LED street lights expand Ruud Lighting’s market

by | Aug 7, 2008 | Uncategorized

From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Sturtevant – Energy-saving lighting that could help cities in Alaska to Australia save on the cost of electricity in street lights is creating global growth opportunities for Ruud Lighting Inc.

Ruud Lighting’s LED street light fixtures use 50% less energy than a conventional street light, company President Alan Ruud says. The lights will be installed on some Racine streets.

Sue Ailes tests LED panels that make up new street light fixtures produced by Ruud Lighting of Racine. The city will install the lights along several streets. Other cities in the United States and around the world also have purchased the long-lasting, energy-saving fixtures.

AdvertisementRuud Lighting on Tuesday celebrated a new energy-saving street light fixture coming off the assembly line. The street light fixtures will soon be installed on several streets in Racine, Mayor Gary Becker said.

Ruud Lighting’s Beta Lighting division is seeing increased interest in LED technology because of demands to reduce costs through energy efficiency and to avoid the use of hazardous materials, such as mercury, in energy-efficient light fixtures, said Alan Ruud, company president.

The privately held company and its lighting partner, Cree Inc. of Raleigh, N.C., won a contract under which the City of Anchorage will replace all of its 16,000 light fixtures over the next four years. The first 4,000 fixtures were approved last week under a $2.2 million appropriation announced by Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich.

In Racine, where the electric bill for street lighting is $2 million a year, Becker said the city already uses the Ruud BetaLED fixtures at the Racine Civic Center parking garage.

“Anything we can do to cut costs and help the environment and save energy is a plus,” Becker said. “And we know electricity prices are not going down. It’s just a matter of how quickly it’s going to go up.”

Ruud Lighting has patents to develop fixtures that incorporate technology from Cree, an LED lighting manufacturer.

The company employs about 550 people and has added about 12 since last year, said Christopher Ruud, executive vice president.

Oak Creek plant settlement includes renewable energy commitments

by | Aug 6, 2008 | Uncategorized

From a story posted on the Web site of The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

The three owners of the Elm Road Generating Station in Oak Creek will pay $105 million over a 25-year period for Lake Michigan protection projects to end a three- year legal battle over the water intake structure at the power plant, Clean Wisconsin and the Sierra Club said Wednesday.

Clean Wisconsin and the Sierra Club filed suit after the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued a permit allowing the use of a once-through cooling system at the coal-fired power plant. The organizations claimed that once-through cooling did not represent the best available technology for cooling the plant and thus should not be permitted.

Under the settlement, the three utilities that own the generating station — We Energies of Milwaukee, Madison Gas & Electric of Madison and Wisconsin Public Power Inc. of Sun Prairie — agreed to the following:

– Funding $4 million per year from 2010 through 2035 for projects to address water quality issues in Lake Michigan such as invasive species, polluted runoff, toxic loadings, and habitat destruction;

– Purchase or construct 15 megawatts of solar generation by Jan. 1, 2015; and

– Support legislative efforts to establish a renewable energy portfolio standard of 10 percent by 2013 and 25 percent by 2025.

We Energies will also retire two coal-fired units in Presque Isle, Michigan and ask the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin for approval to construct 50 megawatts of 100 percent biomass-fueled power in Wisconsin.

In a media release, Mark Redsten, Exeuctive Director, of Clean Wisconsin said:

“We’re happy to have reached an agreement that has significant benefits for both the lake and the fight against global warming. These environmental protections help ensure Lake Michigan is a healthy natural resource for generations to come.”

From a separate release issed by the Sierra Club:

“In the long run, this agreement will result in dramatic improvements to the overall health of Lake Michigan and will contribute to the development of renewable energy sources such as solar and biomass,” said Jennifer Feyerherm, Wisconsin Clean Energy Campaign Director.

“It will help us address two of the most critical issues of our time—climate change and protection of one of the world’s greatest freshwater natural resources.”

Wisconsin must seize the green opportunity

by | Aug 5, 2008 | Uncategorized

From an editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

One of the objections to seriously addressing global warming is the cost. Some critics argue that curbing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions will bankrupt companies, create an unreliable electricity network, drive families into the poorhouse and generally ruin the economy.

There is no doubt that there will be a cost and that some sacrifice will be required. And it’s true that many Americans today don’t handle sacrifice very well. But the evidence produced by a United Nations panel and other scientists leaves little doubt about the reality and the seriousness of the threat, a threat that both presidential candidates appear to have taken to heart, unlike the current occupant of the White House.

But there is also an opportunity here to create a new economy that provides jobs at the same time that it reduces emissions and reliance on fossil fuels, a significant portion of which come from a volatile part of the planet. And if the country acts now to create that economy, it would be ahead of the curve and could take the international lead in providing a brighter future for the planet.

The opportunity lies in creating more green jobs – many of which people already know how to do – to use energy more efficiently and build the technologies that, from biofuels to wind turbines, could curb climate change.

That economy is in the process of being created, and among the builders are key companies in southeastern Wisconsin, such as Johnson Controls in Milwaukee, which has been doing excellent business in energy efficiency. Green jobs were the subject of recent conferences in Milwaukee and at Racine’s Wingspread conference center. Nationally, the Blue Green Alliance – a joint venture of the United Steelworkers and the Sierra Club – is campaigning for green jobs and energy independence.

We hesitate to use the New Age concept of harmonic convergence, but something does seem to be happening across the country at a number of levels.

Even more of the same is needed.

Among the immediate priorities:

• Congress needs to pass this year the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008. The bill would extend federal tax incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies that have expired or will expire at the end of the year.

