by jboullion | Jun 10, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a fact sheet issued by Wind for Wisconsin:
Wind energy is surging in popularity because it spurs economic development and benefits the environment. An organized, vocal minority opposes wind energy development. However, the real world experience of successful wind energy development reaffirms the near universal support for wind energy. In fact, wind energy remains popular in areas of Wisconsin faced with siting challenges.
• A poll of voters in the Evansville Water and Light service area showed that 76% support wind power for the area, with less than 6% in opposition. Similar results were found in the Town of Union, with 72% supporting a wind project in the Town, and just 8% against.
• A poll of voters in Calumet County overwhelmingly favored building new wind farms in the County. A full 70% of voters supported building new wind farms, including a plurality (45%) of voters living near the proposed projects.
• In 2008, the U.S. wind industry installed 8,358 MW of new generating capacity, enough to serve over 2 million homes. The nation’s wind power generating capacity grew by 50%, and represents an investment of $17 billion into the economy.
by jboullion | Jun 10, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Dorothy Jasperson in the Westby Times:
The Westby Wind Energy project, which has been in the works for over three years suffered a set back recently as Eco-Energy and WPPI try to solicit new backing for the project after a number of the major players were forced to scale back their investments due to the nationwide economic crisis.
According to Westby Public Works Director Gregg Hanson, Westby Utilities and it’s power supplier, WPPI Energy, have a vested interest in continuing to pursue and construct the proposed wind turbine project in the city of Westby, but stressful economic times have temporarily stalled the local project.
“Wind energy is one of the cleanest forms of electric power generation and it has the potential to generate a significant amount of energy for WPPI Energy member communities. Planning and rezoning conditional use permits have been secured for the project and even though project discussions are continuing, current economic conditions will play a large role in determining the projects next step,” Hanson said.
The initial Westby wind project involved the construction of three, 400 foot tall, wind generated turbines at a cost of $3-4 million dollars per unit, with construction of the wind turbines to begin in 2009-10. The 4.5 megawatt wind turbines would have been constructed on the west edge of the city, near the high school track field and the Westby Cooperative Creamery lagoons, on city property and land owned by Glen and Madeline Stalsberg, whose farm was earlier annexed into the city from the town of Christiana.
It was anticipated that the Westby wind turbine project would have generated wind energy equal to 50-percent of the cities annual energy consumption. Energy produced at the Westby site would have interconnected with grid through the substation on Black River Avenue. The wind energy produced would have been sold to the grid and helped to offset the growing cost of utilities for all WPPI costumers, including city of Westby residents.
by jboullion | Jun 9, 2009 | Uncategorized
From Wind for Wisconsin:
SB 185/AB 256 direct the Public Service Commission (PSC) to initiate an administrative rule-making process to establish statewide siting standards for wind energy projects. The bill draft requires the PSC to establish an advisory committee of diverse interests to advise the Commission on the rules. The legislature will have the opportunity to review the proposed rules prior to their publication.
+ The PSC is an independent regulatory agency dedicated to serving the public interest. The agency is responsible for the regulation of more than 1,100 Wisconsin public utilities, including those that are municipally-owned.
+ The PSC works to ensure that, in the absence of competition, adequate and reasonably priced service is provided to utility customers. The PSC has oversight on every form of electric generation in the state.
+ Alternatives to bypass the PSC are designed to introduce more delay and confusion into the siting process. Additional layers of bureaucracy only serve to reinforce the siting stalemate.
+ Under the bill the PSC would establish a unique, comprehensive review of siting issues. Any attempt to predict the rule-making is speculative at best.
+ The PSC is the agency with the expertise to provide the appropriate scientific, fact based review of issues related to siting wind energy projects. The bill does not specify any siting requirements but establishes a process to review the relevant health and safety issues.
“I pledge to you a rule-making process which will be open and inclusive…The Commission will continue to be a fair partner with local government to ensure that the siting process is equitable to all, and that decisions are made in a timely and transparent way…The PSC’s rulemaking process is as open and inclusive a process as any.”(Joint public hearing May 12, 2009)
-Eric Callisto, PSC Chairman
by jboullion | Jun 9, 2009 | Uncategorized
An Associated Press story on WSAW.com:
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Jim Doyle and lawmakers plan to eliminate funding for a grant program that helps Wisconsin companies discover new sources of energy.
The Legislature’s budget committee last week cut all $30 million the governor had proposed for the Wisconsin Energy Independence Fund that gives grants and loans to businesses researching and developing clean energy.
Environmental groups and companies who received the first batch of funding from the program last year say they are upset with the move.
