by jboullion | Dec 7, 2010 | Uncategorized
From Scenic Valley:
Scenic Valley Farms recently installed the first subterranean solar thermal high tunnel at our farm in Readstown. The novel system is designed to significantly extend the growing season while also providing winter protection for blackberries.
The system works by capturing the energy of the sun and releasing it to moderate temperatures. Throughout the day, thermostatically controlled intake fans draw heated air from near the peak of the high tunnel and store the energy below ground in a thermal mass. When supplemental heat is needed to maintain optimal growing conditions, these same fans pull the cooler air through the thermal mass where it is warmed before circulating back into the high tunnel.
Solar thermal heating and cooling systems are a key technology in the SHARE farms being developed by our company. They are also ideal as a standalone technology for high tunnel growers who want to improve the profitability and sustainability of their farms.
The initial system was placed in operation in late November and we have installed temperature data loggers in both a traditional and the solar heated high tunnel to compare the results.
We have also applied for a 1603 grant to offset 30 percent of the installation costs and will be notified within 60 days if our request is approved.
by jboullion | Dec 2, 2010 | Uncategorized
For immediate release
More information
RENEW Wisconsin
Michael Vickerman
608.255.4044
mvickerman@renewwisconsin.org
Wisconsin Cannot Afford to Ignore Rising Coal Prices
Long-considered an inexpensive and reliable fuel source, coal has become subject to market and regulatory pressures that threaten to make it an expensive and risky way to generate electricity, according to national news reports and pertinent utility filings with the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC).
“The expectation of continued increases in coal prices reinforces the value of relying on Wisconsin’s own energy resources. If there’s an effort to find savings for utility customers, the logical move would be to shutter antiquated coal plants before they become more of a liability,” said Michael Vickerman, Executive Director of RENEW Wisconsin, a statewide, nonprofit renewable energy advocacy organization.
A key driver behind coal’s rising cost is China, which has moved from an exporter to an importer of coal. The New York Times (NYT) reported last week that Chinese coal imports will hit all-time highs for November and December of this year. Some of this coal is coming from Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, the coal field that also supplies many Wisconsin power plants.1
In the New York Times story, an executive from Peabody Energy, the world’s largest private coal company, predicted that his company will send larger and larger quantities of coal to China in the coming years.
Further adding to the upward price pressure on coal is the rising cost of diesel fuel. The PSC has estimated that half of the delivered cost of coal in Wisconsin is attributable to rail shipment, that is highly sensitive to the price of diesel fuel, which sells for 38 cents more per gallon than it did a year ago, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.2 Tom Whipple, editor of the Peak Oil Review, expects diesel fuel supplies to tighten in 2011 as a consequence of flat production volumes and increasing demand from Asia.3 This phenomenon could affect Wisconsin electric utility rates as early as January 2011, according to Vickerman.
We Energies’ coal costs have escalated by $57 million, of which transportation costs account for almost $33 million, according to the utility’s most recent rate filing with the PSC. On top of that, We Energies expects to pay an additional $8 million in oil surcharge costs.4
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by jboullion | Dec 1, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Steve Cahalan in the La Crosse Tribune:
It could take 18 months to complete a study of possible high-speed passenger rail routes to connect Milwaukee and Minneapolis-St. Paul, but a preferred route could be indicated by the end of 2011.
Dan Krom, passenger rail director for the Minnesota Department of Transportation, said he had hoped a preferred route would be indicated by spring 2011, but Federal Railroad Administration officials want more time to review and comment on the work being done.
Krom and Charles Quandel, CEO of Quandel Consultants LLC in Chicago, fielded most of the questions and comments at a public meeting Tuesday night that drew nearly 200 people to the Best Western Riverfront Hotel in La Crosse.
It was the second in a series of public meetings in Minnesota and Wisconsin on the study.
Most of the comments Tuesday were in the form of questions, but some people spoke about the advantages of high-speed rail service while others appeared skeptical due to concerns about costs.
Some questioned what might happen to the study in view of Wisconsin Gov.-elect Scott Walker’s pledge to reject federal stimulus money for a line between Milwaukee and Madison. The
federal government in February contributed $600,000 for the study, with Minnesota and Wisconsin each contributing $300,000. The federal grant is being administered by the Minnesota DOT.
Minnesota is committed to moving forward, Krom said, and made the Chicago connection the top priority in its recently completed state rail plan.
by jboullion | Nov 23, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Joe Lanane in The Daily Reporter:
The Minnesota Department of Transportation will host a pair of public meetings on the proposed high-speed rail line from Milwaukee to Minneapolis-St. Paul despite assurances from Gov.-elect Scott Walker that he will kill the project in Wisconsin.
Since March, MnDOT has studied the environmental impact of possible routes between the two cities. During the two open houses, agency officials will provide updates and seek public input on their findings. . . .
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation, which partnered with MnDOT on the study, will host its own public meeting in La Crosse to discuss the extended portion of the proposed rail from Madison to the Twin Cities. The hearing will take place 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 30 at the La Crosse Best Western Riverfront hotel.
