by jboullion | May 10, 2011 | Uncategorized
From an article by Steve Cahalan in the La Crosse Tribune:
A Massachusetts company hopes to develop hydroelectric projects at nine upper Mississippi River lock and dam sites by 2017, officials said Monday.
Free Flow Power Corp., a 3-year-old Boston firm, plans to apply for federal licenses for hydropower projects that in this area include Lock and Dam 4 at Alma, Lock and Dam 6 at Trempealeau, Lock and Dam 7 near Dresbach, Minn., and Lock and Dam 9 near Lynxville.
The nine projects could meet the electricity needs of 65,000 homes, company officials told about 40 people at a public informational meeting at the Radisson Hotel in La Crosse.
Each project would have one of three designs — a traditional hydroelectric powerhouse that would be built on the end of the dam and contain turbines; a “gate bay installation” alternative with turbines installed in front of or behind existing dam gates; or a system with turbines installed at the bottom of the auxiliary lock. Studies would determine which design would be best for a particular lock and dam.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Agency will accept written comments in the next 60 days on what studies should be required during Free Flow Power’s licensing process.
Officials of various state and federal agencies accounted for most of the people at Monday’s 2½-hour session. But a few members of the public also spoke, including retired boat captain Byron Clements of Genoa, who questioned the feasibility of hydroelectric power on the Mississippi.
“I don’t think they can make it work and make money at it,” Clements said after the meeting. Clements, who with his wife operates Captain Hook’s Bait & Tackle shop in Genoa, said he also is concerned about fish being killed by the turbines.
The proposed turbines would turn much slower than those traditionally used in major hydroelectric projects in the western United States, said Jack Batchelder, a Free Flow Power environmental scientist.
by jboullion | Mar 11, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a course description from Madison Area Technical College:
Course Number 20-623-290-090 Class Number 61386
Three Credits Hybrid Format (Study Abroad + Online)
May 15–24, 2010
Renewable Energy for International Development provides an examination of energy and economics in developing countries with special consideration given to renewable energy sources. The course will combine 8-weeks of online instruction with 10 days of travel and study abroad in Costa Rica. Students will learn to specify, design, and install renewable energy systems for developing countries. Field work will include design and installation of one or more of the following types of renewable energy systems:
+Small solar electric system (
by jboullion | Mar 11, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a course description from Madison Area Technical College:
Course Number 20-623-290-090 Class Number 61386
Three Credits Hybrid Format (Study Abroad + Online)
May 15–24, 2010
Renewable Energy for International Development provides an examination of energy and economics in developing countries with special consideration given to renewable energy sources. The course will combine 8-weeks of online instruction with 10 days of travel and study abroad in Costa Rica. Students will learn to specify, design, and install renewable energy systems for developing countries. Field work will include design and installation of one or more of the following types of renewable energy systems:
+Small solar electric system (
by jboullion | Mar 9, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a course description from Madison Area Technical College:
Course Number 20-623-290-090 Class Number 61386
Three Credits Hybrid Format (Study Abroad + Online)
May 15–24, 2010
Renewable Energy for International Development provides an examination of energy and economics in developing countries with special consideration given to renewable energy sources. The course will combine 8-weeks of online instruction with 10 days of travel and study abroad in Costa Rica. Students will learn to specify, design, and install renewable energy systems for developing countries. Field work will include design and installation of one or more of the following types of renewable energy systems:
+Small solar electric system (
by jboullion | Dec 21, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article in The Tomah Journal:
SPARTA – A dam that hasn’t produced power in about 40 years could be fired up again to provide alternative electricity and education for Western Technical College.
“It is a diamond in the rough that has been overlooked for a long time,” said Stephen Doret, a hydroelectric consultant and chief engineer for Mill Road Engineering in Westborough, Mass.
Doret detailed plans for the Angelo Pond dam on the La Crosse River at a public hearing Monday at Western’s Sparta campus.
The dam would generate electricity for the Sparta campus and help train students about emerging technology fields, said Mike Pieper, Western’s vice president of finance and operations.
The re-powered dam is expected to crank out about 1 million kilowatt hours a year, far more than the 250,000 kilowatt hours the Sparta campus annually uses, said Doret.
