by jboullion | Sep 10, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a report titled “The Facts about Wind Energy’s Emissions Savings” prepared by the American Wind Energy Association:
. . . four of the seven major independent grid operators in the U.S. have studied the emissions impact of adding wind energy to their power grids, and all four have found that adding wind energy drastically reduces emissions of carbon dioxide and other harmful pollutants. While the emissions savings depend somewhat on the existing share of coal-fired versus gas-fired generation in the region, as one would expect, it is impossible to dispute the findings of these four independent grid operators that adding wind energy to their grids has significantly reduced emissions. . . .
DOE data show that wind and other renewables’ share of Texas’s electric mix increased from 1.3% in 2005 to 4.4% in 2008, an increase in share of 3.1 percentage points. During that period, electric sector carbon dioxide emissions declined by 3.3%, even though electricity use actually increased by 2% during that time. Because of wind energy, the state of Texas was able to turn what would have been a carbon emissions increase into a decrease of 8,690,000 metric tons per year, equal to the emissions savings of taking around 1.5 million cars off the road.
by jboullion | Sep 10, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a report titled “The Facts about Wind Energy’s Emissions Savings” prepared by the American Wind Energy Association:
. . . four of the seven major independent grid operators in the
U.S. have studied the emissions impact of adding wind energy to their power grids, and all four have found that adding wind energy drastically reduces emissions of carbon dioxide and other harmful pollutants. While the emissions savings depend somewhat on the existing share of coal-fired versus gas-fired generation in the region, as one would expect, it is impossible to dispute the findings of these four independent grid operators that adding wind energy to their grids has significantly reduced emissions. . . .
DOE data show that wind and other renewables’ share of Texas’s electric mix increased from 1.3% in 2005 to 4.4% in 2008, an increase in share of 3.1 percentage points. During that period, electric sector carbon dioxide emissions declined by 3.3%, even though electricity use actually increased by 2% during that time. Because of wind energy, the state of Texas was able to turn what would have been a carbon emissions increase into a decrease of 8,690,000 metric tons per year, equal to the emissions savings of taking around 1.5 million cars off the road.
by jboullion | Aug 27, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Christine Won in the Racine Journal Times:
CALEDONIA – A report released Thursday by environmental groups points to We Energies coal ash landfills as the likely source of the groundwater contamination that has left several residents without drinking water for the past year.
Almost 40 coal ash dump sites in 21 states, including Wisconsin, are contaminating groundwater or surface water with toxic metals like arsenic, mercury or lead, according to a report by the Enviromental Integrity Project, Earthjustice and the Sierra Club.
The Oak Creek power plant, which has one active and two closed coal ash landfills, was named as having private wells in the area contaminated by molybdenum and boron.
We Energies spokesman Barry McNulty called the report “incomplete” and “flawed,” drawn up in a time crunch to meet an agenda of getting it out before the U.S. Environmental Public Agency hearings on the coal ash rule begin nationwide Monday.
For the first time the EPA is proposing a coal ash regulation and considering two possible options at its hearings. One is to regulate as special wastes for disposal in landfills or surface impoundments and another to regulate as non-hazardous wastes.
We Energies has maintained that its coal ash sites cannot be the contaminant source because the natural groundwater in the bedrock aquifer, where most of the contaminated well water comes from, flows toward the northeast, toward the power plant.
Russell Boulding, a freelance environmental consultant who owns Boulding Soil-Water Consultant out of Bloomington, Ind., said he drew his conclusion in the report that the coal ash landfills are the most likely source for the groundwater contamination in the plant vicinity based on collected data patterns and high levels of molybdenum found within a concentrated area of the landfills. Boulding added the bedrock aquifer is a fractured system, where groundwater flow doesn’t always follow the general trend, especially if water is pumped.
A dozen private drinking water wells within 1,500 feet of the coal ash landfills were found to exceed the state groundwater standards for molybdenum and boron, 40 and 960 micrograms per liter, respectively, according to the report.
by jboullion | Jul 27, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
We Energies’ Valley power plant is a vital link serving the region’s energy needs. That doesn’t mean it can’t run cleaner.
We Energies’ coal-fired Valley power plant isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Nor should it. The plant – about a mile south of downtown Milwaukee in the Menomonee River Valley – meets a vital need in the utility’s energy network and plays a unique role among power plants by producing steam to heat many downtown buildings, helping to keep heating costs stable.
But it is time to clean up the plant and bring it into the 21st century. We Energies is working on that, but anything the utility can do to expedite the process would be helpful. What that will mean is either switching to a new kind of fuel – natural gas – or adding equipment to the plant to clean up its emissions. Both would cost money, and ratepayers will have to pick up the cost.
The utility needs to figure out which is the better option and look for ways to mitigate the cost, but improving air quality is essential to public health and economic development. It’s worth some cost.
As a recent article by Thomas Content and Lee Bergquist made clear, Valley is a plant with a problem. It is We Energies’ oldest power plant that lacks modern emission controls. It thus adds to air pollution in the Milwaukee area, a region with air quality challenges.
by jboullion | Jul 13, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Tom Content and Lee Bergquist in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Many old coal-fired power plants are shutting down or being upgraded, but Valley escapes change
Many of Wisconsin’s oldest coal-fired power plants are shutting down or are being upgraded as regulators tighten standards to improve air quality.
But We Energies’ Valley plant – with its twin 400-foot smokestacks that tower over the High Rise Bridge a mile south of downtown Milwaukee – is a glaring exception.
The utility has avoided installing costly pollution controls by capitalizing on the plant’s age, its unique role in producing steam to heat many downtown buildings and a court settlement with environmental regulators.
Valley is We Energies’ oldest power plant that lacks modern emission controls. As a result, it exposes metro Milwaukee – an area with longstanding air quality problems – to more air pollution.
“Valley is the poster child for the oldest and dirtiest coal plants in the state,” said Jennifer Feyerherm of the Sierra Club, an organization that has been active in forcing utilities to clean up operations of old power plants.
We Energies’ No. 2 executive said the company has installed equipment to bring down pollution.
“We have not ignored Valley,” said Rick Kuester, the utility’s executive vice president.
He signaled for the first time that the company is studying the future of Valley and considering adding more pollution controls or switching to a cleaner burning fuel.
Kuester also emphasized the critical role the plant plays in the financial health of downtown Milwaukee by relying on steam to keep heating costs stable. The plant also provides supplemental electricity for the broader power grid on hot summer days when usage is high.
