by jboullion | Jul 8, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by RENEW Wisconsin:
Collectively drawing upon the individual roadblocks that developers experienced in permitting wind energy projects in Wisconsin, a group of renewable energy stakeholders urged the Public Service Commission to adopt standards that can’t be undermined by additional restrictions imposed by local governments.
The comments, submitted on behalf of 38 signatories, addressed the draft siting rule published by the Commission in mid-May. The draft rule proposed standards applicable to all wind energy systems — large and small — erected in Wisconsin. In the next phase of this proceeding, the Commission will review the public comments before issuing a final rule in August.
The rule will specify, among other things, setback distances from neighbors, sound limits, shadow flicker durations, procedures for decommissioning inoperable turbines, and mitigating electronic signal interference.
Noting that local governments would have discretionary authority going beyond the legislation’s intentions, renewable energy supporters recommended specific changes to give developers a greater sense of certainty in the permitting process.
“We are willing to work collaboratively and cooperatively with political subdivisions to establish mutually agreeable provisions beyond the requirements of the rules,” the stakeholders said in their joint comments. “However, we cannot develop wind projects in Wisconsin if current uncertainty regarding political subdivision requirements continues.”
by jboullion | Jul 7, 2010 | Uncategorized
As daylight fades, Manhattan continues to gorge on power. New York City is tied to fuels like natural gas, with less than one percent of its electricity coming from wind or solar.
From an article by Joel Achenbach in National Geographic, with photos by Joe McNally
Can we fix the infrastructure that powers our lives?
We are creatures of the grid. We are embedded in it and empowered by it. The sun used to govern our lives, but now, thanks to the grid, darkness falls at our convenience. During the Depression, when power lines first electrified rural America, a farmer in Tennessee rose in church one Sunday and said—power companies love this story—”The greatest thing on earth is to have the love of God in your heart, and the next greatest thing is to have electricity in your house.” He was talking about a few lightbulbs and maybe a radio. He had no idea.
Juice from the grid now penetrates every corner of our lives, and we pay no more attention to it than to the oxygen in the air. Until something goes wrong, that is, and we’re suddenly in the dark, fumbling for flashlights and candles, worrying about the frozen food in what used to be called (in pre-grid days) the icebox. Or until the batteries run dry in our laptops or smart phones, and we find ourselves scouring the dusty corners of airports for an outlet, desperate for the magical power of electrons.
The grid is wondrous. And yet—in part because we’ve paid so little attention to it, engineers tell us—it’s not the grid we need for the 21st century. It’s too old. It’s reliable but not reliable enough, especially in the United States, especially for our mushrooming population of finicky digital devices. Blackouts, brownouts, and other power outs cost Americans an estimated $80 billion a year. And at the same time that it needs to become more reliable, the grid needs dramatic upgrading to handle a different kind of power, a greener kind. That means, among other things, more transmission lines to carry wind power and solar power from remote places to big cities.
Most important, the grid must get smarter. . . .
by jboullion | Jul 6, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Molly Newman in the Marshfield News-Herald:
A report released Friday [July 2] by Energy Center of Wisconsin showed Marshfield is already set to complete 93 percent of its goal as one of 10 pilot programs in Wisconsin’s “25×25” challenge.
The 25×25 plan was proposed in 2009 as a way for the state to attain its goal of generating 25 percent of energy consumption from renewable sources by 2025.
Marty Anderson, chair of the city’s Sustainable Marshfield committee, said the group came up with 16 projects to reduce energy consumption. These included solar collection and geothermal energy use in city buildings, conversion of the non-emergency fleet to hybrid vehicles and purchasing 25 percent renewable electricity from Marshfield Utilities.
“We tried to put in (the plan) projects that we thought had a reasonable likelihood of being completed,” Anderson said.
About 30 percent of the energy consumption goal will be met by projects that have already been implemented or are included on the city’s five-year plan, Anderson said. For example, the new fire station integrated several energy-efficient features.
According to Sean Weitner, author of the Energy Center report, Marshfield also proposed installation of a $12 million, 38 megawatt wind farm, a project that was not included in the 93 percent indicator because it would cost more than five times the current total energy budget.
by jboullion | Jul 2, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Governor Jim Doyle on the success of the ten communities in Energy Independent (EI) Pilot — Brown County; Chequamegon Bay (including the cities of Ashland, Bayfield and Washburn, the towns of Bayfield and La Pointe, the counties of Ashland and Bayfield, the Red Cliff tribe and the Bay Area Regional Transit authority); Columbus; Evansville; Fairfield; Marshfield; Oconomowoc; Osceola, including the school district; Platteville and Lancaster; Spring Green, including the school district:
MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle today announced ten Energy Independent (EI) Pilot Communities are well on their way toward achieving “25 x 25” – getting 25 percent of their electricity and 25 percent of their transportation fuels from renewable sources by 2025.
“Through the EI Pilot program communities have found ways to reduce their overall 2025 fossil fuel-based energy consumption by 30 percent,” said Governor Doyle. “This is significant considering we spend $16 billion on fossil fuel energy every year in Wisconsin, and all those dollars go outside of our state. We are finding ways to reduce our dependence
and generate jobs in Wisconsin.”
Two independent reports released by the Office of Energy Independence revealed how the ten EI Pilot Communities were able to accomplish 98 percent of their collective 25 x 25 goal.
The communities reduced their overall 2025 fossil fuel-based energy consumption by 30 percent and reduced their 2025 carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent.
The information gathered by the EI Pilot Communities will assist Wisconsin local units of government including the 140 EI Communities to decide which strategies will work best with their unique assets and capitalize on the diversity of their resources.
The reports were conducted by two non-partisan research and policy organizations: the Local Government Institute and the Energy Center of Wisconsin.
by jboullion | Jul 1, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Nick Paulson in the Stevens Point Journal:
If you want a drink of water on the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point campus this fall, don’t expect to find any bottles for sale.
The university’s new vending contract, which will go into effect before the school year starts in September, bans bottled water sales in campus vending machines. The 30 or so beverage machines also will switch to aluminum cans for soft drinks, cutting additional use of plastic. Only beverages which don’t come in other materials, such as sports drinks, still will be sold in plastic bottles.
UWSP bids its vending contract every five years. When Jerry Lineberger, associate director of University Centers, and other staff members asked for student input on this issue, the biggest call was to get rid of plastics, especially bottled water. The Student Government Association even passed a resolution asking for a reduction.
“If you want water, we have lots of water fountains on campus,” said Lineberger, who put together the new contract. “You can bring your own water bottle and fill it for free.”
Eliminating bottled water and switching to aluminum will cut, possibly by half, the amount of plastic the campus uses. The switch fits in with UWSP’s commitment to sustainability and image as a “green” campus.
But it also has a practical side. Recycling all the plastic costs the university money, but it can make money by selling the aluminum cans.
