by jboullion | Oct 12, 2012 | Uncategorized
From an article Steven Verburg in the Wisconsin State Journal:
Epic Systems plans six wind turbines northwest of Madison
Dane County’s first array of commercial wind turbines will rise hundreds of feet above the rolling hills along Highway 12 northwest of Madison under plans Epic Systems of Verona hatched over the last four weeks.
The plan had to move quickly so that Epic can take advantage of federal tax credits that expire Dec. 31, said Bruce Richards, the medical software manufacturer’s director of facilities and engineering.
Six turbines — each with three 135-foot blades spinning atop a 262-foot tower — will be visible from the tall buildings in Downtown Madison, including the Capitol, and the electricity they generate will help Epic offset most of its energy needs on its sprawling Verona campus. . . .
A geothermal system heats and cools the Verona campus, and solar panels already generate electricity. The addition of the turbines will mean the company can provide about 85 percent of its own energy needs by 2014, Richards said.
“What sticks out to me is Epic’s incredible commitment to renewable energy,” said Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, whose administration has expedited permits for the company.
Morse Group president Lou Rotello said his company will serve as engineering, procurement and construction contractor on the project, which will employ about 75 construction workers.
The site is a good one in part because almost all of the homes that could be affected by noise or flickering shadows from the turbine blades are occupied by family members of the landowners who are leasing their land for the towers, Rotello said.
The ridge isn’t the windiest spot in the county, but studies indicate it will be gusty enough to spin the blades at 27 percent of their full-speed capacity each year, Rotello said.
The turbines have a capacity of 9.9 megawatts, which will qualify them as one of 10 “major” wind power generators in Wisconsin, said Deborah Irwin, the state Public Service Commission’s renewable energy specialist.
Read the full article here.
by jboullion | Oct 12, 2012 | Uncategorized
Check out this article from Steven Verburg in the Wisconsin State Journal:
Epic Systems plans six wind turbines northwest of Madison
Dane County’s first array of commercial wind turbines will rise hundreds of feet above the rolling hills along Highway 12 northwest of Madison under plans Epic Systems of Verona hatched over the last four weeks.
The plan had to move quickly so that Epic can take advantage of federal tax credits that expire Dec. 31, said Bruce Richards, the medical software manufacturer’s director of facilities and engineering.
Six turbines — each with three 135-foot blades spinning atop a 262-foot tower — will be visible from the tall buildings in Downtown Madison, including the Capitol, and the electricity they generate will help Epic offset most of its energy needs on its sprawling Verona campus.
. . .
A geothermal system heats and cools the Verona campus, and solar panels already generate electricity. The addition of the turbines will mean the company can provide about 85 percent of its own energy needs by 2014, Richards said.
“What sticks out to me is Epic’s incredible commitment to renewable energy,” said Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, whose administration has expedited permits for the company.
Morse Group president Lou Rotello said his company will serve as engineering, procurement and construction contractor on the project, which will employ about 75 construction workers.
The site is a good one in part because almost all of the homes that could be affected by noise or flickering shadows from the turbine blades are occupied by family members of the landowners who are leasing their land for the towers, Rotello said.
The ridge isn’t the windiest spot in the county, but studies indicate it will be gusty enough to spin the blades at 27 percent of their full-speed capacity each year, Rotello said.
The turbines have a capacity of 9.9 megawatts, which will qualify them as one of 10 “major” wind power generators in Wisconsin, said Deborah Irwin, the state Public Service Commission’s renewable energy specialist.
Read the full article here.
by Ed Blume | Oct 12, 2012 | Uncategorized
It’s official – Check out this article
from Steven Verburg in the Wisconsin State Journal:
Epic Systems plans six wind turbines northwest of
Madison
Dane County’s first array of commercial wind turbines
will rise hundreds of feet above the rolling hills along Highway
12 northwest of Madison under plans Epic Systems of Verona hatched
over the last four weeks.
The plan had to move quickly so that Epic can take advantage of
federal tax credits that expire Dec. 31, said Bruce Richards, the
medical software manufacturer’s director of facilities and
engineering.
Six turbines — each with three 135-foot blades spinning atop a
262-foot tower — will be visible from the tall buildings in
Downtown Madison, including the Capitol, and the electricity they
generate will help Epic offset most of its energy needs on its
sprawling Verona campus. . . .
A geothermal system heats and cools the Verona campus, and solar
panels already generate electricity. The addition of the turbines
will mean the company can provide about 85 percent of its own
energy needs by 2014, Richards said.
“What sticks out to me is Epic’s incredible commitment to
renewable energy,” said Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, whose
administration has expedited permits for the company.
Morse Group president Lou Rotello said his company will serve as
engineering, procurement and construction contractor on the
project, which will employ about 75 construction workers.
The site is a good one in part because almost all of the homes
that could be affected by noise or flickering shadows from the
turbine blades are occupied by family members of the landowners
who are leasing their land for the towers, Rotello said.
The ridge isn’t the windiest spot in the county, but studies
indicate it will be gusty enough to spin the blades at 27 percent
of their full-speed capacity each year, Rotello said.
