by Ed Blume | Sep 11, 2012 | Uncategorized
More information
Don Wichert
Executive Director
608.255.4044, ext. 1
dwichert@renewwisconsin.org
Utilities Get C on Renewable Energy Report Card
No Wisconsin utility graded higher than a B/C on a report card issued by a renewable energy advocacy group, and C was the overall average for the state’s five major utilities.
We Energies, headquartered in Milwaukee, earned a C (2.4 out of 5) on the report card for its renewable energy efforts in 2011 and had the lowest score of all utilities graded. The state’s other major utilities received similar or slightly higher grades: Alliant (aka Wisconsin Power and Light), C (2.6); Madison Gas & Electric, B/C (3.0); Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, C (2.7); and Xcel Energy, B/C (3.0).
“2011 was a year in which Wisconsin’s investor owned utilities cut back on their previous good performance supporting renewable energy,” said Don Wichert, RENEW Wisconsin’s executive director and the report card director. “At this point in 2012, it appears that this poor performance trend continues.”
“It’s surprising because recent opinion surveys indicate that the vast majority of Wisconsin’s population, including utilities ratepayers and stockholders, prefer renewable energy,” according to Wichert.
RENEW graded utilities on six criteria: amount of renewable electricity sold; green energy purchasing programs; ease of connecting to the utility system; prices paid for renewable electricity; legislative activities; and other programs offered voluntarily to customers.
Wisconsin utilities performed best in meeting the state’s renewable electricity standard, the amount of renewable electricity sold to its customers. All of the utilities already meet or expect to meet the 10% standard by 2015, although some have the majority of the power coming from out of Wisconsin.
We Energies scored at the bottom, because it had “agreed with RENEW and other groups to spend $6 million/year over 10 years to encourage the use of renewable energy in its service area. As part of the program, over 100 nonprofit organizations installed renewable energy systems. In 2011, however, WE simply announced the end of the program after only five years,” said Wichert at a news conference in from of a Milwaukee church that had a solar electric system installed as party of We Energies now-discontinued program.
RENEW gave the state’s investor owned utilities the following grades:
C Alliant, Madison;
B/C Madison Gas & Electric, Madison;
C We Energies, Milwaukee;
C Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, Green Bay;
B/C Xcel Energy, Eau Claire.
This was the first time RENEW conducted a grading system, but RENEW plans to continue the process in the future because people are interested in how well their utilities support renewable energy.
“The annual survey can be used by Wisconsin utilities and others to see which areas are
lacking and how they can improve their grades. Adoption of renewable energy supports local
jobs, lower emissions of pollutants, and energy security. These are attributes everybody wants. There is no reason that Wisconsin has to lag the rest of the country in clean energy,” said Wichert.
-END-
RENEW Wisconsin is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that leads and represents businesses, organizations, and individuals who seek more clean renewable energy in Wisconsin. More information on RENEW’s Web site at www.renewwisconsin.org.
by jboullion | Sep 11, 2012 | Uncategorized
More information
Don Wichert
Executive Director
608.255.4044, ext. 1
dwichert@renewwisconsin.org
We Energies Gets Lowest Score on Renewable Energy Report Card
Churches and other nonprofits in We Energies’ service area will have difficulty following the renewable-energy example of the Unitarian Universalist Church West in Brookfield, because the utility unilaterally ended the incentive program which helped the church absorb the cost of a solar system installed in 2008.
The end of the utility program resulted in WE receiving a C on a renewable energy report card issued by RENEW Wisconsin, a statewide renewable energy advocacy organization.
“We Energies agreed with RENEW and other groups to spend $6 million/year over 10 years to encourage the use of renewable energy in its service area. As part of the program, over 100 nonprofit organizations installed renewable energy systems.
In 2011, however, WE simply announced the end of the program after only five years,” said Don Wichert, RENEW’s executive director and the report card director, at a news conference in front of the church.
“The money was critically important to our ability to install a solar system and was needed because nonprofits are not eligible for the federal tax credits” said Amy Taivalkoski, a congregation member who headed up the project along with Dennis Briley, another member. “The grant of $27,500 covered about a third of the total cost.”
“We were very thankful to receive the grant, which allowed us to show other congregations how to fulfill a vision for a just, sustainable world. It’s unfortunate that the WE program won’t be there to help them as it helped us,” added Rev. Suzelle Lynch, minister of the more than 700-person congregation.
WE earned a C (2.4 out of 5) overall on the report card for its renewable energy efforts in 2011, but had the lowest score of all utilities graded. The state’s other major utilities’ grades ranged from C to B/C — Alliant, C (2.6); Madison Gas & Electric, B/C (3.0); Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, C (2.7); and Xcel, B/C (3.0).
“2011 was a year in which Wisconsin’s investor owned utilities cut back on their previous good performance supporting renewable energy,” said Wichert. “At this point in 2012 it appears that this poor performance trend continues.”
