by jboullion | Sep 8, 2009 | Uncategorized
The energy track presentations have been release for the Energy Efficiency in Manufacturing Pavilion at the Wisconisn Machine Tool Show, October 6-8, at State Fair Park:
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2009
9:00am Green and Lean
Presented by Dr. Joe Jacobsen of MATC
11:00am Controlling Your Energy Costs – An Overview Of Focus On Energy
Presented by Nate Altfeather of Focus on Energy
1:00pm Opportunities To Supply The US Wind Industry
Presented by Jeffrey Anthony of American Wind Energy Association
3:00pm Energy Efficiency In Manufacturing Facilities
Presented by Orion Energy Systems
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2009
10:00am A Case Study On Energy Efficiency
Presented by Nate Altfeather of Focus On Energy
11:30am Starve The Beast! Revolutionary Ideas On How To Save Money Operating Your Ventilation Systems
Presented by DuWayne Bohrer of iVEC™ Systems and Kevin Rohde of Hastings Air Energy Control Inc
1:00pm New Manufacturing Opportunities In Stimulus Funding
Presented by Maria Redmond of Wisconsin Office of Energy Independence
3:00pm Opportunities For Cooperation In The Renewable Supply Chain
Presented by Mark Tomkins of GermanAmerican Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009
10:00am Sociable Responsibility In Industry
Presented by American Society for Quality
12:00pm Save Energy, Save Money
Presented by Alex Dodd of Focus on Energy
Energy track seminars sponsored by Focus on Energy.
by jboullion | Sep 4, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a blog post by Tom Content on JSonline:
Clean-energy policies such as the federal energy and climate bill and a state climate bill are needed to help open doors for clean-tech entrepreneurs and prod other companies to invest in cleaner energy technologies, Gov. Jim Doyle said Wednesday.
Speaking at an energy forum in Saginaw, Mich. led by the Obama administration, Doyle referred to the biomass power plant announced Tuesday by We Energies as a project that wouldn’t have happened without the state law that requires utilities to buy more green power.
“They’re doing this because they’ve got a renewable power standard that they have to meet in a couple of years and they are really trying to figure out how they are going to do it. So good public policy matters,” Doyle said.
Under Doyle, and with bipartisan support, the state enacted a law several years ago requiring that 10% of the state’s electricity come from renewable sources by 2015.
Doyle is now pushing for the state to expand that requirement – to 25% of the state’s energy supply by 2025 – as part of a global warming bill that his office and co-chairs of several legislative committees have been working on. The bill is based on the recommendations of the governor’s global warming task force last year.
That bill is likely to be introduced next month, said Pat Henderson, deputy secretary of the state Department of Natural Resources, in an interview.
During a telephone call with Wisconsin reporters, Doyle said he was optimistic the bill would pass either late this year or early next year. The state bill is still needed, he said, even if a federal bill that would enact a nationwide cap-and-trade system is passed.
by jboullion | Aug 27, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Giles Morris in The Daily News (Rhinelander):
As Governor Jim Doyle continues his northern tour, he is promoting a policy agenda that will serve as his legacy when he leaves office next year.
One of the most ambitious pieces of legislation Doyle is pushing for is a law that would create a new renewable energy benchmark for the state.
On Monday, Eric Callisto, chairperson of the Public Service Commission (PSC), spoke about how the new goals would change the way the state looks at its energy policy.
“The governor is not running for re-election and as he announced that he talked about some of the priorities for the state going forward,” Callisto said. “Among those are environmental protection and sustainable energy.”
Callisto, who heads the agency charged with overseeing the state’s energy utilities, said the governor’s energy plan involves a three-pronged approach consisting of strengthening the state’s standards for renewable energy consumption, expanding the state’s market share of clean energy production and ramping up clean energy research programs throughout the UW system.
The first piece of legislation that could emerge from the governor’s energy platform could reach the Legislature this fall. The bill — which would likely come through Sen. Mark Miller’s committee on the environment and Rep. Spencer Black’s natural resources committee — would entail a modification of the state’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS).
The current RPS requires that the state’s utility companies produce 10 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2015. Under the revamped bill, the deadline for the 10 percent renewable mark would be moved up to 2013 and two new benchmarks would be added to create a “25 by 25” agenda — 25 percent renewable by 2025 with at least 10 percent produced in Wisconsin.
“I think it’s a realistic goal,” Callisto said. “It’s a goal in which Wisconsin utilities, businesses and rate payers are all going to have to play a major role.”
by jboullion | Aug 27, 2009 | Uncategorized
A news release issued by RENEW Wisconsin:
At its open meeting today, the Public Service Commission (PSC) called for the expansion of voluntary utility programs that offer premium rates for in-state sources of renewable energy. Today’s discussion marked the first time the PSC took up the issue of premium renewable energy buyback rates since it opened a docket in January to investigate the viability of a statewide policy governing utility purchases of solar, wind and biogas energy generated by their customers.
“While we would have preferred a policy-driven approach to making homegrown renewable energy a bigger part of Wisconsin’s energy future, we are heartened that the PSC will direct utilities to produce plans for encouraging more customer investments in this market sector,” said Michael Vickerman, executive director of RENEW Wisconsin, a Madison-based sustainable energy advocacy organization.
During the PSC’s investigation, RENEW Wisconsin submitted comments advocating for the establishment of fixed-rate, technology-specific payments pegged at the production cost of the facility. Where offered, these premiums—also known as Advanced Renewable Tariffs—have significantly increased private investment in distributed sources of renewable energy. Earlier this year, the State of Vermont passed a law mandating premium rates for renewable energy, the first in the nation to do so.
Several years ago, RENEW and other organizations helped We Energies design and launch a voluntary program for encouraging customer ownership of renewable energy systems, including the state’s first premium solar rate.
“We hope the state’s utilities will take advantage
of our experience in this area and work collaboratively to develop renewable energy premium plans that will work,” Vickerman said.
by jboullion | Aug 26, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article in the Business Journal of Milwaukee:
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Marquette University and several regional companies have formed an energy technology and research center, it was announced Wednesday.
The Southeastern Wisconsin Energy Technology Research Center, which will be administered out of UWM, brings together regional resources to establish a national center that will develop high-potential research in the energy field, attracting large-scale funding and leading state-of-the-art technology that can foster economic growth, the institutions said in a press release.
Seven collaborative research projects centered at various locations are under way, with the support of $200,000 in federal funding and nearly $500,000 from several regional industries and foundations, including the Rockwell Automation Charitable Corp., the Wisconsin Energy Foundation, The Bradley Foundation, Eaton Corp., Kohler Co., American Transmission Co., DRS Technologies and ReGENco. . . .
Researchers from the universities and industries will collaborate on research into wind power, new materials for rechargeable batteries, algae for carbon recycling and fuel, ultra-efficient nanomaterials for cogeneration, sustainable building retrofitting, integration of renewable energy, and cutting nitrogen-oxide emissions and energy consumption.
