by jboullion | Jan 15, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Julie Lawrence at OnMilwaukee.com:
Back in spring 2008, Pragmatic Construction, a Milwaukee-based green construction company aimed at advancing the principles of sustainable development within the urban environment, was knee-deep in a series of development projects but was still planning its path for a greener future in Milwaukee.
Co-founder Steve Servais and his crew were just laying out the plans for two single-family homes in Riverwest that were slated to be among the state’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified platinum homes. . . .
LEED-certified buildings are designed to lower operating costs and increase asset value, reduce waste sent to landfills, conserve energy and water, be healthier and safer for occupants and reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
Two years later, the side-by-side sustainable homes at 702 and 708 E. Hadley St. are complete and now on the market. Servais says his company has really pushed sustainable building to the limit.
The house sizes are modest; 1,200 and 1,300 square feet, respectively. But the environmental impact is huge. Some of the many green features include passive solar heating, passive cooling, 96 percent energy-efficient forced-air backup HVAC, bio-based sprayfoam roof insulation, triple-pane windows, tankless hot water, reclaimed hardwood flooring, reclaimed doors, steel, fiber-cement and cedar siding, stained concrete flooring, no-VOC paints and finishes, dual-flush toilets and low-flow fixtures, in-floor radiant heat and energy recovery ventilators.
And it doesn’t stop indoors. Outside they’ve implemented rain barrels, a shared rain-garden, pervious paving surfaces, steel roofing, recycled plastic roofing, a 2.1KW PV Array (solar electric), and two flat-panel solar hot water arrays.
by jboullion | Jan 14, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a post by Steve Jagler on Milwaukee Biz Blog:
The controversy over Gov. Jim Doyle’s proposed Clean Energy Jobs Act illustrates a deep philosophical divide that is emerging within Wisconsin’s business community.
In some ways, the emerging chasm pits the politics of tomorrow against the politics of yesterday.
On one side of the divide – in favor of the green jobs plan – stand the coalition for Clean, Responsible Energy for Wisconsin’s Economy (CREWE) and the Wisconsin Business Council.
The CREWE includes venerable companies such as CleanPower, Alliant Energy, EcoEnergy, Johnson Controls Inc., Xcel Energy, C5•6 Technologies, Axley Brynelson, Madison Gas and Electric, Orion Energy Systems, Forest County Potawatomi Community, Wisconsin Energy Corp., Poblocki Sign Company, Emerging Energies of Wisconsin, MillerCoors, American Transmission Co., WPPI Energy, DTE Energy Services and Kranz, Inc. . . .
The plan also has the support of the Wisconsin Business Council, which includes leaders from several of the state’s key businesses, including American Transmission Co., Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, AT&T Wisconsin, Commerce State Bank, Dean Health System, Midwest Natural Gas, MillerCoors, Mortenson Construction, Orion Energy Systems and Park Bank (in Madison). . . .
On the other side of the divide stands the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC), which is joined by 22 other business organizations, including the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC), in opposition to Doyle’s proposal.
The WMC cited a study by the conservative Wisconsin Policy Research Institute that contends the proposed green legislation would kill 43,093 private-sector jobs in Wisconsin. . . .
Adding even more intrigue to this philosophical divide among Wisconsin’s business community is the fact that many members of the CREWE and the Wisconsin Business Council in favor of the green jobs plan also are dues-paying members of the WMC, the MMAC and the other organizations that are against the plan.
“It’s really created massive fault lines within the business community between the deniers (of global warming) and those that think something must be done,” said Thad Nation of the CREWE. “It’s probably going to get messier before it gets better.”
by jboullion | Jan 13, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by SC Johnson:
RACINE, Wis., Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ — SC Johnson has launched a wind energy pilot program at their headquarters campus with the installation of three new wind turbines. Already known for its use of renewable energy at their manufacturing facilities around the world, this new pilot program is expected to help the company further reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) usage and raise awareness that renewable energy is not just for factories, but also office buildings in urban settings. The company also expects to gather useful information from the program that will help further its quest to continue to develop more sustainable solutions.
“The use of renewable energy is essential to making a difference in the world and conducting business in a responsible way,” said Chairman and CEO Fisk Johnson, the company’s fifth generation leader. “We hope our use of wind energy will inspire businesses in Racine and other cities to find new, sustainable solutions for reducing energy use.”
