by jboullion | Oct 30, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Liz Welter in the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune:
Creating energy from methane produced in cow manure could lead the way to local farmers generating their own electricity, said Tom Drendel, the former superintendent of the Marshfield University of Wisconsin Agriculture Research Station.
A coalition of area community leaders, of which Drendel is a member, is working to establish a Rural Energy Education Center at the agriculture station’s dairy farm, M605 Drake Ave., town of McMillan.
Farms may be the source for much of the nation’s alternative energy. Under the right conditions area farms can produce solar, wind and geothermal energy.
“There are all these different energy sources right here. We have a location to research and demonstrate this at our new site,” said Drendel, who, since retiring, is a researcher at the agriculture station.
About $3 million is needed to establish the center and equip the farm with a prototype methane digester designed for the average dairy farm of about 100 cows, said Scott Larson, executive director of the Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Developing a digester feasible for average-sized dairy farms was an idea of a MACCI energy council subcommittee, Larson said.
“We know this is feasible for the very large dairy farms, but in this area, most of our farms are about 100 cows,” Larson said.
by jboullion | Apr 28, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Focus on Energy:
(April 27, 2009) – What’s the best way to reduce my home’s cooling costs? Are there tax credits available for my renewable energy project? What’s the most energy efficient hot water heater? Could new lighting fixtures save my business money? These are among the thousands of questions Wisconsin residents are asking themselves every day. Thankfully, there’s an easy and accessible resource where they can get their energy questions answered, as Focus on Energy has launched a new interactive Web site titled ‘Ask Focus on Energy’ (askfocusonenergy.com).
“The purpose of the Web site is to fulfill the public’s growing desire for easily accessible information on the timely topic of energy,” said Kathy Kuntz, program director for Focus on Energy. “Given the economic and energy climate, consumers and businesses are now, more than ever, looking to learn how energy efficiency and renewable energy relates specifically to their needs.”
How the Web site Works
When you visit the ‘Ask Focus on Energy’ Web site you have the opportunity to submit a question, or search other questions that may relate to your area of interest. Once your question is submitted, if it is similar to a question already on the site, the answer will immediately appear. However, if your question is unique from any on the Web site, it will be sent to a panel of Focus on Energy experts for review. If your question is selected, it will be answered by one of our experts and posted on the Web site.
As so many people have similar questions and shared interests, you can also search a variety of energy-related topics to see what other people are asking. And to stay even more connected, you can now find Focus on Energy on Facebook and Twitter. These communities allow you to stay up-to-date on the questions and answers being added to the new Web site, as well as get regular energy saving tips.
by jboullion | Apr 27, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Focus on Energy:
(April 27, 2009) – What’s the best way to reduce my home’s cooling costs? Are there tax credits available for my renewable energy project? What’s the most energy efficient hot water heater? Could new lighting fixtures save my business money? These are among the thousands of questions Wisconsin residents are asking themselves every day. Thankfully, there’s an easy and accessible resource where they can get their energy questions answered, as Focus on Energy has launched a new interactive Web site titled ‘Ask Focus on Energy’ (askfocusonenergy.com).
“The purpose of the Web site is to fulfill the public’s growing desire for easily accessible information on the timely topic of energy,” said Kathy Kuntz, program director for Focus on Energy. “Given the economic and energy climate, consumers and businesses are now, more than ever, looking to learn how energy efficiency and renewable energy relates specifically to their needs.”
How the Web site Works
When you visit the ‘Ask Focus on Energy’ Web site you have the opportunity to submit a question, or search other questions that may relate to your area of interest. Once your question is submitted, if it is similar to a question already on the site, the answer will immediately appear. However, if your question is unique from any on the Web site, it will be sent to a panel of Focus on Energy experts for review. If your question is selected, it will be answered by one of our experts and posted on the Web site.
As so many people have similar questions and shared interests, you can also search a variety of energy-related topics to see what other people are asking. And to stay even more connected, you can now find Focus on Energy on Facebook and Twitter. These communities allow you to stay up-to-date on the questions and answers being added to the new Web site, as well as get regular energy saving tips.
by jboullion | Mar 16, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Jim Massey in The Country Today:
PLATTEVILLE – Tim Zauche believes a community manure digester could be a win-win situation for UW-Platteville and dairy farmers near the city.
The UW-Platteville chemistry and engineering-physics professor is studying the feasibility of building an anaerobic digester on campus or at the university’s farm to convert manure into a variety of energy sources. Area farmers have expressed interest in the concept, he said.
“The reason I got into this is I want to help farmers become more profitable and help the environment,” Zauche said. “If we’re not going to help the farmers’ bottom line, why even do it?”
Zauche met with about 25 Platteville-area dairy farmers earlier this year to discuss the project.
“They were like, ‘Hey, milk prices are down, we’re strapped for capital. We don’t want to own (the digester), but we can see the benefits of using it,’ ” Zauche said.
Zauche said he’s not sure who would own the digester. It could be set up as a farmer cooperative, owned and operated by the university, or leased to a private firm that would operate it.
He estimated it would cost $1.5 million to $2 million for a digester that would process manure from 1,200 cows. About a dozen farmers are seriously interested in the project, Zauche said.
One of those farmers is Steve Weigel, who operates a 100-cow dairy farm about a mile north of Platteville. He said he would like to discontinue hauling his manure daily and haul to a digester instead.
by jboullion | Feb 25, 2009 | Uncategorized
State law exempts wind, solar, and anaerobic digester systems from the sales and use tax, effective July 2009.
In order to be considered an eligible product, devices must be capable of producing at least 200 watts of alternating current or 600 British thermal units per day. The exemption under does not apply to uninterruptible power sources that are designed primarily for computers.
The law also exempts “receipts from the sale of and the storage, use, or other consumption of electricity or energy” produced by a qualifying system.
