by jboullion | Oct 4, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin:
Heating moratorium begins November 1
MADISON – The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) urges energy consumers to contact their local utility if their heat is currently disconnected. The PSC also encourages residents to take advantage of energy-efficiency programs and the state’s low-income bill payment assistance programs to reduce the burden of utility bills this winter.
Wisconsin law states that consumers cannot be disconnected during the heating moratorium period from November 1 to April 15, if they are connected at the start of the moratorium. Consumers who are currently disconnected must make arrangements with their local utility to pay outstanding bills in order to have service restored. If a consumer has not made arrangements to pay an outstanding bill, the utility is not required to reconnect the service until payment arrangements have been made.
Consumers who need to set up a payment agreement should call their local utility. Phone numbers for the largest utilities in Wisconsin are listed below. If consumers cannot reach an agreement with their utility, they may contact the PSC at 1-608-266-2001 or 1-800-225-7729.
Alliant Energy, 1-800-862-6222
Madison Gas & Electric, 1-608-252-7144
Superior Water, Light & Power, 1-715-394-2200
We Energies, 1-800-842-4565
Wisconsin Public Service Corp., 1-800-450-7260
Xcel Energy, 1-800-895-4999
Energy Assistance
Due to recent changes in program eligibility, many more households across the state may be eligible for heating assistance this winter. Consumers may qualify for assistance in paying their heating bills through the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP), which provides financial assistance to low-income residents. WHEAP is part of the state’s comprehensive Home Energy Plus program which provides assistance with emergency energy needs, emergency furnace repairs, conservation service, and weatherizing for low-income households.
by jboullion | Oct 4, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin:
Heating moratorium begins November 1
MADISON – The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) urges energy consumers to contact their local utility if their heat is currently disconnected. The PSC also encourages residents to take advantage of energy-efficiency programs and the state’s low-income bill payment assistance programs to reduce the burden of utility bills this winter.
Wisconsin law states that consumers cannot be disconnected during the heating moratorium period from November 1 to April 15, if they are connected at the start of the moratorium. Consumers who are currently disconnected must make arrangements with their local utility to pay outstanding bills in order to have service restored. If a consumer has not made arrangements to pay an outstanding bill, the utility is not required to reconnect the service until payment arrangements have been made.
Consumers who need to set up a payment agreement should call their local utility. Phone numbers for the largest utilities in Wisconsin are listed below. If consumers cannot reach an agreement with their utility, they may contact the PSC at 1-608-266-2001 or 1-800-225-7729.
Alliant Energy, 1-800-862-6222
Madison Gas & Electric, 1-608-252-7144
Superior Water, Light & Power, 1-715-394-2200
We Energies, 1-800-842-4565
Wisconsin Public Service Corp., 1-800-450-7260
Xcel Energy, 1-800-895-4999
Energy Assistance
Due to recent changes in program eligibility, many more households across the state may be eligible for heating assistance this winter. Consumers may qualify for assistance in paying their heating bills through the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP), which provides financial assistance to low-income residents. WHEAP is part of the state’s comprehensive Home Energy Plus program which provides assistance with emergency energy needs, emergency furnace repairs, conservation service, and weatherizing for low-income households.
by jboullion | Oct 4, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Focus on Energy:
When you install ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) there are financial and energy savings to be realized; however, there are a few misconceptions about CFLs that have kept some homeowners on the fence. Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s statewide program for energy efficiency and renewable energy, is tackling those myths in an effort to educate Wisconsin residents and help them switch to CFLs. Starting Oct. 1, 2010, and for a limited time, Focus on Energy is offering CFLs for a discounted price at participating retail locations throughout the state.
“We are thrilled with the number of residents throughout Wisconsin who have reduced their energy use and utility bills by installing ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs, but there are still many who have not made the switch,” said Linda Mae Schmitt, program manager for Focus on Energy. “It’s my hope that by exposing common misconceptions about CFLs, we can encourage more people to take advantage of the many benefits of energy-efficient lighting. And now is the perfect time get on board. Why wouldn’t you want to save money while also helping Wisconsin’s environment?”
The release goes on to present the facts about the following myths:
Myth #1: CFLs are expensive.
