We Energies Gets Lowest Score on Renewable Energy Report Card

by | 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. 

    

PSC plans Milwaukee hearing on We Energies rate hike

by | May 31, 2012 | Uncategorized

From a story by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The state Public Service Commission announced Tuesday it will hold a public hearing in Milwaukee this fall on We Energies’ rate increase proposal.

Dates, times and locations will be announced later, but it’s expected to take place in late September.

The commission announced its decision via Twitter after putting out a schedule last week that called for a hearing in Madison only.

The Cleaner Valley Coalition, a group concerned about pollution from We Energies’ Milwaukee coal-fired power plant, had said Friday it was requesting a local hearing.

The agency typically has held hearings in the Milwaukee area, but planned the hearing in Madison while encouraging utility customers to comment on the We Energies proposal electronically on the PSC website, agency spokeswoman Kristin Ruesch said in an email.

“Typically, there is very low attendance at rate case hearings, so it was a cost-saving and staff-resource saving measure to hold the hearing here at the Public Service Commission,” she said.

Because of the announcement, the Cleaner Valley Coalition canceled plans to hold a news conference on Wednesday to express its concerns on the need for a local hearing. The coalition organized to urge We Energies to stop burning coal at its Valley power plant in Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley.

RENEW Rips WPS’s Net Metering Proposal

by | May 23, 2012 | Uncategorized

For immediate release
May 23, 2012

More information
Michael Vickerman
608.255.4044, ext. 2  

Another example of company backsliding on renewables 

In documents filed in conjunction with its pending rate case, Green Bay-based Wisconsin Public Service Corporation (WPS) proposed several rollbacks to its net metering service that would, if approved, sharply restrict a customer’s ability to generate electricity from renewable energy resources and sell a portion of it back to the utility.

Net metering allows customers to sell the unused output from their solar electric or other renewable energy system back to the utility at the full retail rate from month to month, so long as the surplus electricity is less than or equal to the customers’ usage in a 12-month period.

Currently, WPS customers may install solar or wind energy systems on their premises up to 100 kilowatts (kW). Beginning in January 2013, WPS would roll back that capacity limit to 20 kW.

WPS has also proposed to cap the overall size of its net metering offering at one-half of one percent of 2011 summer peak. No other Wisconsin utility has ever sought to impose capacity-based limits to its net metering service.

“What WPS proposes would be a really bad deal for customers installing small renewable energy systems serving their homes or businesses,” said Michael Vickerman, program and policy director for RENEW Wisconsin, a nonprofit advocacy organization promoting renewable energy use in Wisconsin.

“These service changes are clearly intended to discourage its customers from investing in solar and small wind energy systems,” Vickerman said. “If WPS gets its way, the renewable energy marketplace in that part of Wisconsin will slow down significantly.”

“At a time when the customers and communities in WPS territory are looking to renewable energy to support new jobs and manage their energy costs, the company is doing its level best to take that option away from them,” Vickerman said.

As an intervenor in WPS’s rate case, RENEW Wisconsin will ask the Public Service Commission to:
• Reject WPS’s proposal to impose a system-wide cap on net metering service;
• Maintain the current maximum system size at 100 kW; and
• Base WPS’s calculation of net energy on annual usage instead of monthly usage.

“What we will ask for is a standard of service that is already offered by two Wisconsin utilities: Madison Gas & Electric (MGE) and Xcel Energy,” Vickerman said. “WPS’s proposal is a particularly egregious example of company backsliding.”

Vickerman noted that MGE, which also has a pending rate proceeding before the Public Service Commission, did not propose any changes to its net metering service for 2013 and 2014.

 “We urge the PSC to work toward a uniform net metering policy for the state using MGE’s and Xcel’s service as a template,” Vickerman said.

Vickerman added: “WPS, it should be remembered, was the driving force behind the “Outsource Renewable Energy to Canada Act,” which was signed into law in 2011. That law lets utilities apply the energy they purchase from large Canadian hydropower sources toward their renewable energy requirements, at the expense of in-state renewable energy providers. Within that context, WPS’s net metering proposal constitutes another slight to Wisconsin’s renewable energy marketplace.”

END 

RENEW Wisconsin is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) that leads and represents businesses and individuals who seek more clean, renewable energy in Wisconsin. More information on RENEW’s Web site at www.renewwisconsin.org.

RENEW Rips WPS’s Net Metering Proposal

by | May 23, 2012 | Uncategorized

For immediate release
May 23, 2012

More information
Michael Vickerman
608.255.4044, ext. 2

 

Another example of company backsliding on renewables 

In documents filed in conjunction with its pending rate case, Green Bay-based Wisconsin Public Service Corporation (WPS) proposed several rollbacks to its net metering service that would, if approved, sharply restrict a customer’s ability to generate electricity from renewable energy resources and sell a portion of it back to the utility.

Net metering allows customers to sell the unused output from their solar electric or other renewable energy system back to the utility at the full retail rate from month to month, so long as the surplus electricity is less than or equal to the customers’ usage in a 12-month period.

Currently, WPS customers may install solar or wind energy systems on their premises up to 100 kilowatts (kW). Beginning in January 2013, WPS would roll back that capacity limit to 20 kW.

WPS has also proposed to cap the overall size of its net metering offering at one-half of one percent of 2011 summer peak. No other Wisconsin utility has ever sought to impose capacity-based limits to its net metering service.

“What WPS proposes would be a really bad deal for customers installing small renewable energy systems serving their homes or businesses,” said Michael Vickerman, program and policy director for RENEW Wisconsin, a nonprofit advocacy organization promoting renewable energy use in Wisconsin.

“These service changes are clearly intended to discourage its customers from investing in solar and small wind energy systems,” Vickerman said. “If WPS gets its way, the renewable energy marketplace in that part of Wisconsin will slow down significantly.”

“At a time when the customers and communities in WPS territory are looking to renewable energy to support new jobs and manage their energy costs, the company is doing its level best to take that option away from them,” Vickerman said.

As an intervenor in WPS’s rate case, RENEW Wisconsin will ask the Public Service Commission to:
• Reject WPS’s proposal to impose a system-wide cap on net metering service;
• Maintain the current maximum system size at 100 kW; and
• Base WPS’s calculation of net energy on annual usage instead of monthly usage.

“What we will ask for is a standard of service that is already offered by two Wisconsin utilities: Madison Gas & Electric (MGE) and Xcel Energy,” Vickerman said. “WPS’s proposal is a particularly egregious example of company backsliding.”

Vickerman noted that MGE, which also has a pending rate proceeding before the Public Service Commission, did not propose any changes to its net metering service for 2013 and 2014.

 “We urge the PSC to work toward a uniform net metering policy for the state using MGE’s and Xcel’s service as a template,” Vickerman said.

Vickerman added: “WPS, it should be remembered, was the driving force behind the “Outsource Renewable Energy to Canada Act,” which was signed into law in 2011. That law lets utilities apply the energy they purchase from large Canadian hydropower sources toward their renewable energy requirements, at the expense of in-state renewable energy providers. Within that context, WPS’s net metering proposal constitutes another slight to Wisconsin’s renewable energy marketplace.”

END 

RENEW Wisconsin is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) 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.