by jboullion | Oct 15, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a media release posted on marketwatch.com:
TORONTO, Oct 15, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Mondial Energy Inc. of Toronto, Canada and Hot Water Products of Milwaukee, Wisconsin are pleased to announce that their partnership was selected as one of two renewable energy providers for solar thermal energy services to State of Wisconsin facilities. The state facilities which could potentially purchase solar thermal services from this contract include the 26 campuses of the University of Wisconsin, Department of Correctional institutions, and other State owned buildings.
by jboullion | Oct 10, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a story by Sean Ryan in The Daily Reporter:
Milwaukee wants its hometown builders to reap the benefits of a surge in solar energy, but the contractors that do that work are from Madison.
Hiring Madison talent both increases project costs and sends cash to out-of-town businesses, said Ann Beier, director of Milwaukee’s Office of Environmental Sustainability.
“We want the jobs here,” she said. “It’s pure and simple. We want Milwaukee residents to do the work.”
But Milwaukee doesn’t have contractors with the necessary certifications to draw public money for solar energy projects. Focus on Energy, the Madison-based group that offers grants for solar projects, requires contractors have experience and education before installing photovoltaic panels.
Most Focus on Energy-sponsored projects use Madison contractors, said Niels Wolter, solar electric program manager for the organization.
“Of course, that adds to the cost (in Milwaukee),” he said, “and of course Milwaukee wants to keep its money in the city.”
Focus on Energy requires contractors to take weeklong solar-installation courses before working on a project, Wolter said. Then, by the time contractors have worked on a maximum of nine projects, they must get certified by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners Inc.
Banks, like Focus on Energy, don’t like financing projects if the contractor installing the panels is not certified, said Don Albinger, vice president of renewable energy solutions for Johnson Controls Inc., Milwaukee. But he said there are not many classes to prepare contractors to take the exams.
The Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) offers the necessary classes.
by jboullion | Oct 6, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
The $700 billion package designed to help the financial industry will result in more Wisconsin homeowners installing solar panels on the roofs of their houses in the years to come, energy industry observers said Friday.
A package of energy tax credits, adopted as part of the bailout deal, will extend for eight years the tax credit for homeowners considering adding solar.
Energy tax credits had been set to expire at the end of the year until they were included in the Wall Street bailout package.
What’s significant about the solar credit, industry observers said, is the decision to remove a $2,000 cap on a federal tax credit for installing solar panels.
That means that a typical solar-electric system that costs about $16,000 is now eligible for a 30% tax credit, or $4,800, said Michael Vickerman, executive director of Renew Wisconsin, a Madison group that advocates for renewable energy.
Word that the bill had passed in the House came as visitors toured homes and businesses with solar panels across the state Friday, as part of the annual Solar Tour sponsored by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association. The tours continue today.
In Milwaukee, Ann Beier, head of the Milwaukee Office of Sustainability, heard about the congressional vote during a solar tour stop at Hot Water Products Inc., a distributor of solar-hot water systems.
“It raised the mood quite a bit, because there had been such fits and starts on reinstating these tax credits,” said Beier, whose office will kick off the Milwaukee Shines solar-education program this month.
The incentive should boost interest by homeowners in installing solar panels, said Don Wichert, who runs renewable energy initiatives for the state Focus on Energy program.
“With all the stuff that is going on right now with the economy, this is a happening market,” he said. “There will not be layoffs in the solar and renewable market for a long time.”
Other energy pieces included in the Wall Street bailout package include an extension of wind-energy tax credits for one year.
by jboullion | Oct 6, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an article by Randy Hanson in the Hudson Star-Observer:
Craig Tarr has grown mildly impatient with people who ask what the payback is on the solar energy systems he designs.
“I don’t like to discuss things in terms of payback,” he says. “My question to that is, when you bought your plasma TV was there a payback? Or did you do it because you wanted to, and it brought comfort to your life?”
For the people who buy his solar energy systems, part of the payback is knowing that they have reduced their carbon footprint.