The turbines have a capacity of 9.9 megawatts, which
will qualify them as one of 10 “major” wind power generators in
Wisconsin, said Deborah Irwin, the state Public Service
Commission’s renewable energy specialist.
Read the full article here.
by jboullion | Oct 5, 2012 | Uncategorized
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 5, 2012
Contact: Jay Mundinger
414-736-9245
Lawsuit against Emerging Energies deemed “frivolous”, attorneys forced to pay $1,500
(Madison, Wis.) – Emerging Energies of Wisconsin, LLC, the developer of the proposed Highland Wind Farm, thought they had been legally wronged by wind farm opponents (The Forest Voice) and their attorneys back in 2011, and a federal court ruled they were correct.
In a decision dated September 30, 2012, District Judge William M. Conley ruled that the claims against EEW by leaders of the Forest Voice (Plaintiffs: Judi Beestman, Bill Dyer, Jeff Ericson, Brenda Salseg, Robert Salseg and Scott Voeltz) and their attorneys (Glenn Stoddard, Patricia Keahna) were “frivolous.”
“…the court finds that plaintiffs’ claims against Emerging Energies…were ‘baseless or made without a reasonable and competent inquiry.’ ” – Judge William M. Conley
“We have been completely transparent through this entire process as we’ve tried to bring clean, renewable energy to St. Croix County,” said Jay Mundinger. “Some very responsible town officials lost their jobs after initially approving our Highland Wind Farm project two years ago, and we’ve been fighting ever since. We feel a level of vindication here.”
The $250 million Highland project, as proposed, in the Town of Forest will generate 102.5 megawatts of electricity from 41 turbines – enough to power 30,000 homes. After receiving initial approval from the Town of Forest Board and its three members in 2010, they were all eventually recalled and the new board has been challenging the project to-date.
The federal ruling also found:
“…as officers of the court, Attorneys Stoddard and Keahna should have known they had no legal or factual basis to name Emerging Energies as a defendant…” – Judge Conley
The court ordered Stoddard to pay EEW $1,000 and Keahna $500 for their frivolous action.
Public Service Commission hearings for the Highland Wind Farm are scheduled to begin next week in Madison and the Town of Forest.
“We continue to believe this project will provide meaningful economic benefits and payments to the communities here and help Wisconsin develop cleaner sources of electricity for consumers,” said Mundinger.
Highland Wind Farm Specifics:
- 26,550 acre project boundary
- 41 turbine sites with 11 additional alternative locations
- 100 + member construction workforce 6-8 permanent employees for wind farm operations
- 6,200 acres already under lease from property owners for turbine sites, access roads, distribution lines
- Connects to Xcel Energy’s 161-kilovolt transmission line near Forest-Cylon town line.
-END-
by Ed Blume | Oct 5, 2012 | Uncategorized
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 5, 2012
Contact: Jay Mundinger
414-736-9245
Lawsuit against Emerging Energies deemed “frivolous”, attorneys forced to pay $1,500
(Madison, Wis.) – Emerging Energies of Wisconsin, LLC, the developer of the proposed Highland Wind Farm, thought they had been legally wronged by wind farm opponents (The Forest Voice) and their attorneys back in 2011, and a federal court ruled they were correct.
In a decision dated September 30, 2012, District Judge William M. Conley ruled that the claims against EEW by leaders of the Forest Voice (Plaintiffs: Judi Beestman, Bill Dyer, Jeff Ericson, Brenda Salseg, Robert Salseg and Scott Voeltz) and their attorneys (Glenn Stoddard, Patricia Keahna) were “frivolous.”
“…the court finds that plaintiffs’ claims against Emerging Energies…were ‘baseless or made without a reasonable and competent inquiry.’ ” – Judge William M. Conley
“We have been completely transparent through this entire process as we’ve tried to bring clean, renewable energy to St. Croix County,” said Jay Mundinger. “Some very responsible town officials lost their jobs after initially approving our Highland Wind Farm project two years ago, and we’ve been fighting ever since. We feel a level of vindication here.”
The $250 million Highland project, as proposed, in the Town of Forest will generate 102.5 megawatts of electricity from 41 turbines – enough to power 30,000 homes. After receiving initial approval from the Town of Forest Board and its three members in 2010, they were all eventually recalled and the new board has been challenging the project to-date.
The federal ruling also found:
“…as officers of the court, Attorneys Stoddard and Keahna should have known they had no legal or factual basis to name Emerging Energies as a defendant…” – Judge Conley
The court ordered Stoddard to pay EEW $1,000 and Keahna $500 for their frivolous action.
Public Service Commission hearings for the Highland Wind Farm are scheduled to begin next week in Madison and the Town of Forest.
“We continue to believe this project will provide meaningful economic benefits and payments to the communities here and help Wisconsin develop cleaner sources of electricity for consumers,” said Mundinger.
Highland Wind Farm Specifics:
- 26,550 acre project boundary
- 41 turbine sites with 11 additional alternative locations
- 100 + member construction workforce 6-8 permanent employees for wind farm operations
- 6,200 acres already under lease from property owners for turbine sites, access roads, distribution lines
- Connects to Xcel Energy’s 161-kilovolt transmission line near Forest-Cylon town line.
-END-