The pilot program, which begins in January 2010 and runs through January 2011, builds on the company’s efforts to reduce GHG and reduce carbon worldwide. The three wind turbines are located on the roof of one of the seven buildings on SC Johnson’s international headquarters campus, which has an approximate eight block radius and where more than 1,300 employees work. The wind turbines are expected to be fully functioning by the end of the month. Once fully operational, the turbines will be connected to the company’s electrical distribution system. The output they generate will power a small portion of the company’s campus.
The company is hopeful that the outcome of the pilot program will be a clear picture of the number of computers, machines and other basic office resources that can be powered by renewable energy. Depending on the impact of the turbine’s energy output, it is possible the company will extend the project to additional local SC Johnson facilities. . . .
To support local Wisconsin businesses and the local economy, SC Johnson chose American Renewable Power of Wisconsin to install the Swift turbines designed by Cascade Engineering, Inc. The turbines are expected to be fully installed and connected in late January and will be monitored closely throughout the year. SC Johnson engineers and technicians will be able to monitor the energy output and translate the information shortly after they are installed.
by jboullion | Jan 12, 2010 | Uncategorized
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 11, 2010
MORE INFORMATION
Michael Vickerman
RENEW Wisconsin
608.255.4044
mvickerman@renewwisconsin.org
RENEW Wisconsin hailed today the Public Service Commission’s approval of what will become the state’s largest wind farm to be built in Columbia County.
Known as Glacier Hills, the proposed 90-turbine project will produce approximately 400 million kilowatt hours of clean renewable electricity annually, while directing $648,000 a year in local aid payments to Columbia County and the townships of Randolph and Scott.
“This project is certain to deliver a shot in the arm to wind-energy equipment suppliers, skilled laborers, and construction contractors throughout the state, not to mention area landowners and local governments,” said Michael Vickerman, executive director of RENEW Wisconsin, a statewide membership organization that advocates for renewable energy.
If We Energies’ experience with its previous wind project is any guide, this project will account for more than 400,000 labor hours during construction, according to Vickerman.
The state’s 10% renewable energy standard is the main policy driver behind this project, he said.
Vickerman said: “To be certain that Glacier Hills will not be the last large wind project constructed in Wisconsin, the Legislature must raise the current renewable-energy standard on utilities. The provisions in the recently introduced Clean Energy Jobs Act, which we strongly support, would lift that requirement to 25% by 2025.”
“The state can lock in additional jobs and revenue streams to localities by passing the Clean Energy Jobs Act this winter,” Vickerman said.
by jboullion | Jan 11, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article on BizTimes Daily:
President Barack Obama today announced that his administration is awarding $2.3 billion in tax credits to the private sector for clean energy manufacturing projects across the country, including seven companies in Wisconsin that will receive $21 million in tax breaks.
A total of 183 projects across the nation will receive the tax breaks, which are part of the federal economic stimulus package passed last year.
The White House said the projects will create 17,000 jobs and will boost U.S. manufacturing of advanced clean energy technologies including solar, wind and efficiency and energy management technologies.
The Wisconsin recipients of the tax credits are:
Waukesha Electric Systems Inc. is receiving a $12.45 million tax credit to expand its plant in Waukesha to product large, high-voltage power transformers. The company anticipates that more than 80 percent of them will be used to help bring renewable energy to distant load centers or to replace aging, less efficient transformers. . . .
Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Kaydon Corp. is receiving a $1,774,800 tax credit to re-equip and expand its manufacturing facility in Milwaukee to produce pitch and yaw bearings used in the production and assembly of wind energy turbines.
Milwaukee-based Ingeteam Inc. is receiving a $1,665,299 tax credit to manufacture wind turbine generators in various technologies. The company will also manufacture power converter and control systems for the wind and solar industries.
Wausaukee Composites Inc. is receiving a $930,810 tax credit to manufacture fiberglass wind turbine components.
Kaukauna-based Bassett Inc. is receiving an $868,500 tax credit to manufacture wind turbine towers and foundation components for all sizes of turbines and a $75,000 tax credit to manufacture carbon capture and sequestration systems to extract and trap carbon from waste systems from coal fired power plants.
Waukesha-based Cooper Power Systems LLC is receiving an $846,180 tax credit for its new facility that will be producing high efficiency transformers.
