by jboullion | Feb 10, 2009 | Uncategorized
Rick Adamski (left) began researching wind turbine options at the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair in 2005, where he talked with turbine installer Dave Blecker of Seventh Generation, the company that installed Adamski’s turbine.
From a story by Monica Landeros on WLUK-TV:
There is a farmer in Northeast Wisconsin who soon won’t have electricity bills, in fact the electric company may eventually be paying him. That’s because the Maple Grove farmer near Seymour in Shawano County has installed one of the first wind turbines in his area on his own property, with the help of federal and state grants.
Look across the snow cover fields of Full Circle Farms in Maple Grove and you’ll a 110-foot tall wind turbine with three massive blades.
“The wind turbine should last 20 to 30 years,” said Full Circle Farmer Owner Rick Adamski.
It took hours to install in early February. Adamski watched every step of the process from a safe distance with some neighbors.
“We’re trying to reduce our impact on the environment,” said Adamski. . . .
Adamski’s wind turbine still needs some finishing touches and is expected to be turned on the week of February 9th.
Soon after that, Adamski won’t pay for electricity anymore. It will save him about $7,000 a year. In fact, the turbine will produce more energy than is needed. So, the extra energy will be sold back to WE Energies.
by jboullion | Feb 10, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by in the Wisconsin State Journal:
A Michigan utility company wants to build what it’s calling the Green Power Express, a super-sized transmission line that would link wind-power farms around the Midwest and carry their electricity to urban areas where the power is needed. . . .
The proposal would involve building massive 765-kilovolt transmission lines — nearly twice the capacity of the biggest lines now running through the state, at 345 kilovolts — and would run through parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana.
A conceptual map has the line entering Wisconsin at the state’s border with Minnesota and Iowa, about halfway between La Crosse and Prairie du Chien, and heading east toward what appears to be the Madison area. An ITC official did not provide site details. . . .
Wisconsin regulatory officials, utility companies and environmentalists agree that more line capacity is needed to transport electricity generated by the growing number of wind farms. But they’re not sure ITC’s plan for giant-sized lines is the answer.
Michael Vickerman, executive director of the Madison environmental group, Renew Wisconsin, said he has “reservations” about the need for 765-kilovolt lines. Smaller transmission upgrades can accommodate new wind generation, he said.
Wisconsin Public Service Commission Chairman Eric Callisto also has questions.
“I don’t want to close any doors to what they have proposed but I have lots of grave concerns about the cost,” he said. ITC is proposing “very large lines” that would require “very large right-of-ways,” Callisto said. A right-of-way is the legal permission to use a property owner’s land or the area above it.
Callisto is part of a five-state panel — involving Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota North Dakota and South Dakota — discussing how to move electricity east from windier western states, and how to pay for that. The group has been looking into 345-kilovolt lines, Callisto said, and hopes to make recommendations this fall.
“We have to make sure that what we’re paying for benefits Wisconsin ratepayers,” he said.
In light of that effort, ITC may be a bit premature, a spokesman for Alliant said.
by jboullion | Feb 9, 2009 | Uncategorized
The Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) offers workshops that cover a variety of topics in renewable energy (solar, wind, and more). See the course workshops page for a listing of all of the workshops and to register Click here.
by jboullion | Feb 4, 2009 | Uncategorized
A crew prepares a tower for the wind turbine at Dave’s Brewfarm™.
From a news release issued by Dave’s Brewfarm™, Wilson, WI (St. Croix County):
. . .we’ll be putting up a Jacobs 31-20, a 20kW wind generator on a 120-foot tower to harvest the bountiful winds on the northern ridge of Wilson. The generator is projected to provide up to 50% of the needed electricity for the brewery/residence.
The wind generator is but one component of the sustainable aspect of the BrewFarm project, with geothermal heating/cooling and solar thermal rounding out the renewable energy mix. Greywater recycling will handle the brewery’s wastewater, which will be used in the hopyard and orchards of Little Wolf Farmstead, the agricultural component of the project.
The BrewFarm is an innovative demonstration project showcasing the latest in renewable and sustainable business practices, and rural development. Our hope is that through “leading by example” other businesses will adopt these (and other) sustainable strategies, realizing that every effort helps the planet – and the bottom line.
by jboullion | Feb 3, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article in The Business Journal:
Wausaukee Composites Inc. and Pacal Industries LLC have notified state officials that the two manufacturing companies intend to lay off a total of 150 employees from their operations in southwest Wisconsin.
The companies informed the state Department of Workforce Development through separate Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) letters received by the department this week.
Wausaukee-based Wausaukee Composites said beginning Tuesday it laid off 61 employees at its plant in Cuba City in Grant County because of the “sudden and unanticipated termination” of deliveries and purchase orders from the plant’s only customer, according to its WARN letter. The layoffs are expected to be temporary.
The plant produces wind turbine components. The customer, Wausaukee Composites’ largest client, was not identified.
Wausaukee Composites said it could not provide a date for when employees might be recalled, given the volatility of the U.S. economy and availability of credit for wind farm developers purchasing turbines from the customer.
Rick Adamski (left) began researching wind turbine options at the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair in 2005, where he talked with turbine installer Dave Blecker of Seventh Generation, the company that installed Adamski’s turbine.