Myth #2: CFLs won’t fit in my fixtures.
Myth #3: CFLs are hazardous.
Myth #4: CFLs are hard to find.
by jboullion | Oct 4, 2010 | Uncategorized
By Michael Vickerman
September 30, 2010
On September 23, Alex DePillis and I hopped on board a tour bus filled with natural resource professionals and gave an overview of wind development in Wisconsin as we headed to the 54 MW Butler Ridge Wind Facility. The project is located in the Town of Herman in southeast Dodge County, a few miles west of State Highway 175. Most of the project’s 36 turbines are located south of State Highway 33.
The project was developed by Midwest Wind, which also developed the Cedar Ridge project owned by Alliant Energy. The project was sold to Babcock & Brown’s U.S. division, which then constructed the facility. The general contractor for that project was RES Americas. Butler Ridge was placed in commercial operation in March 2009. Right now, it is the newest utility-scale wind project in Wisconsin, but that distinction will only late this year, when Shirley Wind comes on-line.
In December 2009, NextEra Energy (formerly FPL Energy) bought Butler Ridge from Babcock and Brown. NextEra is also the owner of the Montfort project in Iowa County.
It turned out to be an excellent day to see wind generation in action. Thanks to a strengthening low pressure system to the west, there was a steady southerly air flow sweeping over southern Wisconsin that morning. Every flag we saw that morning was stiff as could be and pointing due north. Wind speeds at hub height ranged between 20 and 25 mph. The GE turbines were producing at about 75% of their rated capacity.
We stopped at Butler Ridge’s operations and maintenance center on Illinois Road. From the vantage point of the facility, we could see wind turbines in every direction. The closest turbine, at about 1,100 feet away, was audible but barely so.
All of the output from Butler Ridge is sold to WPPI Energy, which serves a number of municipal utilities in the area, including Hartford, Slinger, Hustisford, and Juneau.
Once at the O&M center, the group listened to Nate Crawford, Butler Ridge’s site manager for NextEra, and Julie Voeck, NextEra’s manager for regulatory affairs in the Midwest. Most of the questions from the group addressed environmental impacts. Nate explained that the some of the turbines were moved to the east to create a larger buffer zone between the project and the Neda Mine bat hibernaculum. We also talked about the new permitting rule, the flow of dollars into the local area, and the effects of turbines on radio and TV reception.
Nate said that there have been very few complaints from the neighbors, and they have been almost always about TV reception. NextEra is in the process of providing the affected households with satellite TV service that features Milwaukee stations.
Only one person has taken his complaints to the Herman Town Board. That person, Nate said, has been a vocal opponent of the project from the outset. The Town Board did not find any merit in that individual’s complaint. Nate characterized the local reaction as being very positive, and the Town Board seems very supportive of the installation.
The turbines generate $216,000 annually in utility local aids. Dodge County receives about $125,000 a year, with the remainder going to the Town of Herman.
Though compensating neighbors is not a standard feature of projects developed by NextEra Energy, neighbors of the Butler Ridge turbines do receive compensation. This is a hallmark of Midwest Wind Energy’s developments in Wisconsin.
The Q&A lasted through the allotted 25 minutes. Alex and I stayed a while after the tour bus left to look at the SCADA system and continue our conversation with Nate and Julie. The availability factor at Butler Ridge is very high, with numbers hovering around 99%. I asked Nate if he could recall a time when Butler Ridge was curtailed due to transmission congestion. He could not. But it has become a serious problem at several NextEra Energy projects in Iowa. Julie and I had been at a Wind on the Wires meeting earlier that week, where it was revealed that curtailments in the MISO region are expected to shave 5% off this year’s output from wind generation. There were several at the meeting, including Julie, who believe that the MISO estimate is too low.
All in all, the conservationists seemed to enjoy their visit to Butler Ridge. For me, it was my first visit to this project, and I came away thinking that this is an attractive and well-run facility. It is only an hour’s drive from Madison, and less so from Milwaukee. We are grateful to NextEra Energy for opening up their installation to us.
by jboullion | Oct 1, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Focus on Energy:
When you install ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) there are financial and energy savings to be realized; however, there are a few misconceptions about CFLs that have kept some homeowners on the fence. Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s statewide program for energy efficiency and renewable energy, is tackling those myths in an effort to educate Wisconsin residents and help them switch to CFLs. Starting Oct. 1, 2010, and for a limited time, Focus on Energy is offering CFLs for a discounted price at participating retail locations throughout the state.
