven renewable energy solution.
From an article by Sean Ryan in The Daily Reporter:
A new sales tax in southeastern Wisconsin will pay for the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee Commuter Link if the idea can overcome opposition in the state Legislature and Racine County.
State Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, said he supports the proposed rail project that would connect the three cities, but voters in his district won’t support a sales tax. Lehman last year convinced the state Senate to include a car-rental fee in the Budget Repair Bill to pay for transit in southeastern Wisconsin. The state Assembly later rejected the fee.
Milwaukee County opposed the car-rental fee because passengers from General Mitchell International Airport would pay the bulk of the money, Lehman said. Now Racine County, which has never levied its own sales tax, stands as the likely roadblock to the KRM under this plan, he said.
“So the sales tax recommendation, in my opinion, doesn’t make sense for Racine County,” Lehman said, “and it is unnecessary to finance a bus system in Racine County.
“I recognize that the Milwaukee County bus system is very challenged, and I think the sales tax makes more sense for Milwaukee County than Racine County.”
Sen. Jeff Plale, D-South Milwaukee, said residents in his district support a sales tax to pay for the KRM and the bus system. But he would not predict the reception it will receive in Madison once biennial budget discussions begin next month.
The Country Today, January 28, 2009
We hear it all the time in rural Wisconsin communities: “We don’t want that wind farm, large dairy operation or anaerobic digester in our neighborhood.”
The not-in-my-backyard mentality hasn’t gone away and it isn’t likely to anytime soon.
The NIMBY attitude really isn’t so hard to understand. If someone lived in a peaceful rural neighborhood and that person had a choice, he or she probably would opt not to have that tranquility disrupted by a large business being built next door, whether it be an ethanol plant, a hog confinement operation or a widget factory.
It would be quite unusual to hear, “Please don’t build that in my backyard, build it in my front yard!”
Within the past week, stories have crossed our desks about a large dairy project near Rosendale, a Manitowoc County wind farm and a community animal-manure digester project in Dane County.
In all three cases, millions of dollars would be invested – during the toughest economic times in about 60 years – to help stimulate the economy. Each of the projects would provide good rural jobs.
The $70 million Rosendale project – a 4,000-cow dairy that could eventually become an 8,000-cow facility – would create 70 permanent jobs and buy $32 million per year from local contractors and vendors.
About 500 people showed up at a hearing last week to consider whether to issue the farm its permits. Farmers from other parts of the state spoke in favor of the project, while some local residents opposed the idea of a large farm being built in their community.
The Manitowoc County Board of Adjustment last week rejected a developer’s proposal to build a seven-turbine wind project west of Two Rivers. The decision was the latest setback in the project developer’s four-year quest to erect a community-scale wind project in the town of Mishicot.
Renew Wisconsin Executive Director Michael Vickerman said the board’s rejection of the wind farm “is certain to send a chill through every Wisconsin developer seeking to construct a community-scale wind farm here.”
In Dane County, the latest talk is about a community-scale manure digester that would collect manure from several farms and turn it into electricity. Farmers heard the latest details about the project at a meeting in DeForest last week.
Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk is hoping federal officials will allocate funds for the “shovel-ready” project that she said could be replicated in agricultural communities across the country.
Madison-area hog producer Bob Uphoff said he was concerned that if the idea catches on and several of the digesters are proposed in Dane County, the projects would be met with a “not in my backyard” attitude by many residents.
So herein lies the dilemma. The economy desperately needs stimulation, and agricultural and rural projects stand ready to meet the challenge. But many of the projects face opposition.
This problem could become even more widespread in the months ahead if, as expected, President Obama and Congress designate money to accelerate renewable-energy projects. The projects that could provide immediate economic stimulation could become bogged down by a plethora of opposition and regulations.
There is no easy solution to this dilemma. It’s certainly not a new problem.
But some people might have to reconsider their opposition to reasonable projects that help the country climb out of its economic doldrums. The old economic structure in this country is broken and must be replaced by a new paradigm. That new paradigm will likely include new ways to generate energy and economic wealth that we might not be used to or familiar with. But they’re not necessarily bad just because they’re different.
We can’t always have our cake and eat it too, as the old saying goes. We can’t ask for projects that stimulate the economy but then always expect them to be built somewhere else.
If we want to put people back to work and get this country’s economy back in gear, some people might have to change their mind-sets.