by jboullion | Jun 12, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
The single biggest constraint on increasing wind generation of electricity in Wisconsin is the permitting process, according to Clean, Responsible Energy for Wisconsin’s Economy, a group working on implementing the recommendations of the Governor’s Task Force on Global Warming. And one of the biggest problems in the permitting process is local opposition to wind farms.
CREWE has said that over 600 megawatts of planned wind developments are stalled across Wisconsin “due to midstream changes in regulations and procedures.” The Journal Sentinel’s Thomas Content pointed out in an article on Monday that more than a dozen wind projects around the state have been slowed by local opposition.
That can’t continue. What’s needed, as CREWE officials argue, is regulatory reform and, specifically, uniform siting standards for all wind farms that would be built in the state. Such legislation has been introduced. It deserves adoption by the Legislature.
by jboullion | Jun 11, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
The first wind turbine development on the Great Lakes could be built within three years or so, experts on offshore wind power said during a conference Wednesday in Milwaukee.
The first project is expected to consist of three to five turbines just off the shore of Cleveland in Lake Erie.
The project is being pushed by the Cuyahoga County government as an economic development strategy to help boost the development of a wind-power manufacturing industry in a state that’s been hit hard by cutbacks in the auto industry, said Steve Dever of the Ohio Great Lakes Energy Development Task Force.
During the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative meeting at We Energies, experts on offshore wind in Wisconsin said they expect development to start slowly over the next few years. But the industry could grow rapidly from there, the experts said.
“In 2010-2013 you’ll see pilot projects get started. Then I think we’ll see incredible growth – really, really rapid growth,” said Tom Stanton of the Michigan Public Service Commission. . . .
Experts believe wind speeds are much faster over large bodies of water than over land, with parts of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior having stronger winds than Iowa and Minnesota, two of the leading states in generation of wind power.
Wisconsin is looking into Great Lakes wind power as one option for the state to generate more renewable energy that would help reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, said Deborah Erwin of the state Public Service Commission.
by jboullion | Jun 10, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a post on Tom Content’s blog on JSOnline.com:
Wisconsin’s clean-energy economy is smaller than the national average and lost jobs between 1997 and 2007, a new report published Thursday says.
Wisconsin employed more than 15,000 jobs in the clean-energy sector, according to a study by the Pew Charitable Trusts. But employment in the clean sector fell 5% during that decade, at a time the state’s overall job growth was more than 3%, according to the report.
As a result, the company ranks with Maryland, Utah and West Virginia as states where the clean-energy sector is described as “small and losing.”
Despite that stark description, Wisconsin ranked well in one area, the report found. With 2,801 people employed in the energy efficiency field, Wisconsin employed more people in this area than all but five other states.
The state has attracted $46 million in clean-technology venture capital in the past three years, but even that pales in comparison with other states. Wisconsin ranks behind Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota in raising clean-tech funding — ranking 24th among all states and the District of Columbia.
The Pew report, “The Clean Energy Economy: Repowering Jobs, Businesses and Investments Across America,” found there were 68,200 businesses nationwide in the clean-energy sector, accounting for 770,000 jobs.
by jboullion | Jun 9, 2009 | Uncategorized
A story by Tom Murray on WTMJ:
SHOREWOOD – The Presbyterian church at Bartlett Avenue and Capitol Drive claims to be the first green church on the North Shore.
The congregation believes in making God’s green earth a little greener.
“It’s a way of helping to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Reverend Jim Bender.
The 55-year-old church has a new look. There are three rows of solar panels on the roof pointing toward heaven.
Jackie Keltner and Sam Kashou belong to North Shore Presbyterian’s very own eco focus group.
“I think they look fabulous,” said Keltner. “Even on a relatively small scale, you can make a difference.”
It’s quite a leap of faith for Sam, who’s been attending this church since 1948.
“Solar panels? They didn’t even have that in the vocabulary,” he quipped.
The panels will not do all the work. Church leaders estimate they will provide about 10-20 percent of the building’s electricity.
It does add up to energy bill savings of almost $2,000 a year. Reverend Bender says the project adds up to better ministry.
“Churches are beginning to get back to the true Biblical idea that the earth is not something to be dominated, but the earth is something to be maintained for future generations,” Bender told TODAY’S TMJ4 reporter Tom Murray.
The panels are paid for by anonymous donations and grants from We Energies and Focus on Energy.
by jboullion | Jun 8, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article published in the e-newsletter of Focus on Energy:
Drive through the UW-Parkside campus today and you’ll notice a new energy on campus—solar energy, to be exact. UW-Parkside just put Kenosha on the renewable energy map in a big way with the installation of a 26 kilowatt solar electric system.
Under the guidance of UW-Parkside’s Task Force on Sustainability, Don Kolbe, the university’s director of facilities management, oversaw the installation of three separate, highly visible solar electric systems across the campus. According to Mr. Kolbe, “We [UW-Parkside] wanted a visual representation of the sustainability initiative that our university has been actively pursuing.” These three solar electric systems will convert the sun’s energy into more than 34,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable electricity each year (view real-time energy production here) that will help power the campus for the next 30-plus years. This energy production is enough to power three average single-family homes in Wisconsin and offset the release of more than 75,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas that is a major contributor to global warming.
The environmental attributes of this project are undeniable, but just as attractive is the portfolio of incentives from which UW-Parkside was able to benefit. According to Don Wichert, director of the Focus on Energy Renewable Energy Program, “With the confluence of state, federal, and utility incentives that are available for the installation of renewable energy systems, now is an excellent time to install a solar system.” A $50,000 incentive through the Focus on Energy Program, a $100,000 grant through the We Energies Renewable Energy Development Program, generous donations, and the annual revenue that this system will net, all made this project financially viable.
