From an article by Pamela Powers in the Eau Claire Leader Telegram:
MENOMONIE – From photoelectric panes to its solar-powered hot water panels to its geothermal heating and cooling system, a duplex in Menomonie is being transformed into an energy efficient version of its old self.
The West Wisconsin Community Action Agency purchased the duplex on 550th Ave. and is using federal economic stimulus money to make the building not only nicer but more energy efficient.
From an editorial in the Wisconsin State Journal:
Congratulations to the Columbia County Board for recognizing last week that wind turbines complement farmland preservation.
The board agreed Wednesday that farmers in the towns of Randolph and Scott can lease small amounts of land to We Energies for wind turbines without violating their state agreements to keep their land in agricultural production.
The board’s decision is wise because the turbines will give each farmer thousands of dollars in extra income to keep their farm operations going. And the amount of land taken out of production for turbine foundations and access roads will be miniscule compared to the total size of cropland that will remain.
We Energies also has agreed to buy two homes from neighbors who were concerned about living within a quarter mile of some of the turbines.
That means this exciting wind project in northeast Columbia County can now move forward with 90 turbines scattered across some 17,000 acres of productive farmland.
We Energies started developing the site, called Glacier Hills Energy Park, last week. It’s located about 50 miles northeast of Madison.
The energy company hopes to fire up the wind park by the end of next year or early 2012. It will produce enough clean energy to power 45,000 homes.
Wisconsin’s wind industry is just taking off, and more clean energy is needed to reduce Wisconsin’s reliance on dirty coal and gas that’s imported from other states and foreign countries.
From an editorial in the Wisconsin State Journal:
Congratulations to the Columbia County Board for recognizing last week that wind turbines complement farmland preservation.
The board agreed Wednesday that farmers in the towns of Randolph and Scott can lease small amounts of land to We Energies for wind turbines without violating their state agreements to keep their land in agricultural production.
The board’s decision is wise because the turbines will give each farmer thousands of dollars in extra income to keep their farm operations going. And the amount of land taken out of production for turbine foundations and access roads will be miniscule compared to the total size of cropland that will remain.
We Energies also has agreed to buy two homes from neighbors who were concerned about living within a quarter mile of some of the turbines.
That means this exciting wind project in northeast Columbia County can now move forward with 90 turbines scattered across some 17,000 acres of productive farmland.
We Energies started developing the site, called Glacier Hills Energy Park, last week. It’s located about 50 miles northeast of Madison.
The energy company hopes to fire up the wind park by the end of next year or early 2012. It will produce enough clean energy to power 45,000 homes.
Wisconsin’s wind industry is just taking off, and more clean energy is needed to reduce Wisconsin’s reliance on dirty coal and gas that’s imported from other states and foreign countries.
From a news release posted on Sys-Con Media:
LADYSMITH, WI — (Marketwire) — 05/26/10 — Indeck Ladysmith, LLC, the owner and operator of the Indeck Ladysmith BioFuel Center in Ladysmith, Wisconsin is moving forward in a partnership with Fuels for Schools and Communities, a program supported by the state of Wisconsin that encourages the use of wood biomass as an energy source for the heating of public buildings.
Representatives from Indeck Ladysmith have met with 11 local schools to discuss the possibility of replacing natural gas boilers used for heating with wood pellet boilers. Able to heat just as efficiently as conventional boilers, new wood pellet boilers would support the local biomass industry of Wisconsin while ultimately providing schools with some cost-savings.
“Focus on Energy, a government funded program here in Wisconsin, has been able to provide us with pre-feasibility studies at many of these local school districts,” said Mike Curci, Indeck Ladysmith BioFuel Center superintendant. “They are working with us to determine if replacing older natural gas boilers with updated wood pellet boilers is possible at a reduced upfront cost.”
From a blog post by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Xcel Energy Corp. is rethinking its plans to build the largest biomass power plant in the Midwest after the projected cost rose by one-third.
The power company, which has a Wisconsin utility based in Eau Claire, was planning to build a biomass gasifier that would replace an existing coal-fired power plant on the shore of Lake Superior in Ashland.
The company initially pegged the project at $58.1 million, but after more work it was determined that it would cost $79.5 million – an increase of nearly 37%.
The company will assess whether to use a different technology to burn wood at the power plant, said Don Reck, Xcel director of regulatory and government affairs.
Costs rose during a more detailed engineering review that concluded more work would be needed to retrofit the coal boiler to gasify biomass than the company and its consultants first concluded.
“We’re looking at all the options that we had included in the application, as well as at least one or two new ones that have surfaced since the application was filed,” Reck said.
The Wisconsin Paper Council and Citizens’ Utility Board expressed concern about the escalating price tag.
“This project was sort of a mixed bag for us,” said Charlie Higley, executive director of the Wisconsin Citizens’ Utility Board. “We want to see alternative projects developed using alternative fuels, but this project definitely raised some concerns regarding costs and feasibility.”
Xcel’s analysis follows a recent meeting of the Public Service Commission at which commissioners expressed concern about the cost of the project and said that in light of the rising price the agency would likely need to take a second look at whether to allow the development to proceed.
The PSC had attached a condition requiring the utility to come back if the cost of the project went above a commission cap of $63.9 million, or 10% higher than the utility’s projection.