“We are thrilled with the number of residents throughout Wisconsin who have reduced their energy use and utility bills by installing ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs, but there are still many who have not made the switch,” said Linda Mae Schmitt, program manager for Focus on Energy. “It’s my hope that by exposing common misconceptions about CFLs, we can encourage more people to take advantage of the many benefits of energy-efficient lighting. And now is the perfect time get on board. Why wouldn’t you want to save money while also helping Wisconsin’s environment?”
The release goes on to present the facts about the following myths:
Myth #1: CFLs are expensive.
Myth #2: CFLs won’t fit in my fixtures.
Myth #3: CFLs are hazardous.
Myth #4: CFLs are hard to find.
by jboullion | Oct 1, 2010 | Uncategorized
A Danish firm’s expansion is giving Wisconsin another player in the manufacturing sector geared toward alternative energy.
Avanti Wind has been in operation here for several years, making service lifts used by technicians who inspect and repair wind turbines and need to scale the turbines’ tall towers.
Now the company has moved to expand here by moving production of aluminum ladders to Wisconsin from China and Germany, said Kent Pedersen, the company’s U.S. general manager.
The pace of wind development across the country has slowed considerably this year – with the second quarter installations of wind power down 71% amid the slow economy and developers having a hard time getting financing.
“But we have done quite well in expanding our customer base in North America, and we’ve continued to grow in 2010 compared to 2009 and we expect that to continue next year,” said Pedersen, whose privately held parent company, based near Copenhagen, has been in the ladder business in Denmark for more than 100 years.
The Avanti local expansion is a small example – creating just a few jobs – of what local economic development officials hope will be a growth sector for Wisconsin, among the biggest manufacturing states in the country.
“It’s a market we look at and we see growth, we see jobs and we see capital investment,” said Jim Paetsch, business development specialist with the Milwaukee 7 regional economic development group, during the Wisconsin Solar Decade conference Wednesday.
“We’ve got a lot of companies here that are set up in way such that their traditional strengths service those markets really well,” Paetsch said. “And in a really bad economy that is one of the sectors that’s growing.”
by jboullion | Sep 30, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Focus on Energy:
When you install ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) there are financial and energy savings to be realized; however, there are a few misconceptions about CFLs that have kept some homeowners on the fence. Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s statewide program for energy efficiency and renewable energy, is tackling those myths in an effort to educate Wisconsin residents and help them switch to CFLs. Starting Oct. 1, 2010, and for a limited time, Focus on Energy is offering CFLs for a discounted price at participating retail locations throughout the state.
“We are thrilled with the number of residents throughout Wisconsin who have reduced their energy use and utility bills by installing ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs, but there are still many who have not made the switch,” said Linda Mae Schmitt, program manager for Focus on Energy. “It’s my hope that by exposing common misconceptions about CFLs, we can encourage more people to take advantage of the many benefits of energy-efficient lighting. And now is the perfect time get on board. Why wouldn’t you want to save money while also helping Wisconsin’s environment?”
The release goes on to present the facts about the following myths:
Myth #1: CFLs are expensive.
Myth #2: CFLs won’t fit in my fixtures.
Myth #3: CFLs are hazardous.
Myth #4: CFLs are hard to find.
by jboullion | Sep 30, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Gregg Hoffman on WisBusiness.com
American Transmission Co. has started a series of public informational meetings on the Badger Coulee Project, a 150-mile, 345 kilowatt transmission line that would run through western Wisconsin.
ATC held sessions in Onalaska in La Crosse County on Monday and in Westby in Vernon County on Tuesday. A list of upcoming sessions can be found at the end of this story.
“We are very early in the process at this point,” said Sarah Justus, who is handling the public outreach for the project. “We are encouraging the public to become involved in the process. We want to get input from the people who live in the area.”
A group of business, labor and renewable energy organizations this week released a letter in support of the evaluation process.
