by jboullion | Oct 8, 2009 | Uncategorized
We Energies welcomes nationally recognized solar-electric code expert John Wiles to Milwaukee on Nov. 18. Wiles, a program manager at the Southwest Technology Development Institute at New Mexico State University, has many years of experience assisting the PV industry, electrical contractors and electrical inspectors in understanding the PV requirements of the National Electrical Code (NEC). For more information, contact Connie Lindholm.
by jboullion | Oct 6, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Tony DiZinno in the Marquette Tribune:
Two major points came out of Tuesday’s business forum on future green job growth in Wisconsin.
A panel of experts said more money needs to arrive as expected from part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — commonly known as the stimulus package — and potential candidates to fill the new jobs require higher levels of education and skill sets.
Before the panel spoke, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett gave a speech on his blueprint of the green job movement.
“Green jobs are a continuum of what jobs are now,” Barrett said. “Since work is done at the local levels, it is important to us to be involved in this. We have such a need for business development.”
Money appropriated as a part of the stimulus package, the panelists said, has been slow to arrive and will largely determine the future of green jobs in Milwaukee and Wisconsin.
“There’s been a lot of talk, but very little has actually entered the market,” said Tom Boldt, chief executive officer of Oscar J. Boldt Construction in Appleton. He added that he expects 2010 and 2011 to attract more funds.
Clay Nesler, vice president of global energy and sustainability for the building efficiency sector of Johnson Controls, said the stimulus package had the unintended consequence of halting projects that were in progress because workers and investments slowed while waiting for the “free money.”
He added he hopes companies can attract matching funds and create projects with “seed money,” funds that can be extrapolated over a longer period of time.
The described longer period of time involves integrating the new workers into the workplace. The jobs that have the potential to be created offer higher salaries on average, but require a corresponding higher level of available skills, the panel said.
by jboullion | Oct 6, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
It’s August. The forecast calls for weather in the 90s. You pull into a parking ramp downtown and plug your hybrid-electric car into a charging station.
By midafternoon, with air conditioners all over town running full tilt, the local electric utility can’t keep up with the demand. So instead of charging up, your car’s battery begins feeding power back to the grid – saving the city from a brownout.
That night, an app on your cell phone confirms how much money you saved on your electric bill by helping out.
This scenario may have seemed far-fetched just a few years ago. But today, more and more utilities are working with transportation researchers on developing the infrastructure for an advanced way for Americans to fuel their cars and trucks.
And some lawmakers and businesses are working to position the Milwaukee region as a leader in the industry.
“This is an area that’s going to be growing in national importance, and there are some really unique opportunities that we are well-positioned to take advantage of,” said state Rep. Jeff Stone (R-Greendale).
by jboullion | Oct 5, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Nathaniel Shuda in the Wausau Daily Herald:
As leaders of a Wisconsin Rapids company finalize logistics of a planned local manufacturing plant, they have their sights set on an even larger project.
Officials with Energy Composites Corp. are developing a group to build wind farms on the Great Lakes, said Sam Fairchild, chief executive officer.
“There have been a lot of groups trying to align some interest in the Great Lakes in terms of energy,” Fairchild said Friday. “The problem is no one is trying to build wind farms in the Great Lakes. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Two weeks after announcing plans to form what it’s calling a Great Lakes Consortium, Energy Composites already has attracted the attention of state and federal officials, outside energy companies and power utilities in states surrounding the lakes, Fairchild said. Because of that, company leaders are trying to acquire federal funding for wind development.
by jboullion | Oct 1, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article in the Business Journal of Milwaukee:
The Wisconsin Technical College System board has unanimously approved a $6.9 million solar education farm, the largest in the state of Wisconsin, to be built on Milwaukee Area Technical College land in Milwaukee.
The farm, a collaborative project between MATC and Glendale-based Johnson Controls Inc. (NYSE: JCI), was approved Wednesday at a meeting in Rhinelander.
The farm will be located on MATC-owned property at 810 E. Capitol Drive in Milwaukee. The farm will serve as a training center for technicians, designers, site assessors, electricians, sales personnel and other professionals in the fields of renewable energy.
The 32-acre property is located along the west bank of the Milwaukee River. Construction on the farm is pending receipt of a required permit issued by the city of Milwaukee. That process begins in two weeks.
