Xcel to use wood chips for electricity at plant in northern Wisconsin

by | Oct 8, 2008 | Uncategorized

From a story by Thomas Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Xcel Energy Inc. will announce today that its power plant in northern Wisconsin will be the largest in the Midwest to make electricity by burning wood chips.

The utility will invest $55 million to $70 million to convert a coal-fired boiler to one that would convert chipped waste wood from northern Wisconsin’s forests into a gas for power production.

Xcel is an eight-state utility company based in Minneapolis. Its Wisconsin electric and natural gas utility is based in Eau Claire.

The initiative is part of Xcel’s strategy to become a leader in production of renewable energy, a plan that could reap financial rewards if the federal government moves to regulate emissions linked to global warming.

Through its wind farms based primarily in Minnesota, Xcel is the largest producer of wind energy in the country, according to the American Wind Energy Association. The company also has 19 dams generating hydroelectric power on rivers in northern Wisconsin.

The Ashland power plant consists of three boilers, two of which burn both biomass and a small amount of coal, and one that burns coal exclusively. The new proposal, to be filed with state regulators this fall, would replace that coal-only boiler with a biomass-to-gas system, company spokesman Brian Elwood said.

One concern, he said, was whether there would be enough waste wood to supply the plant. A study by the Madison-based Energy Center of Wisconsin found there would be enough wood left after forests are logged to supply an expansion, he said.

And from a media release issued by Xcel:

In 2006, Xcel Energy funded a study with the Energy Center of Wisconsin to investigate the amount of biomass that could be removed from Wisconsin’s forests to support sustainable energy resources and any associated environmental impacts. The study concluded that area forests within a 50-mile radius of the Bay Front Power Plant could support additional biomass removal without adverse impacts to the local ecosystem. Dedicated biomass energy plantations could ultimately provide a portion of the plant’s increased biomass needs, with additional benefits from carbon sequestration.

“Xcel Energy has been a long-time leader in providing renewable energy from local sources to the citizens of Wisconsin,” said Michael Vickerman, executive director, RENEW Wisconsin. “This biomass initiative continues that tradition.”

Mark Redsten, executive director, Clean Wisconsin, agreed.

“This project will both lessen Wisconsin’s reliance on imported fossil fuels and propel us closer to the renewable energy goals of Gov. Doyle’s Task Force on Global Warming,” Redsten said.

Propane, heating oil users face costly winter

by | Oct 7, 2008 | Uncategorized

From an article by Anne Jungen and Samantha Marcus and in the La Crosse Tribune:

Kate Pahl’s December heating bill sent chills down her spine. A new homeowner, Pahl lowered the temperature in her three-bedroom, town of Greenfield mobile home — first from 72 to 65 degrees, and finally to 55.

Still, her monthly propane bill rose from $200 to $400 to $600.

The dance was maddening.

“(Last) winter was horrible, and it wasn’t even that cold,” the 22-year-old said. “I realize I live in a trailer. I realize it doesn’t have the greatest insulation. But I pay more for this than my parents pay for a three-story house.”

She and her father crawled underneath adding insulation, and she planned to later add weather stripping and tape her windows.

“I’m going to basically wrap my whole place in Saran Wrap,” she mused late in the summer.

But as cold weather months approached, Pahl decided not to stick around and find out what this winter has in store. Last week she sold her home.

“I know this winter would just kill me,” Pahl said. “I knew I would not be able to handle it by myself.”

All Wisconsin residents will be paying more to heat their homes this year, but propane and heating oil customers will be hit especially hard.

Without the cover of government intervention, they are at the mercy of the free market and lack a cold weather rule keeping them warm if the tank runs dry. . . .

How to save on your heating bill
+ If you are a propane or heating oil customer, fill your tank during early fall when prices are lower.
+ Weatherize your home with proper insulation; caulk and weather strip windows and doors.
+ Install a programmable thermostat, and lower the temperature when you’re away or sleeping.
+ Open drapes and shades to let sunlight heat your home; close them in the evening to prevent heat from escaping.
+ Make sure heating vents are not blocked.
+ Use plastic window coverings to reduce drafts.
+ Use furnaces and appliances that are Energy Star qualified.
+ Clean or replace furnace filters monthly.
+ Close the damper in fireplaces when not in use.
+ Close doors to rooms not being used.

Learn about more energy savings ideas and renewable energy options at Focus on Energy.

