by jboullion | Oct 6, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Tony DiZinno in the Marquette Tribune:
Two major points came out of Tuesday’s business forum on future green job growth in Wisconsin.
A panel of experts said more money needs to arrive as expected from part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — commonly known as the stimulus package — and potential candidates to fill the new jobs require higher levels of education and skill sets.
Before the panel spoke, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett gave a speech on his blueprint of the green job movement.
“Green jobs are a continuum of what jobs are now,” Barrett said. “Since work is done at the local levels, it is important to us to be involved in this. We have such a need for business development.”
Money appropriated as a part of the stimulus package, the panelists said, has been slow to arrive and will largely determine the future of green jobs in Milwaukee and Wisconsin.
“There’s been a lot of talk, but very little has actually entered the market,” said Tom Boldt, chief executive officer of Oscar J. Boldt Construction in Appleton. He added that he expects 2010 and 2011 to attract more funds.
Clay Nesler, vice president of global energy and sustainability for the building efficiency sector of Johnson Controls, said the stimulus package had the unintended consequence of halting projects that were in progress because workers and investments slowed while waiting for the “free money.”
He added he hopes companies can attract matching funds and create projects with “seed money,” funds that can be extrapolated over a longer period of time.
The described longer period of time involves integrating the new workers into the workplace. The jobs that have the potential to be created offer higher salaries on average, but require a corresponding higher level of available skills, the panel said.
by jboullion | Oct 6, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
It’s August. The forecast calls for weather in the 90s. You pull into a parking ramp downtown and plug your hybrid-electric car into a charging station.
By midafternoon, with air conditioners all over town running full tilt, the local electric utility can’t keep up with the demand. So instead of charging up, your car’s battery begins feeding power back to the grid – saving the city from a brownout.
That night, an app on your cell phone confirms how much money you saved on your electric bill by helping out.
This scenario may have seemed far-fetched just a few years ago. But today, more and more utilities are working with transportation researchers on developing the infrastructure for an advanced way for Americans to fuel their cars and trucks.
And some lawmakers and businesses are working to position the Milwaukee region as a leader in the industry.
“This is an area that’s going to be growing in national importance, and there are some really unique opportunities that we are well-positioned to take advantage of,” said state Rep. Jeff Stone (R-Greendale).
by jboullion | Oct 6, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Draig D. Reber of the Herald Tribune (Dubuque, Iowa):
TOWN OF SMELSER, Wis. — To paraphrase a southwest Wisconsin lawmaker, now the devil is in the details.
On Wednesday, Gov. Jim Doyle signed a bill that calls for state regulators to come up with statewide rules for wind farms.
The state Public Service Commission’s rules will trump any local ordinances, including several moratoriums enacted by the Smelser Town Board of Trustees.
A moratorium enacted on June 8 resulted in charges being brought against Arnie Rawson, of rural Platteville, and Robert Droessler, of rural Cuba City, for violating open meetings law. They are accused of taking action on a matter without public notice.
“It was a minor mistake, we tried to rectify it (at our next meeting), and we couldn’t, according to state law,” Rawson said. “It’s happened before in other places. It’s no new thing.”
The board later went on to enact a moratorium in August on the White Oak wind project that includes parts of Smelser, Hazel Green and Paris townships. However, Senate Bill 185 and the ensuing action by Doyle to enact a uniform siting law trump the moratorium.
Wind developers say local officials have created a patchwork of regulations across the state that are so restrictive they are suffocating their projects. Local leaders say they are just looking out for people’s health.
by jboullion | Oct 5, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Nathaniel Shuda in the Wausau Daily Herald:
As leaders of a Wisconsin Rapids company finalize logistics of a planned local manufacturing plant, they have their sights set on an even larger project.
Officials with Energy Composites Corp. are developing a group to build wind farms on the Great Lakes, said Sam Fairchild, chief executive officer.
“There have been a lot of groups trying to align some interest in the Great Lakes in terms of energy,” Fairchild said Friday. “The problem is no one is trying to build wind farms in the Great Lakes. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Two weeks after announcing plans to form what it’s calling a Great Lakes Consortium, Energy Composites already has attracted the attention of state and federal officials, outside energy companies and power utilities in states surrounding the lakes, Fairchild said. Because of that, company leaders are trying to acquire federal funding for wind development.
by jboullion | Oct 2, 2009 | Uncategorized
From the Midwest Renewable Energy Association:
Visit homes and businesses with renewable energy systems during the Wisconsin Solar Tour!
Self-Guided Tours
Businesses – Friday, October 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Homes – Saturday, October 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tour sites are owned, lived in, and worked in by ordinary people. They are helping others open the door to renewable energy. The Wisconsin Solar Tour is part of the National Solar Tour coordinated by the American Solar Energy Society.
Click here for a list of businesses and houses open in southwestern Wisconsin.
by jboullion | Oct 2, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a story by Bridget Fargen on WJFW 12:
Many people use solar energy as a way to help the environment.
This weekend you can check out some homes and businesses that are using this type of technology.
The Wisconsin Solar Tour goal is to show new people how beneficial going “green” can be for your home or business. “This is where we have the most sun right here.”