“It’s surprising and disappointing because recent opinion surveys indicate that the vast majority of Wisconsin’s population, including utilities ratepayers and stockholders, prefer renewable energy,” according to Wichert.
RENEW graded utilities on six criteria: amount of renewable electricity sold; green energy purchasing programs; ease of connecting to the utility system; prices paid for renewable electricity; legislative activities; and other programs offered voluntarily to customers.
Wisconsin utilities performed best in meeting the state’s renewable electricity standard. All of the utilities already meet or expect to meet the 10% standard by 2015, although some have the majority of the power coming from out of Wisconsin.
RENEW scored gave WE the following grades for 2011:
B Amount of renewable electricity sold (also called renewable energy standard)
B Green energy purchasing program for customers
B Ease of interconnecting to the utility system
F Price paid for electricity purchased from renewable energy systems
F Legislative activities on renewable energy policy
C- Other programs offered voluntarily to customers.
This was the first time RENEW conducted a grading system, but RENEW plans to continue the process in the future because people are interested in how well their utilities support renewable energy.
“The annual survey can be used by Wisconsin utilities and others to see which areas are lacking and how they can improve their grades. Adoption of renewable energy supports local jobs, lower emissions of pollutants, and energy security. These are attributes everybody wants. There is no reason that Wisconsin utilities should be performing at average levels in clean energy,” said Wichert.
-END-
RENEW Wisconsin is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that leads and represents businesses, organizations, and individuals who seek more clean renewable energy in Wisconsin. More information on RENEW’s Web site at www.renewwisconsin.org.
by jboullion | Sep 11, 2012 | Uncategorized
More information
Don Wichert
Executive Director
608.255.4044, ext. 1
dwichert@renewwisconsin.org
Utilities Get C on Renewable Energy Report Card
No Wisconsin utility graded higher than a B/C on a report card issued by a renewable energy advocacy group, and C was the overall average for the state’s five major utilities.
We Energies, headquartered in Milwaukee, earned a C (2.4 out of 5) on the report card for its renewable energy efforts in 2011 and had the lowest score of all utilities graded. The state’s other major utilities received similar or slightly higher grades: Alliant (aka Wisconsin Power and Light), C (2.6); Madison Gas & Electric, B/C (3.0); Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, C (2.7); and Xcel Energy, B/C (3.0).
“2011 was a year in which Wisconsin’s investor owned utilities cut back on their previous good performance supporting renewable energy,” said Don Wichert, RENEW Wisconsin’s executive director and the report card director. “At this point in 2012, it appears that this poor performance trend continues.”
“It’s surprising because recent opinion surveys indicate that the vast majority of Wisconsin’s population, including utilities ratepayers and stockholders, prefer renewable energy,” according to Wichert.
RENEW graded utilities on six criteria: amount of renewable electricity sold; green energy purchasing programs; ease of connecting to the utility system; prices paid for renewable electricity; legislative activities; and other programs offered voluntarily to customers.
Wisconsin utilities performed best in meeting the state’s renewable electricity standard, the amount of renewable electricity sold to its customers. All of the utilities already meet or expect to meet the 10% standard by 2015, although some have the majority of the power coming from out of Wisconsin.
We Energies scored at the bottom, because it had “agreed with RENEW and other groups to spend $6 million/year over 10 years to encourage the use of renewable energy in its service area. As part of the program, over 100 nonprofit organizations installed renewable energy systems. In 2011, however, WE simply announced the end of the program after only five years,” said Wichert at a news conference in from of a Milwaukee church that had a solar electric system installed as party of We Energies now-discontinued program.
RENEW gave the state’s investor owned utilities the following grades: C Alliant, Madison; B/C Madison Gas & Electric, Madison; C We Energies, Milwaukee; C Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, Green Bay; B/C Xcel Energy, Eau Claire.
This was the first time RENEW conducted a grading system, but RENEW plans to continue the process in the future because people are interested in how well their utilities support renewable energy.
“The annual survey can be used by Wisconsin utilities and others to see which areas are lacking and how they can improve their grades. Adoption of renewable energy supports local jobs, lower emissions of pollutants, and energy security. These are attributes everybody wants. There is no reason that Wisconsin has to lag the rest of the country in clean energy,” said Wichert.
-END-
RENEW Wisconsin is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that leads and represents businesses, organizations, and individuals who seek more clean renewable energy in Wisconsin. More information on RENEW’s Web site at www.renewwisconsin.org.
by Ed Blume | Sep 11, 2012 | Uncategorized
Churches and other nonprofits in We Energies’ service area will have difficulty
following the renewable-energy example of the Unitarian Universalist Church
West in Brookfield,
because the utility unilaterally ended the incentive program which helped the
church absorb the cost of a solar system installed in 2008.
The
end of the utility program resulted in WE receiving a C on a renewable energy
report card issued by RENEW Wisconsin,
a statewide renewable energy advocacy organization.
