by jboullion | Oct 30, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an article by Chad Dally in The Daily Press (Ashland):
While the Industrial Revolution changed the foundations of the United States’ economy, the dependence on fossil fuels to spur it along created the need a century later for what some have dubbed a “bio-based revolution” emphasizing the use of alternative and renewable energy as the foundation of the future.
Within Wisconsin’s 16 million acres of public and private forest land there lies a key piece of that renewable energy future in woody biomass collecting throughout the forest floor. The tops of trees, branches and other dispersed, gnarly bunches of slash that loggers previously left in the woods is attracting more and more commercial attention for its possible usage as wood pellets for heat and power, and fuel for utility company boilers.
But is there enough? Consider some of the competitors for the resource:
• There are at least seven pellet plants in the state and Superior Wood Products is hopeful it will receive permits needed to construct its own pellet plant in Ino, located in Bayfield County. The company aims to produce 100,000 oven-dried tons of pellets each year, which could generate up to 4,775 kilowatt hours (kWh), according to the company’s Web site.
To produce the pellets – and the heat to dry wood that becomes a pellet – the company will need about 200,000 tons of green wood, said Don Peterson of Renewable Resource Solutions, a consulting firm assisting Superior Wood Products.
• Northern States Power’s Bay Front plant in Ashland will convert a coal-fired boiler to one using wood waste to create synthetic gas. If the plant comes online in 2012 as expected, the plant will nearly double its use of woody biomass, from 200,000 tons to between 330,000 and 360,000, said Dave Donovan, Xcel’s manager of regulatory policy.
• Flambeau River Biofuels in Park Falls obtained a $30 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy toward a plant that will convert 1,900 tons of forest residue into 40 million gallons of fuel and 2 trillion Btu of heat and power.
• Even schools like Glidden in Ashland County have installed wood-fired boilers to help offset their energy needs with renewable fuel.
by jboullion | Oct 30, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
James Mulva, head of the nation’s third-largest oil company, said it’s time for politicians to develop an energy policy that addresses both energy security and climate change.
Mulva, a native of De Pere who is chairman and chief executive of ConocoPhillips, said the economic crisis has resulted in an unexpectedly rapid drop in oil and gasoline prices that serves as a “temporary timeout” in a longer-term trend of rising demand for energy.
The economic crisis is resulting in flattening or dropping demand for energy.
“But our experts tell us that this represents really a temporary timeout in what we see as a global competition for development of energy around the world,” Mulva told more than 400 students and businesspeople Wednesday at the Marquette University Business Leaders Forum.
“When this happens the energy market will tighten. But this timeout does not extend to climate change. Global warming continues,” he said.
The time will be ripe for a new president and Congress to address energy and climate issues, but Mulva said economic concerns and restoration of stability to financial markets will and should remain government’s first priority.
by jboullion | Oct 29, 2008 | Uncategorized
From Focus on Energy:
It’s a great time to protect the environment, reduce your carbon footprint and save money in the long run. Do it all by installing a solar electric or solar hot water system.
Solar electric systems: capture solar energy and transform it into electricity. Click here to learn more and see how solar electric systems work.
Solar hot water systems: use the sun to heat water and then store it for extended periods, right on your property, making plenty of hot water available for showers, laundry and dishes. Click here to learn more and see how solar hot water systems work.
Right now, there are valuable financial incentives available that can significantly reduce the cost of these systems:
+ Federal tax credits
+ Cash-Back Reward of up to 25% for project costs
+ Site Assessment co-funding of up to 60%
+ An additional $500 bonus for owners of Wisconsin ENERGY STAR® Homes or existing homes that have gone through the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program
+ For multi-family buildings or other businesses, implementation grants are available to install solar projects
Visit focusonenergy.com/renewable to learn more about solar and available financial incentives or to sign up for our Renewable eNewsletter.
by jboullion | Oct 29, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an article by Mary Beth McCauley in The Christian Science Monitor:
The buggy is in the drive. Trousers flutter on the clothesline. Horses prance as they work the field, their manes flowing, their step high. And mounted there on the shed out back are, well, solar panels – looking as if this Hollywood-set Amish family somehow stumbled into the Philadelphia Home Show.
Solar energy has been used by a few of the technology-eschewing Amish for decades now. But with soaring energy costs, more families are putting sunlight-collecting panels on their barns and outbuildings. Indeed, area dealers report sales of solar systems to the Amish are up 30 percent to 50 percent this year alone.
Unlike the non-Amish – who tend to favor large alternative energy systems that connect directly to the public utility grid – Amish prefer simple stand-alone systems. They use solar panels to power a battery for a specific task – such as running the lights on a buggy or operating a woodshop motor. The don’t use electricity inside the home. Solar energy is replacing propane, gas, or diesel to run small motors on farms and in businesses.
“The solar power system is really simple – a couple of panels and a battery,” says Sam Zook, of Belmont Solar, in Gordonville, Pa.
Isn’t this still a bit high-tech for the horse and buggy set?
Not at all says Mr. Zook. “The Amish are not completely disconnected from the outside world. There’s always someone running a retail store [nearby] and introducing a new item.”
Whether these are accepted or not is up to church leaders, and rulings differ from congregation to congregation and district to district. Cars and electricity tend to be rejected. And solar is not accepted everywhere yet, says Zook, even here in Lancaster County, which is considered one of the nation’s more progressive settlements of Amish.
by jboullion | Oct 29, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an Associated Press article posted on INO.com News:
(AP:MILWAUKEE) Electric and natural gas utility Wisconsin Energy Corp. said Wednesday its third-quarter profit fell 7 percent as cool summer weather lowered demand for air conditioning.
For the quarter ended Sept. 30, Wisconsin Energy earned $77.5 million, or 65 cents per share, compared with $82.9 million, or 70 cents per share, for the same quarter in 2007.
Earnings from continuing operations _ which excludes results from businesses that have been, or are in the process of being sold _ totaled $77 million, or 65 cents per share, compared with $83.1 million, or 71 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter.
Revenue declined 3 percent to $852.5 million from $881.5 million in the 2007 period.
On average, analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected a more modest profit of 55 cents per share, on $892.8 million in revenue.
Wisconsin Energy said residential use of electricity fell 5 percent in the quarter from a year ago. Among small commercial and industrial customers, consumption was off by 1.4 percent, while use among large commercial and industrial customers was down 3.5 percent versus a year ago.
by jboullion | Oct 28, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a page on the Web site of We Energies:
This program assists qualified not-for-profit customers install solar water-heating systems. Customer incentives are provided from We Energies Renewable Energy Development Program. The incentive amount is a dollar-for-dollar match of the Focus on Energy Solar Water-Heating System Cash-back Reward Program or the Solar Water-Heating Implementation Grant for larger systems. Supporting solar water-heating system installations helps We Energies demonstrate to customers the benefits of solar water-heating energy systems.
Eligibility: Applicants must be We Energies retail electric customers located in Wisconsin, and one of the following:
+ Not-for-profit organization.
+ Not-for-profit educational/academic institution, unit of government, or special district or authority defined as government under Wisconsin law.
