by jboullion | Jun 15, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Steve Sharp in the Watertown Daily Times:
JEFFERSON – Area dignitaries turned out by the dozens Thursday afternoon to salute and support Jefferson business leader Steve Lewis as he embarks on his quest to generate clean, solar energy. Part of Lewis’ goal is to serve as an inspiration to others to undertake solar energy-capturing projects of their own.
Ninety-nine solar panels now sit atop the north roof of Lewis’ Jefferson Area Business Center (JABC) and provide emission-free, sustainable energy by converting sunlight into electricity. The photovoltaic, renewable energy system is the largest commercial project of its kind in the county.
Thursday’s reception at the JABC on Wisconsin Drive, just steps south of Highway 18, brought out a cross-section of community leaders, including Jefferson School District Superintendent Michael Swartz, Jefferson Mayor Gary Myers, city Administrator Tim Freitag, Jefferson County Board Chairwoman Sharon Schmeling and Watertown Daily Times Publisher Jim Clifford. Also in attendance were WPPI Energy President and CEO Roy Thilly, Emily Hickey from Focus on Energy and Al Dittmar of Carroll Electric.
“In making preparations for the project, my first analysis wasn’t how much the system would produce but how much I could cut my electrical consumption, because the best electron is the electron that is not used,” Lewis told the crowd. He added the unique project is another example of his propensity to undertake business projects using his heart as a guide.
by jboullion | Jun 12, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a story on WJFW-TV, Rhinelander:
NEWBOLD – With government tax incentives and rebates from Wisconsin Focus on Energy–installing renewable energy systems is becoming more affordable.
Marc DeBrock’s interest in renewable energy spiked after attending the Midwest Renewable Energy Association’s annual Energy Fair.
DeBrock tells Newswatch 12, “I saw what was going on there and what people were adapting into their lives and the renewable energy systems, so it’s always been in the back of my mind.”
That was 15 years ago. Now after years researching he finally installed his own renewable energy system–solar thermal panels.
“It’s used for both hot water and space heating”
Fluid inside theses panels are heated by the sun. The liquid then travels through a tube and heats water inside this 415-gallon holding tank. Where it’s then distributed for use in the bathroom and kitchen.
DeBrock says, “Depending on how warm the water is in the tank, it can go out anywhere from 90 to 100 degrees up to 150 degrees.”
The water also heats coils underneath the floor–heating the house.
He says, “Once enough hot water is produced, I can send the rest of the heat into the radient floor heat.”
But solar-thermal panels aren’t the only way that Marc’s using renewable energy for his home.
DeBrock adds, “Site location of the house, I think is one of the simplest ways to make your house more efficient.”
When Marc built his house four years ago, he took that into consideration–building his house to maximize the most natural energy.
by jboullion | Jun 9, 2009 | Uncategorized
A story by Tom Murray on WTMJ:
SHOREWOOD – The Presbyterian church at Bartlett Avenue and Capitol Drive claims to be the first green church on the North Shore.
The congregation believes in making God’s green earth a little greener.
“It’s a way of helping to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Reverend Jim Bender.
The 55-year-old church has a new look. There are three rows of solar panels on the roof pointing toward heaven.
Jackie Keltner and Sam Kashou belong to North Shore Presbyterian’s very own eco focus group.
“I think they look fabulous,” said Keltner. “Even on a relatively small scale, you can make a difference.”
It’s quite a leap of faith for Sam, who’s been attending this church since 1948.
“Solar panels? They didn’t even have that in the vocabulary,” he quipped.
The panels will not do all the work. Church leaders estimate they will provide about 10-20 percent of the building’s electricity.
It does add up to energy bill savings of almost $2,000 a year. Reverend Bender says the project adds up to better ministry.
“Churches are beginning to get back to the true Biblical idea that the earth is not something to be dominated, but the earth is something to be maintained for future generations,” Bender told TODAY’S TMJ4 reporter Tom Murray.
The panels are paid for by anonymous donations and grants from We Energies and Focus on Energy.
by jboullion | Jun 8, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article published in the e-newsletter of Focus on Energy:
Drive through the UW-Parkside campus today and you’ll notice a new energy on campus—solar energy, to be exact. UW-Parkside just put Kenosha on the renewable energy map in a big way with the installation of a 26 kilowatt solar electric system.
Under the guidance of UW-Parkside’s Task Force on Sustainability, Don Kolbe, the university’s director of facilities management, oversaw the installation of three separate, highly visible solar electric systems across the campus. According to Mr. Kolbe, “We [UW-Parkside] wanted a visual representation of the sustainability initiative that our university has been actively pursuing.” These three solar electric systems will convert the sun’s energy into more than 34,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable electricity each year (view real-time energy production here) that will help power the campus for the next 30-plus years. This energy production is enough to power three average single-family homes in Wisconsin and offset the release of more than 75,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas that is a major contributor to global warming.
The environmental attributes of this project are undeniable, but just as attractive is the portfolio of incentives from which UW-Parkside was able to benefit. According to Don Wichert, director of the Focus on Energy Renewable Energy Program, “With the confluence of state, federal, and utility incentives that are available for the installation of renewable energy systems, now is an excellent time to install a solar system.” A $50,000 incentive through the Focus on Energy Program, a $100,000 grant through the We Energies Renewable Energy Development Program, generous donations, and the annual revenue that this system will net, all made this project financially viable.
by jboullion | May 22, 2009 | Uncategorized
From the Web site of Central Waters:
2009 has already brought about many changes and improvements for Central Waters Brewing Company. The biggest step has been the addition of roughly 1,000 square feet of solar collectors; 24 panels, in all. Solar collectors use energy emitted by the sun, and convert it into a more usable and/or storable form of power. The energy production of our new solar collectors is estimated to reach around 2500 therms per year. A payback from the system will be seen in about seven years, with an estimated savings of $1.4 to $1.5 million over the life of the system.
In addition to the new solar panels, Central Waters Brewing Company uses a radiant floor heating system, and more energy efficient lighting systems, motors in the equipment, and brewhouse. All of the materials used in the newly remodeled tap room are from recycled resources. Also, with the implementation of the new grain silo outside of the brewery, we are able to reduce the amount of packaging materials that come into the facility, therefore the amount of packaging that needs to be disposed of. In addition to the sustainability practices currently in use at the brewery, Central Waters works with local farmers to recycle the grain used in the brewing process. The spent grain is taken by these farmers and used as feed for livestock, and also used as compost.
The addition of the solar collectors, coupled with other sustainability practices, allows Central Waters Brewing Company to drastically reduce the consumption of natural gas, therefore greatly reduce our carbon footprint.
Central Waters Brewing Company…truly “making the world a better place, one beer at a time.”
