by jboullion | Jul 7, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Nathaniel Shuda in the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune:
Wisconsin Rapids officials are working to create a policy regulating small wind-energy systems but want legislators in Madison to create a statewide law for consistency.
With a planned 350,000-square-foot plant expected to produce large, industrial wind turbine blades, the city currently has no rules regulating smaller, more residential wind mills, Mayor Mary Jo Carson said.
“You’ve got to progress and get it done, so when your constituents have questions, you’re prepared for that,” said Carson, also chairwoman of the city’s Planning Commission.
The city already received at least two requests from residents looking for guidance on erecting wind mills in their yards or on their roofs, she said.
City staff members have forwarded a proposed zoning ordinance to Wisconsin Focus on Energy for guidance but have not yet received a response, said Michael Ostrowski, the city’s planning and economic development director.
At the state level, a similar policy has made it through the Assembly Committee on Energy and Utilities but still is before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Utilities, Energy and Rail.
The bill would grant rule-making authority to the Public Service Commission to develop statewide regulations to govern small wind systems. Local ordinances cannot be more stringent than state regulations.
State Reps. Amy Sue Vruwink, D-Milladore, and Louis Molepske, D-Stevens Point, co-sponsored the bill. The effort also has garnered support from various Republican lawmakers, including state Rep. Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford.
“Our fear is that we pass this and then the state pushes through (a different version),” Carson said. “I really wish the state would get (going) here. We need to move on.”
by jboullion | Jul 6, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
State utility regulators are reviewing the extent of a steam-generator tube problem with the coal-fired power plant that opened last year near Wausau.
The power plant experienced unexpected shutdowns late last year and early this year, with more expected this year to address the problem, according to the state Public Service Commission.
Wisconsin Public Service Corp. opened the $773 million power plant, the first coal plant built in the state in a generation, in June 2008.
At issue is whether WPS is eligible to pass along the cost of power it had to purchase late last year when the coal plant wasn’t running.
Tim LeMonds, a spokesman for the Public Service Commission, said the steam generating tubes at the power plant have a tendency to clog, and the plant needs to take measures to keep the pipes clean to avoid future clogging.
Dennis Derricks, WPS director of electric regulatory policy, said the problem is a routine start-up issue that the company is addressing with the company that built the power plant, Babcock & Wilcox. According to Derricks, the power plant is still projected to operate 92% of the time, as the utility had projected when it proposed the plant.
The plant, one of two major coal plants built in the state, was recognized with industry awards including Plant of the Year by Power Magazine, an industry trade publication, and 2008 Best Coal-Fired Project by Power Engineering magazine.
Derricks said clogging isn’t the best way to describe the problem. The tubes have an exfoliation problem that is common across the industry and is expected to improve this year.
“The outages going forward are to manage the amount of material that flakes off,” he said. “The tubes are expected to season themselves and develop a coating over them” that helps address the problem, according to Derricks.
by jboullion | Jul 3, 2009 | Uncategorized
Like Stevens Point’s Fire Station No. 2 (above), all of Madison’s fire stations generate solar hot water, as described in “Solar hot water douses rising energy costs at Madison’s fire stations,” published by Focus on Energy:
. . .each of Madison’s 11 firehouses is equipped with a solar hot water system, serving anywhere from 45 percent to 60 percent of the buildings’ collective hot water loads and offsetting 205 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions each year.
by jboullion | Jul 2, 2009 | Uncategorized
From Focus on Energy:
Whether you are a resident of an apartment or condominium, own apartment buildings, or are a condo owners’ association, Focus on Energy has energy saving programs for you. Choose the program that is best for you.
Programs for Apartment and Condo Residents
The Apartment & Condo Efficiency Services Program provides energy efficiency information for residents of apartments or condos. Whether you are looking for tips to keep your apartment comfortable and keep your energy bills low or need help finding ENERGY STAR® qualified products, we can help.
Programs for Apartment Owners
Focus on Energy’s Apartment & Condo Efficiency Services Program specializes in energy efficiency for new and existing multi-unit residential properties. Owners, developers and residents turn to us for the information, technical expertise and financial incentives to help them make their properties more energy efficient.
by jboullion | Jul 1, 2009 | Uncategorized
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From a news release issued by Madison Gas and Electric:
MADISON, Wis. – (Business Wire) Wisconsin’s first large-scale wind farm began producing clean, renewable electric power 10 years ago today in Kewaunee County. The 17-turbine, 11.22-megawatt facility built and owned by Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) is located near Rosiere. Since 1999, the facility has produced over 215,000 megawatt-hours of electricity, enough power to supply 3,000 homes annually.
The facility was built in direct response to MGE customers who wanted to purchase green energy for their homes and businesses. The wind farm’s generating capacity available for green energy sales was sold out in less than four months. Over the last 10 years, MGE has increased its wind energy portfolio by 12 times as strong customer support for renewable energy continues. MGE customers have one of the highest participation rates nationally in green energy programming offered by investor-owned utilities.
“We are grateful to the landowners and communities that support this project,” said Lynn Hobbie, MGE senior vice president. “We also thank the customers who have made our green pricing program so successful.”
“In 10 years, wind generation has completed the transition from boutique energy to a bulk power,” said Michael Vickerman, executive director of RENEW Wisconsin. “Early commitments to wind power from utilities like MGE helped make that happen and were instrumental to that industry’s subsequent growth and maturation.”
At the time, MGE’s Rosiere facility was the largest wind farm in the Eastern United States. Today the wind farm is one of nine commercial facilities in Wisconsin. Wind-generating capacity in Wisconsin totals nearly 450 megawatts.