Forward Wind Center open for public tours, Oct. 22

by | Oct 7, 2008 | Uncategorized

Invenergy, the wind project developer, invites the public to attend the Forward Energy Center Open House.

When: October 22, 2008
Open House: 1-6 PM
Tours start on the half hour from 1:00 to 5:30 PM
Brownsville Community Club
871 Main St., Brownsville (on Hwy 49)

Come learn more about the Forward Energy Center and how wind power benefits Wisconsin.

Forward began operations in February 2008, becoming one of the first large-scale wind energy projects in Wisconsin. Forward is owned and operated by Chicago-based Invenergy, which is implementing one of the largest programs of wind development in the United States, Canada and Europe, and is committed to building strong relationships with landowners, communities and utility customers.

Please wear appropriate shoes for walking on uneven surfaces. Reservations are not required.

For more information, contact Susan Dennison at sdennnison@invenergyllc.com

Congress extends tax credits for solar and wind projects

by | Oct 6, 2008 | Uncategorized

From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The $700 billion package designed to help the financial industry will result in more Wisconsin homeowners installing solar panels on the roofs of their houses in the years to come, energy industry observers said Friday.

A package of energy tax credits, adopted as part of the bailout deal, will extend for eight years the tax credit for homeowners considering adding solar.

Energy tax credits had been set to expire at the end of the year until they were included in the Wall Street bailout package.

What’s significant about the solar credit, industry observers said, is the decision to remove a $2,000 cap on a federal tax credit for installing solar panels.

That means that a typical solar-electric system that costs about $16,000 is now eligible for a 30% tax credit, or $4,800, said Michael Vickerman, executive director of Renew Wisconsin, a Madison group that advocates for renewable energy.

Word that the bill had passed in the House came as visitors toured homes and businesses with solar panels across the state Friday, as part of the annual Solar Tour sponsored by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association. The tours continue today.

In Milwaukee, Ann Beier, head of the Milwaukee Office of Sustainability, heard about the congressional vote during a solar tour stop at Hot Water Products Inc., a distributor of solar-hot water systems.

“It raised the mood quite a bit, because there had been such fits and starts on reinstating these tax credits,” said Beier, whose office will kick off the Milwaukee Shines solar-education program this month.

The incentive should boost interest by homeowners in installing solar panels, said Don Wichert, who runs renewable energy initiatives for the state Focus on Energy program.

“With all the stuff that is going on right now with the economy, this is a happening market,” he said. “There will not be layoffs in the solar and renewable market for a long time.”

Other energy pieces included in the Wall Street bailout package include an extension of wind-energy tax credits for one year.

Animation shows how solar electricity and hot water work

by | Oct 6, 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:

+ 30% federal tax credit up to $2,000 (expires December 31, 2008)
+ 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.

What's the payback? Don't ask.

by | Oct 6, 2008 | Uncategorized

From an article by Randy Hanson in the Hudson Star-Observer:

Craig Tarr has grown mildly impatient with people who ask what the payback is on the solar energy systems he designs.

“I don’t like to discuss things in terms of payback,” he says. “My question to that is, when you bought your plasma TV was there a payback? Or did you do it because you wanted to, and it brought comfort to your life?”

For the people who buy his solar energy systems, part of the payback is knowing that they have reduced their carbon footprint.

Craig Tarr, a professional engineer, earns about half of his income by designing renewable energy systems. His goal is to make renewable energy 100 percent of his business within two or three years.

Tarr is the founder of Energy Concepts, a two-year-old renewable energy business located at 2349 Willis Miller Drive in Hudson’s St. Croix Business Park. He’s formed a partnership with Paul Steiner of Steiner Plumbing, Electric & Heating of River Falls, which installs the solar and wind energy systems that Tarr custom designs for homes and businesses.

Solar energy systems are still quite pricey, but a cash-back reward from Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy program and a $2,000 tax credit from the federal government help reduce the sticker shock.

According to Tarr, a solar hot-water system for a family of four at a price of $11,000 to $12,000 is the best buy for residential customers.

Focus on Energy provides a 20 percent cash-back reward on renewable energy systems, which reduces the price of a $12,000 system by $2,400. The $2,000 federal tax reduction further lowers the price of a $12,000 system to $7,600.

Area Xcel Energy and St. Croix Gas customers are eligible for the Focus on Energy rebate. St. Croix Electric Cooperative doesn’t participate in the program and its customers aren’t eligible for the rebate.