by jboullion | Jan 5, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin:
MADISON – The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) today [December 18, 2009] announced that all 118 Wisconsin electric providers have met their renewable portfolio standards (RPS) for 2008, and 112 providers exceeded the requirements for the year, creating excess renewable resource credits that can be banked and used for compliance in future years. Wisconsin utilities are well on their way to meeting the increase in renewable energy that will be required by 2015.
Our current RPS law requires Wisconsin retail electric providers to produce 10 percent of their electricity from renewable resources by the year 2015. For the years leading to 2015, Wisconsin utilities are required to report their progress in meeting the renewable milestones to the PSC. Wisconsin electric providers continue to take steps towards achieving their renewable energy goals. In 2008, Wisconsin utilities increased the amount of renewable electricity provided by nearly one percent over what was provided in 2007.
From the newsletter of Customers First!:
With a nationwide renewable portfolio standard (RPS) likelier than any other energy policy choice to be included in federal climate legislation, a newspaper survey has found many states—not including Wisconsin—failing to meet their own RPS goals.
In October, USA Today reported that it found nine states where efforts to boost reliance on renewable energy were not making the grade. Thirty-five states have adopted some form of RPS. Some states, the story noted, require utilities that don’t produce or purchase enough renewable energy to pay fees to finance renewable projects. That system allows utilities to comply with program requirements without necessarily adding renewable generation capacity.
States that have already missed or are expected to miss all or part of their mandated targets include Arizona, California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, and Ohio. In aggregate, Wisconsin utilities currently obtain roughly 4 percent of their power from renewable sources, against a current-law target of 10 percent by 2015.
by jboullion | Jan 4, 2010 | Uncategorized
From the workshop page on the site of the Midwest Renewable Energy Association:
MREA is a national leader in providing high quality education and training programs for consumers, businesses, and renewable energy system installers. For more than 18 years we have offered workshops, seminars, and conferences that demonstrate that renewable energy is practical, reliable, and ready for mainstream use.
When you attend a MREA training you will:
•learn from experts with years of practical experience,
•receive curriculum that is based on nationally recognized standards,
•meet other people with similar interests and values, and
•have a great time.
MREA Workshop Offerings:
MREA offers workshops that cover a variety of topics in renewable energy.
Come learn from experts in the field about subjects including:
•Photovoltaics or PV (solar electric)
•Residential Wind systems
•Solar Domestic Hot Water/Solar Thermal Systems
•Site Assessor Training & Certification
•Installer Training
•Renewable Energy Business
•Alternative Construction
Don’t delay in registering. The classes fill up quickly.
by jboullion | Jan 4, 2010 | Uncategorized
From the workshop page on the site of the Midwest Renewable Energy Association:
MREA is a national leader in providing high quality education and training programs for consumers, businesses, and renewable energy system installers. For more than 18 years we have offered workshops, seminars, and conferences that demonstrate that renewable energy is practical, reliable, and ready for mainstream use.
When you attend a MREA training you will:
•learn from experts with years of practical experience,
•receive curriculum that is based on nationally recognized standards,
•meet other people with similar interests and values, and
•have a great time.
MREA Workshop Offerings:
MREA offers workshops that cover a variety of topics in renewable energy.
Come learn from experts in the field about subjects including:
•Photovoltaics or PV (solar electric)
•Residential Wind systems
•Solar Domestic Hot Water/Solar Thermal Systems
•Site Assessor Training & Certification
•Installer Training
•Renewable Energy Business
•Alternative Construction
Don’t delay in registering. The classes fill up quickly.
by jboullion | Dec 31, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article in the Stevens Point Journal:
WISCONSIN RAPIDS — Papermaker NewPage continues to study the feasibility of building a small-scale biorefinery in Wisconsin Rapids.
Despite previous projections they would finish the study by the end of 2009, NewPage Corp. still is examining whether the project should move forward, spokeswoman Shannon Semmerling said.
“Feasibility studies take time to conduct,” she said. Semmerling did not comment further on the project, saying there was no new information to share.
In January 2008, the Miamisburg, Ohio-based company garnered a $30 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to build a small-scale biorefinery in Wisconsin Rapids. Stora Enso North America originally submitted the request for federal money, which NewPage inherited when it bought the former Wisconsin Rapids-based company in December 2007 for $2.6 billion.
Since then, company leaders have been studying the project’s feasibility; once that is complete, the company has said it will work with the Energy Department to determine how to proceed.
The proposed refinery would produce 370 barrels of renewable diesel fuel a day — about 5.5 million gallons a year — from mill residue and wood chips. To get the grant, the project must be completed by 2012, according to the Energy Department.
by jboullion | Dec 31, 2009 | Uncategorized
Though written in 2007, an analysis by RENEW’s executive director Michael Vickerman may be even truer today an a few years ago, given the risk involved in “traditional” investments. The analysis shows that an investmnet in a solar hot water system generates a better rate of return than putting money in the bank:
I wrote a column which was highly critical of using payback analysis to figure out whether installing a solar hot water system on one’s house makes economic sense. In almost every example you can imagine, the payback period for today’s solar installations ranges between long and forever. For my system, which started operating in January 2006, payback will be achieved in a mere 19 years using today’s energy prices, though by the time 2025 rolls around, half of Florida might be under water and the rest of the country out of natural gas.
But there’s no reason to let payback length rule one’s ability to invest in sustainable energy for the home or business, especially if there are other approaches to valuing important economic decisions. One way to sidestep the gloomy verdicts of payback analysis is to do what most companies do when contemplating a long-term investment like solar energy — calculate the internal rate of return (IRR) on the invested capital. The definition of IRR is the annualized effective compounded return rate which can be earned on the invested capital, i.e. the yield on the investment.
By using this familiar capital budgeting method, I’m able to calculate an IRR of 6.1%for my solar water heater if natural gas prices rise a measly 3% per annum. That yield exceeds anything that a bank will offer you today. It will likely outperform the stock market this year, which is due for a substantial downward adjustment to reflect the slow-motion implosion of the housing market now underway. And, unless you live in a gold-rush community like Fort McMurray, Alberta, your house will do well just to hold onto its current valuation, let alone appreciate by six percent.
While all investments pose some degree of risk, the return on a solar energy system is about as safe and predictable as, well, the rising sun. Fortunately for the Earth and its varied inhabitants, the center of our solar system is situated well beyond the reach of humanity’s capacity to tamper with a good thing.