Doyle spokeswoman Carla Vigue says the governor and lawmakers had to cut the funding to balance the budget. She says some of the federal stimulus money coming to Wisconsin will also help promote renewable energy businesses.
by jboullion | Jun 9, 2009 | Uncategorized
A letter to the editor by James E. Becher, Norwalk, in the La Crosse Tribune on June 2, 2009:
The situation here at Ridgeville, town of Wilton, Monroe County Wis., is a prime example why the state needs to overrule these unrealistic ordinances with normal setbacks (500 feet property line dwelling to 1,000 feet, no greater) allowing a wind farm here in Monroe County.
(Aren’t we fortunate the NIMBYs weren’t here when the power lines came through? With greater setbacks, we may not have electricity.)
Recent polls in a local newspaper resulted in about 85 percent in Monroe County favoring wind power. That makes only 15 percent against it.
In 2005, about 45 landowners signed easements with Invenergy LLC, a reputable wind company, looking forward to construction in 2006. A committee drew up an ordinance approved by the state, county, towns, landowners and wind company — no problems.
Then the anti-wind group (NIMBYs) formed, holding many “mis-informational” meetings, hiring six lawyers, plus many speakers with negative, fictional stories — sending DVDs, pictures, propaganda, etc. to every household in Monroe County and beyond, pestering people until their resistance wore them down, persuading them to join the group.
Some were elected to our town boards to veto the approved ordinance, halting construction, then drawing up their own restrictive ordinance, preventing all wind farms from ever coming in here, ruining our wind farm business, income and taking away our landowner rights.
Prime examples why proper-normal setbacks are so important: calculating normal setbacks means 1 turbine per 40-acre plot; calculating greater setback requires four 40-acre plots, leaving very few landowners eligible.
We commend Sen. Jeff Plale and Rep. Jim Soletski and the other legislators co-sponsoring the two bills to bring statewide wind siting to Wisconsin, helping the energy crisis.
by jboullion | Jun 9, 2009 | Uncategorized
A letter to the editor by James E. Becher, Norwalk, in the La Crosse Tribune on June 2, 2009:
The situation here at Ridgeville, town of Wilton, Monroe County Wis., is a prime example why the state needs to overrule these unrealistic ordinances with normal setbacks (500 feet property line dwelling to 1,000 feet, no greater) allowing a wind farm here in Monroe County.
(Aren’t we fortunate the NIMBYs weren’t here when the power lines came through? With greater setbacks, we may not have electricity.)
Recent polls in a local newspaper resulted in about 85 percent in Monroe County favoring wind power. That makes only 15 percent against it.
In 2005, about 45 landowners signed easements with Invenergy LLC, a reputable wind company, looking forward to construction in 2006. A committee drew up an ordinance approved by the state, county, towns, landowners and wind company — no problems.
Then the anti-wind group (NIMBYs) formed, holding many “mis-informational” meetings, hiring six lawyers, plus many speakers with negative, fictional stories — sending DVDs, pictures, propaganda, etc. to every household in Monroe County and beyond, pestering people until their resistance wore them down, persuading them to join the group.
Some were elected to our town boards to veto the approved ordinance, halting construction, then drawing up their own restrictive ordinance, preventing all wind farms from ever coming in here, ruining our wind farm business, income and taking away our landowner rights.
Prime examples why proper-normal setbacks are so important: calculating normal setbacks means 1 turbine per 40-acre plot; calculating greater setback requires four 40-acre plots, leaving very few landowners eligible.
We commend Sen. Jeff Plale and Rep. Jim Soletski and the other legislators co-sponsoring the two bills to bring statewide wind siting to Wisconsin, helping the energy crisis.
by jboullion | Jun 9, 2009 | Uncategorized
SB 185/AB 256 direct the Public Service Commission (PSC) to initiate an administrative rule-making process to establish statewide siting standards for wind energy projects. The bill draft requires the PSC to establish an advisory committee of diverse interests to advise the Commission on the rules. The legislature will have the opportunity to review the proposed rules prior to their publication.
+ The PSC is an independent regulatory agency dedicated to serving the public interest. The agency is responsible for the regulation of more than 1,100 Wisconsin public utilities, including those that are municipally-owned.
+ The PSC works to ensure that, in the absence of competition, adequate and reasonably priced service is provided to utility customers. The PSC has oversight on every form of electric generation in the state.
+ Alternatives to bypass the PSC are designed to introduce more delay and confusion into the siting process. Additional layers of bureaucracy only serve to reinforce the siting stalemate.
+ Under the bill the PSC would establish a unique, comprehensive review of siting issues. Any attempt to predict the rule-making is speculative at best.