Craig Tarr, a professional engineer, earns about half of his income by designing renewable energy systems. His goal is to make renewable energy 100 percent of his business within two or three years.
Tarr is the founder of Energy Concepts, a two-year-old renewable energy business located at 2349 Willis Miller Drive in Hudson’s St. Croix Business Park. He’s formed a partnership with Paul Steiner of Steiner Plumbing, Electric & Heating of River Falls, which installs the solar and wind energy systems that Tarr custom designs for homes and businesses.
Solar energy systems are still quite pricey, but a cash-back reward from Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy program and a $2,000 tax credit from the federal government help reduce the sticker shock.
According to Tarr, a solar hot-water system for a family of four at a price of $11,000 to $12,000 is the best buy for residential customers.
Focus on Energy provides a 20 percent cash-back reward on renewable energy systems, which reduces the price of a $12,000 system by $2,400. The $2,000 federal tax reduction further lowers the price of a $12,000 system to $7,600.
Area Xcel Energy and St. Croix Gas customers are eligible for the Focus on Energy rebate. St. Croix Electric Cooperative doesn’t participate in the program and its customers aren’t eligible for the rebate.
by jboullion | Oct 3, 2008 | Uncategorized
Dozens of Milwaukee area and southeastern Wisconsin homes and businesses will be open for public tours during the state-side solar tour, October 3-4:
Dusty Acres, Adell, Sat
Dunham Farm, Burlington, Sat
Camp Dewan, Burlington, Fri
Sebern Home, Cedarburg, Sat
O’Leary Plumbing & Heating, East Troy, Fri
Arley Uhrig Home, East Troy, Sat
Fields Neighborhood, East Troy, Sat
Kochis Residence, Franklin, Sat
TDL Electronics, Franksville, Fri + Sat
Bantz/Gurzynski Residence, Hartford, Sat
Selestow Dome Home, Menomonee Falls, Sat
Krepel Residence, Milwaukee, Sat
Liberty Tax, Milwaukee, Fri
Amaranth Bakery & Cafe, Milwaukee, Fri
Coles Home, Milwaukee, Sat
Urban Ecology Center, Milwaukee, Fri + Sat
Hot Water Products, Milwaukee, Fri
Sherman Perk, Milwaukee, Fri
Future Green, Milwaukee, Fri
Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, Milwaukee, Fri
Art of Dentistry Ltd, Milwaukee, Fri
AUR Solar, Milwaukee, Fri
Dominiak Home, Milwaukee, Sat
Hunter Home, Milwaukee, Sat
Hess Home, New Berlin, Sat
Power Control, New Berlin, Sat
Pinehold Gardens, Oak Creek, Fri
Pauc Home, Oak Creek, Sat
Delafield Solar Home, Pewaukee, Sat
Lagerman-Mann Residence, Plymouth, Sat
Eco-Justice Center, Racine, Fri + Sat
The Johnson Foundation, Racine, Fri
Mueller Home, Shorewood, Sat
Anderson Home, Slinger, Sat
Krall Home, Slinger, Sat
Rudolf Home, South Milwaukee, Sat
Teko Mechanical Inc., Waukesha, Fri
Toman Home, Waukesha, Sat
GE Healthcare, Waukesha, Fri
Johnson Home, Wauwatosa, Sat
Richter & Carsner Home, West Bend, Sat
Bruggink Residence, West Bend, Sat
Beine residence, West Bend, Sat
The tour demonstrates that renewable energy is practical, reliable and a realistic choice for home and business owners. Tour sites are owned, lived in, and worked in by ordinary people. They are helping others open the door to renewable energy.
Although it is officially called the Wisconsin Solar Tour, sites include all sorts of renewable energy technologies and other innovative features. On the Wisconsin Solar Tour you can see:
Wind and solar (PV) electric systems
Solar thermal and solar water heating systems
Green building construction and passive solar design
Energy efficient heating technologies
Energy efficient appliances
Environmentally friendly landscaping
And more!