“We
Energies agreed with RENEW and other groups to spend $6 million/year over 10
years to encourage the use of renewable energy in its service area. As part of the program, over 100 nonprofit
organizations installed renewable energy systems. In 2011, however, WE simply announced the end
of the program after only five years,” said Don Wichert, RENEW’s executive
director and the report card director, at a news conference in front of the church.
“The
money was critically important to our ability to install a solar system and was
needed because nonprofits are not eligible for the federal tax credits” said
Amy Taivalkoski, a congregation member who headed up the project along with
Dennis Briley, another member. “The
grant of $27,500 covered about a third of the total cost.”
“We
were very thankful to receive the grant, which allowed us to show other
congregations how to fulfill a vision for a just, sustainable world. It’s unfortunate that the WE program won’t be
there to help them as it helped us,” added Rev. Suzelle Lynch, minister of the more
than 700-person congregation.
WE
earned a C (2.4 out of 5) overall on the report card for its renewable energy
efforts in 2011, but had the lowest score of all utilities graded. The state’s other major utilities’ grades
ranged from C to B/C — Alliant, C (2.6); Madison Gas & Electric, B/C
(3.0); Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, C (2.7); and Xcel, B/C (3.0).
“2011 was a year in which Wisconsin’s investor
owned utilities cut back on their previous good performance supporting
renewable energy,” said Wichert. “At
this point in 2012 it appears that this poor performance trend continues.”
“It’s surprising and disappointing because
recent opinion surveys indicate that the vast majority of Wisconsin’s
population, including utilities ratepayers and stockholders, prefer renewable
energy,” according to Wichert.
RENEW graded utilities on six criteria: amount of
renewable electricity sold; green energy purchasing programs; ease of
connecting to the utility system; prices paid for renewable electricity;
legislative activities; and other programs offered voluntarily to customers.
Wisconsin
utilities performed best in meeting the state’s renewable electricity standard. All of the utilities already meet or expect
to meet the 10% standard by 2015, although some have the majority of the power
coming from out of Wisconsin.
RENEW
scored gave WE the following grades for 2011:
B Amount
of renewable electricity sold (also called renewable energy standard)
B Green energy purchasing program for customers
B Ease of interconnecting to the utility system
F Price paid for electricity purchased from
renewable energy systems
F Legislative
activities on renewable energy policy
C- Other programs offered voluntarily to
customers.
This
was the first time RENEW conducted a grading system, but RENEW plans to
continue the process in the future because people are interested in how well their
utilities support renewable energy.
“The
annual survey can be used by Wisconsin utilities and others to see which areas
are
lacking and how they
can improve their grades. Adoption of
renewable energy supports local
jobs, lower emissions
of pollutants, and energy security.
These are attributes everybody wants.
There is no reason that Wisconsin utilities should be performing at
average levels in clean energy,” said Wichert.
-END-
RENEW
Wisconsin is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that leads and
represents businesses, organizations, and individuals who seek more clean
renewable energy in Wisconsin. More
information on RENEW’s Web site at www.renewwisconsin.org.
by Ed Blume | Jul 25, 2012 | Uncategorized
RENEW Wisconsin will continue to advocate for Focus on Energy to spend
the $10 million per year allocated for renewable incentives.
We intend to keep a close watch on how the Focus administrators spend
the money, and we told them so. These funds are being collected from
rate payers this year, so Focus should spend as much of the money this
year as possible. Simple!
RENEW effectively advocated for Focus on Energy (Focus) to reinstate
incentives for distributed renewables since the non-residential
incentives were suspended in July of 2011. RENEW organized members and
other stakeholders to communicate this message to the Public Service
Commission and Focus. RENEW’s advocacy led Focus to roll out the
renewable programs in July.
Additionally RENEW solicited input from the renewable community, met
with the Focus administrators, and provided suggestions in early June on
how the Focus funds should best be used. Focus accepted and
incorporated the majority of these suggestions in the Focus renewable
programs that were launched in early July.
RENEW continues to advocate on behalf of the renewable energy community
with the Focus administrators. We asked Focus to drop the need for
installers to be licensed plumbers and electricians; to reconfigure the
need for a building permit before installation; to clear up whether
solar systems could be ground mounted; and, to reduce the minimum
incentive for solar and wind installations in the Business Program RFP.
Once again, Focus administrators accepted the majority of these
suggestions.
Focus also addressed the questions received from RENEW and others in a
list of frequently asked questions for residential systems at Focus FAQs.
Be aware that Focus has limited funds for residential solar projects.
Focus will provide weekly updates on the level of funds available
through the renewable energy program Web pages at Focus funding updates.
Business renewable projects will be considered for funding after a submission due date of August 29, 2012. FAQs on this RFP were issued on July 23, 2012.
Please continue to provide your comments and suggestions to RENEW and to
Focus on how the renewable program should be managed within the budget
constraints outlined by the PSC.
By working together, we can have the best program possible. Please support RENEW with a membership or donation at Join Today!
