by jboullion | Sep 4, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article in the Business Journal of Milwaukee:
Cardinal Glass Industries will receive a $500,000 loan to help finance an upgrade to the company’s photovoltaic glass production facility in Portage.
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle announced the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act loan Tuesday at the opening of the Cardinal Solar Technologies facility in Mazomanie, a 180,000-square-foot plant that will grind, drill and temper two types of glass for use in photovoltaic solar panels. Another 80,000-square-foot section is planned as part of a second phase of construction.
At full capacity, the Mazomanie plant will produce 64 million square feet of tempered glass annually, Doyle said. The plant employs 54 workers but once it reaches full production, the plant has the potential to add an additional 60 to 70 employees.
by jboullion | Sep 1, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by We Energies:
ROTHSCHILD, Wis. – We Energies announced today the proposed construction of a $250 million biomass-fueled power plant at Domtar Corporation’s Rothschild, Wisconsin paper mill site. Wood, waste wood and sawdust will be used to produce 50 megawatts of electricity and will also support Domtar’s sustainable papermaking operations. The project would be funded by We Energies.
The partnership between We Energies and Domtar will result in a highly efficient use of resources and will add another technology to We Energies’ renewable energy portfolio.
That portfolio includes the state’s largest wind development — the 145 megawatt Blue Sky Green Field Wind Energy Center in Fond du Lac County and the proposed 162 megawatt Glacier Hills Wind Park in Columbia County. Together, these three projects will be capable of delivering nearly 360 megawatts of renewable energy, enough to supply approximately 120,000 homes. . . .
Under Wisconsin law, utilities statewide must use renewable energy to meet 10 percent of the electricity needs of retail customers by the year 2015.
The project is expected to create approximately 400 construction jobs and 150 permanent jobs in the surrounding community, including independent wood suppliers and haulers from northern and central Wisconsin who will secure waste wood for the project.
by jboullion | Aug 31, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Judy Newman in the Wisconsin State Journal:
Art and Mindy Shrader have a new conversation piece in the back yard of their log home near Reedsburg: a wind energy turbine, designed to help power their house.
“We live up on a ridge and the wind is always blowing there,” Shrader said. “We thought it would be nice to do something about that.”
Gene Frakes has had a wind turbine on his property in the town of Perry, in the southwestern corner of Dane County, for two and a half years. The 10-kilowatt turbine produces an average of 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity — or about $110 worth — a month, enough to power his home and send some extra electricity out to the grid for his utility company to use. “There’s five months a year when they owe us money,” said Frakes, who also installs wind power equipment.
In the past several months, interest in individual wind turbines has revved up in Wisconsin and beyond. Residents are signing up to buy them, and companies are springing up to sell and install them. Part of the popularity stems from new federal tax credits.
Nationwide, the number of small wind generators installed for home or commercial use grew 78 percent in 2008 over the previous year, and residential sales in early 2009 were 15 to 20 percent higher than a year ago, according to a study by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), in Washington, D.C.
In Wisconsin, about 65 small wind turbines have been installed over the past six years with commitments for 25 or 30 more, according to Focus on Energy, a public-private partnership, funded by utility ratepayers, that facilitates renewable energy and energy efficiency.
by jboullion | Aug 28, 2009 | Uncategorized
Click on article to enlarge it.
by jboullion | Aug 25, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by WPPI Energy:
SUN PRAIRIE, WIS., August 25 – WPPI Energy has joined the U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) Program. The new partnership recognizes the longstanding efforts of WPPI Energy and its member utilities to recycle and responsibly dispose of appliances based on EPA standards.
Established in 2001, WPPI Energy’s Responsible Appliance Recycling Program provides
participating members a way to responsibly reduce landfill use through the recycling of useful refrigerator and freezer parts and recovery of dangerous polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and ozone depleting substances. By partnering with the EPA, 21 participating WPPI Energy members now receive recognition as EPA program partners meeting the highest standards for disposal and recycling appliances that contain harmful refrigerants. . . .
WPPI Energy established the program as part of its ongoing effort to encourage
public and community support for energy conservation and energy efficiency. Select program participants in WPPI Energy’s Responsible Appliance Recycling Program are eligible to receive incentives for their appliances based on utility participation guidelines. Appliances eligible for turn-in incentives must meet utility guidelines and include refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers and room air conditioners in working order. The Appliance Recycling Centers of America, Inc. (ARCA) provides
WPPI Energy members with appliance recycling services. . . .
For more information on WPPI Energy’s Responsible Appliance Recycling Program, contact Cheri Tessmann, program coordinator, at (608) 834-4537.
Member utilities of WPPI:
Alger Delta Cooperative Electric Association
Algoma Utilities
Baraga Electric Utility
Black River Falls Municipal Utilities
Boscobel Utilities
Brodhead Water & Light
Cedarburg Light & Water Utility
Columbus Water & Light
Crystal Falls Electric Department
Cuba City Light & Water
Eagle River Light & Water Utility
Evansville Water & Light
Florence Utilities
Gladstone Power & Light
Hartford Electric
Hustisford Utilities
Independence Light & Power, Telecommunications
Jefferson Utilities
Juneau Utilities
Kaukauna Utilities
L’Anse Electric Utility
Lake Mills Light & Water
Lodi Utilities
Maquoketa Municipal Electric Utility
Menasha Utilities
Mount Horeb Utilities
Muscoda Utilities
Negaunee Electric Department
New Glarus Utilities
New Holstein Utilities
New London Utilities
New Richmond Utilities
Norway Power & Light
Oconomowoc Utilities
Oconto Falls Municipal Utilities
Plymouth Utilities
Prairie du Sac Utilities
Preston Municipal Electric Utility
Reedsburg Utility Commission
Richland Center, City Utilities of
River Falls Municipal Utilities
Slinger Utilities
Stoughton Utilities
Sturgeon Bay Utilities
Sun Prairie Water & Light
Two Rivers Water & Light
Waterloo Utilities
Waunakee Utilities
Waupun Utilities
Westby Utilities
Whitehall Electric Utility