“The multiple benefits of ATC’s proposed transmission line in western Wisconsin – reliability, economics and renewables – make good business sense,” said Phil Prange, president and chief executive officer of the Wisconsin Business Council. “Any time you are presented with a solution that addresses multiple issues, you’ve got to pay attention. I encourage the business community to pay attention and get involved in the development of this project over the next several years.”
ATC bills the project as having multiple benefits. “It will improve reliability of service and upgrade access to electricity,” Justus said. ATC says western Wisconsin needs about $140 million in lower voltage updates, and this new line, with an estimated cost of $425 million, could offset much of that need in addition to providing other benefits.
by jboullion | Sep 30, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by the Wisconsin Dairy Business Association:
The Dairy Business Association (DBA) is proud to announce that Five Star Dairy, LLC of Elk Mound, Wisconsin was selected to receive the 2010 DBA Environmental Excellence Award. This award was developed to recognize a Wisconsin dairy producer in honor of its outstanding waste and pollution prevention projects that protect Wisconsin’s natural resources.
Five Star Dairy, LLC (along with Dairyland Power and Stargest Power, LLC) constructed a thermophylic complete mix digester. The digester uses methane and other byproducts to generate electricity and provide power for approximately 600 homes in the Elk Mound area. Lee Jensen, General Manager of Five Star Dairy, also installed a lagoon cover so that the manure lagoon can work as a digester in the future. In addition, the cover keeps 1.5 million gallons of rain water out of the lagoon. As a result, less fuel is needed to spread the manure and incorporate nutrients into the soil. This project is the first successful thermophylic complete mix digester with a separate substrate tank for agriculture use.
“Wisconsin dairy producers are committed to environmental excellence through their everyday efforts on today’s dairy farms,” said Laurie Fischer, DBA Executive Director. “We are proud to recognize Five Star Dairy for its innovation and leadership in generating electricity with agricultural byproducts and going above and beyond to protect our environment and natural resources.”
by jboullion | Sep 30, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a commentary by Steve Hiniker, executive director of 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
With anti-rail activists whipped into a frenzy over threats that passenger rail services pose to Wisconsin and the state’s finances, it’s time to step back and take a closer look. Are rail opponents onto something, or are they on something?
Rail opponents rail against the cost of rail. They would like to have the money for rail either returned to Washington or spent on highways. Dream on. The $810 million is a part of a larger plan to restore intercity passenger rail across the United States. This is a federal project that won’t be derailed by Wisconsin politics. Restoring rail is expensive, but transportation projects are expensive. The Zoo Interchange will cost more than $2 billion to reconstruct. The Marquette Interchange was close to $1 billion. Where’s the outrage over that spending?
In any case, the money can’t be spent on highways, and even if it was sent back to Washington, it would be reallocated to another state to build their rail system – leaving Wisconsin in the dust. (We also would be sending millions of our tax dollars to another state to build rail instead of us getting the hundreds of millions from other states.)
The core of rail opponents’ argument seems to focus on the $54 question: Can we afford the annual operations costs of the added service? Those annual costs will amount to around $6 million a year. That amounts to one-fifth of one cent of our gas tax. So when a driver fills up with 20 gallons of gasoline at $2.70 per gallon, the bill will comes to $54. Just .04 (yes, 4 cents) out of that $54 will go to pay for intercity rail.
Their argument also assumes that there are absolutely no benefits associated with the 4-cent investment that comes with a $54 purchase. It assumes that no one will benefit from jobs created to build the service. That no one will benefit from the development that occurs around rail stations. And that no one will benefit from being able to relax rather than fight traffic on the interstate.
Opponents also like to say that the train fares will be unaffordable. According to the state Department of Transportation, one-way fares will be between $20 and $30 for the ride from Madison to Milwaukee. Compare that to the cost of driving. Using federal reimbursement rates for mileage, driving the 78 miles between Madison and Milwaukee costs $39. That means taking rail saves between $9 and $19 each trip. It saves a lot more for someone in Madison taking the train to Mitchell International Airport to catch a flight due to the saved costs of parking. And it will boost traffic at Mitchell.
It seems like there’s a lot of rage over just 4 cents out of every $54.