This is one of the solar panels that provides energy for Mark Yeager’s Sugar Camp home.
Yeager tells Newswatch 12, “This whole system, the whole property is totally off grid, totally unconnected to the utility.”
Yeager’s home is one of 17 homes and businesses on this years Wisconsin Solar Tour. The two-story house is still under construction and draws all it’s electricity and water heat from the sun.
He says, “We’re attempting to build the most energy efficient home we can.”
What makes it so unique? It’s run off a micro-grid design.
Yeager says, “It’s a European design, that’s not done a lot here yet, it’s just starting to catch on in technology and so we have both on-grid and off grid technology.”
by jboullion | Oct 2, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Nick Halter in the Wausau Daily Herald:
On warm summer days, landscaper Tom Girolamo showers in the yard of his Mosinee home using rainwater stored in a 2,500-gallon tank heated by solar power. The used shower water is then sent to his chickens or to water his plants.
Also in the yard of Girolamos’ home is a 120-foot wind turbine, a wood-fueled sauna and a wood-fired brick oven that he and his wife, Kathy, use for summer meals or to bake pizza for their guests.
The Girolamo’s home is one of several in Marathon County that will be open for tours this weekend when the Midwest Renewable Energy Association sponsors its annual Wisconsin Solar Tour. The tour showcases businesses and homes that are energy efficient, sustainable or powered with renewable energies.
Organizers expect a big turnout this year as more and more people look to make energy-efficiency upgrades to their homes and consider alternative energy. On top of normal grants given out by Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy program, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is giving additional tax incentives — typically up to 30 percent — to people doing such projects.
Girolamo’s home has been on the tour for five years. The 50-year-old UW-Stevens Point graduate owns a landscaping company called Eco-Building & Forestry that designs environmentally friendly and sustainable landscapes.
by jboullion | Oct 1, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Focus on Energy:
(October 1, 2009) – Wisconsinites continue to realize the financial and energy savings of installing ENERGY STAR® qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) in their homes. And now, for a limited time, Focus on Energy is offering CFLs for a discounted price at participating retail locations throughout the state.
Focus, Wisconsin’s statewide resource for energy efficiency and renewable energy information, is launching the annual promotion October 1, 2009.
CFLs that have earned the ENERGY STAR last up to 10 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs and are 75 percent more efficient – saving as much as $30 over the course of their lifetime. In addition, the bulbs produce 75 percent less heat than their standard counterparts, making them safer to operate.
“Over the past several years, thousands of residents throughout Wisconsin 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 Rhonda Pittman, Lighting Program Manager. “In these tough economic times, there is no better time to install a product that will save money while also helping Wisconsin’s environment.”
While financial savings associated with using CFLs remain one of the primary reasons Wisconsin residents opt for them, CFLs also offer environmental benefits. Because qualified bulbs use so much less energy to operate, less pollution is being generated.
by jboullion | Oct 1, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article in Northland’s News Center:
Governor Jim Doyle is urging Wisconsin residents to take action now to keep their households warm during this winter.
Residents are urged to contact their local utility if their heat is currently disconnected and to take advantage of the state’s energy-efficiency programs as well low-income bill payment assistance programs to ease the burden of household energy costs during the winter season.
“During a Wisconsin winter, no family should have to choose between putting food on the table and heating their homes,” Governor Doyle said. “There are many programs in place to ensure that hard working low-income households make it safely through the season and now is the time to take advantage of the services the state offers.”
Under Wisconsin law, consumers cannot be disconnected during the heating moratorium period from November 1 to April 15 so long as they are connected at the start of the moratorium. . . .
Residents may also qualify for assistance paying their heating bill through the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP), which provides financial assistance to low-income residents who may struggle to pay utility bills this winter.
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 low-income households. . . .
To receive more information about how to apply for the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program, call the Home Energy Plus hotline at 866-432-8947, or visit www.homeenergyplus.wi.gov.
by jboullion | Oct 1, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Charles Menchaca in the Wausau Daily Herald:
System will generate about 8 percent of East High’s electricity
Wausau East High School on Wednesday received a 155-foot-tall addition to its campus, one that will help save money and help students be part of the green revolution, educators said.
Technicians erected the first of two wind turbines on the school grounds. Students, school staff members and curious residents watched the construction throughout the day.
The first structure, known as the Northwind 100, will generate 100 kilowatts of power and has a rotor diameter of 21 meters. It is the largest wind turbine in Marathon County and the first of its kind on Wisconsin public school property, Wausau East science teacher Lauren Ebbecke said.
To fund the project’s estimated $647,000 cost, Ebbecke pursued and received contributions from several public and private sources, including the Walter Alexander Foundation and the Wausau School District.The district could contribute up to $50,000 in public money for startup costs and will pay about $4,000 for maintenance on the two turbines every year.
A smaller turbine and a photovoltaic system also will be installed at East this year. The turbines are at the forefront of the district’s plans to teach students about renewable energy. Ebbecke continues to work with other teachers to develop wind-energy curriculum, and some of their lesson plans will be used this school year.
“I think it’s important to teach (students) to make responsible decisions and that there are other choices out there regarding their energy,” Ebbecke said.