+ The PSC is the agency with the expertise to provide the appropriate scientific, fact based review of issues related to siting wind energy projects. The bill does not specify any siting requirements but establishes a process to review the relevant health and safety issues.
“I pledge to you a rule-making process which will be open and inclusive…The Commission will continue to be a fair partner with local government to ensure that the siting process is equitable to all, and that decisions are made in a timely and transparent way…The PSC’s rulemaking process is as open and inclusive a process as any.”(Joint public hearing May 12, 2009)
-Eric Callisto, PSC Chairman
by jboullion | Jun 9, 2009 | Uncategorized
A story by Tom Murray on WTMJ:
SHOREWOOD – The Presbyterian church at Bartlett Avenue and Capitol Drive claims to be the first green church on the North Shore.
The congregation believes in making God’s green earth a little greener.
“It’s a way of helping to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Reverend Jim Bender.
The 55-year-old church has a new look. There are three rows of solar panels on the roof pointing toward heaven.
Jackie Keltner and Sam Kashou belong to North Shore Presbyterian’s very own eco focus group.
“I think they look fabulous,” said Keltner. “Even on a relatively small scale, you can make a difference.”
It’s quite a leap of faith for Sam, who’s been attending this church since 1948.
“Solar panels? They didn’t even have that in the vocabulary,” he quipped.
The panels will not do all the work. Church leaders estimate they will provide about 10-20 percent of the building’s electricity.
It does add up to energy bill savings of almost $2,000 a year. Reverend Bender says the project adds up to better ministry.
“Churches are beginning to get back to the true Biblical idea that the earth is not something to be dominated, but the earth is something to be maintained for future generations,” Bender told TODAY’S TMJ4 reporter Tom Murray.
The panels are paid for by anonymous donations and grants from We Energies and Focus on Energy.
by jboullion | Jun 8, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article in the e-newsletter of Focus on Energy:
You may already know that Focus on Energy offers a $500 bonus incentive to homeowners who build a Wisconsin ENERGY STAR® Home or improve their homes through the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program. What you may not know is that Focus will extend this special bonus to homeowners who install wind energy systems starting July 1, 2009!
That’s right — when you build a Wisconsin ENERGY STAR Home or fully participate in Home Performance with ENERGY STAR, you’ll automatically qualify to receive a $500 bonus above and beyond the standard financial incentive when you install a wind turbine, solar electric or solar hot water system!
With this $500 bonus, we hope to encourage Wisconsin homeowners to take a “whole-house” approach to economic and environmental sustainability. The benefits of living in a high-performance, renewably powered home are many, and Focus on Energy wants to help you enjoy them affordably.
Build efficient with Wisconsin ENERGY STAR Homes.
Building a new home is a major investment. Wisconsin ENERGY STAR Homes can help you make the most of that investment with a home that saves energy and money. New homes certified by the program automatically qualify for the $500 bonus when a solar or wind energy system is installed.*
Improve efficiency with Home Performance with ENERGY STAR.
Home Performance with ENERGY STAR helps you make energy efficient improvements that save money and increase the comfort, safety and durability of your existing home. Homeowners who participate in this program prior to installing a solar or wind energy system are automatically qualified for the $500 bonus.*
by jboullion | Jun 8, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article published in the e-newsletter of Focus on Energy:
Drive through the UW-Parkside campus today and you’ll notice a new energy on campus—solar energy, to be exact. UW-Parkside just put Kenosha on the renewable energy map in a big way with the installation of a 26 kilowatt solar electric system.
Under the guidance of UW-Parkside’s Task Force on Sustainability, Don Kolbe, the university’s director of facilities management, oversaw the installation of three separate, highly visible solar electric systems across the campus. According to Mr. Kolbe, “We [UW-Parkside] wanted a visual representation of the sustainability initiative that our university has been actively pursuing.” These three solar electric systems will convert the sun’s energy into more than 34,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable electricity each year (view real-time energy production here) that will help power the campus for the next 30-plus years. This energy production is enough to power three average single-family homes in Wisconsin and offset the release of more than 75,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas that is a major contributor to global warming.
The environmental attributes of this project are undeniable, but just as attractive is the portfolio of incentives from which UW-Parkside was able to benefit. According to Don Wichert, director of the Focus on Energy Renewable Energy Program, “With the confluence of state, federal, and utility incentives that are available for the installation of renewable energy systems, now is an excellent time to install a solar system.” A $50,000 incentive through the Focus on Energy Program, a $100,000 grant through the We Energies Renewable Energy Development Program, generous donations, and the annual revenue that this system will net, all made this project financially viable.