In a recent meeting with the Editorial Board, representatives of the Blue Green Alliance said that 100,000 jobs could be lost at the end of the year if the tax incentives and credits aren’t extended. The bill would extend for another eight years investment tax credits for installing solar energy and would extend for one year the production tax credit for producing wind power. It also would extend for three years credits for geothermal, wave energy and other renewables.

• Federal renewable energy standards should be stepped up. In Wisconsin, the Governor’s Task Force on Global Warming has recommended a series of measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 22% by 2022 and 75% by 2050. Those are reasonable goals, but the closer the nation can come to Al Gore’s 10-year goal of producing all electricity from sources that don’t produce greenhouse gases, the better off it will be.

• The federal government needs to set a clear cost for carbon emissions, either by taxing such emissions directly or establishing a cap-and-trade system that would cap emissions and reduce them over time by allowing parties to trade in emission credits. Such a system was proposed by the governor’s task force. Whether such a system is better than a straight tax on emissions deserves a thorough debate, but, either way, affected industries need stability on the regulatory front.

• Governments at all levels need to do a better job of promoting and encouraging businesses that produce green jobs.

Reenewable Wood Energy workshop, Sept. 4, Green Bay

by | Aug 4, 2008 | Uncategorized

From a media release issued by Focus on Energy:

MADISON, Wis. (August 4, 2008) – On Sept. 4, Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative, will host a conference demonstrating how businesses and organizations can take advantage of Wisconsin’s most abundant natural resource – wood. The one-day conference titled “Work Smarter with Wood, Renewable Wood Energy,” will be held at the Best Western Midway Hotel in Green Bay, Wis., and will offer attendees information and tours highlighting how wood can be used to generate bioenergy. In addition, the conference is being presented as a precursor to the 63rd Annual Lake States Logging Congress – the Midwest’s largest forestry tradeshow – presented by the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association September 4 – 6. . . .

Focus on Energy’s conference will consist of information sessions and keynotes, including speakers from the Office of Energy Independence, the Environmental Law & Policy Center, the Pellet Fuel Institute, and Focus on Energy. There will also be tours of two area facilities that are benefiting from the use of renewable wood energy, ST Paper and Pomp’s Service. Attendees will have a chance to tour a biomass combustion system located at ST Paper and Pomp’s Service’s wood brokering facility (ST Paper acquires their wood fuel from Pomp’s).

Complete workshop details here.

Wisconsin must seize the green opportunity

by | Aug 4, 2008 | Uncategorized

From an editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

One of the objections to seriously addressing global warming is the cost. Some critics argue that curbing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions will bankrupt companies, create an unreliable electricity network, drive families into the poorhouse and generally ruin the economy.

There is no doubt that there will be a cost and that some sacrifice will be required. And it’s true that many Americans today don’t handle sacrifice very well. But the evidence produced by a United Nations panel and other scientists leaves little doubt about the reality and the seriousness of the threat, a threat that both presidential candidates appear to have taken to heart, unlike the current occupant of the White House.

But there is also an opportunity here to create a new economy that provides jobs at the same time that it reduces emissions and reliance on fossil fuels, a significant portion of which come from a volatile part of the planet. And if the country acts now to create that economy, it would be ahead of the curve and could take the international lead in providing a brighter future for the planet.

The opportunity lies in creating more green jobs – many of which people already know how to do – to use energy more efficiently and build the technologies that, from biofuels to wind turbines, could curb climate change.

That economy is in the process of being created, and among the builders are key companies in southeastern Wisconsin, such as Johnson Controls in Milwaukee, which has been doing excellent business in energy efficiency. Green jobs were the subject of recent conferences in Milwaukee and at Racine’s Wingspread conference center. Nationally, the Blue Green Alliance – a joint venture of the United Steelworkers and the Sierra Club – is campaigning for green jobs and energy independence.

We hesitate to use the New Age concept of harmonic convergence, but something does seem to be happening across the country at a number of levels.

Even more of the same is needed.

Among the immediate priorities:

• Congress needs to pass this year the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008. The bill would extend federal tax incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies that have expired or will expire at the end of the year.

In a recent meeting with the Editorial Board, representatives of the Blue Green Alliance said that 100,000 jobs could be lost at the end of the year if the tax incentives and credits aren’t extended. The bill would extend for another eight years investment tax credits for installing solar energy and would extend for one year the production tax credit for producing wind power. It also would extend for three years credits for geothermal, wave energy and other renewables.

• Federal renewable energy standards should be stepped up. In Wisconsin, the Governor’s Task Force on Global Warming has recommended a series of measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 22% by 2022 and 75% by 2050. Those are reasonable goals, but the closer the nation can come to Al Gore’s 10-year goal of producing all electricity from sources that don’t produce greenhouse gases, the better off it will be.

• The federal government needs to set a clear cost for carbon emissions, either by taxing such emissions directly or establishing a cap-and-trade system that would cap emissions and reduce them over time by allowing parties to trade in emission credits. Such a system was proposed by the governor’s task force. Whether such a system is better than a straight tax on emissions deserves a thorough debate, but, either way, affected industries need stability on the regulatory front.

• Governments at all levels need to do a better job of promoting and encouraging businesses that produce green jobs.

Energy: A challenge to us all

by | Jul 29, 2008 | Uncategorized

An editorial from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Former Vice President Al Gore’s recent call for the nation to produce all electricity from wind, solar and other renewable sources within 10 years appears unattainable, energy wonks have been quick to note.

And we appear to be part of that naysaying pack.

In the editorial above, we commend Gov. Jim Doyle’s Task Force on Global Warming for setting goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 22% by 2022 and a 75% reduction by 2050. That’s not zero in 10 years.

We commend those Wisconsin goals because they are “realistic,” as in doable, but that doesn’t mean that we oppose speeding things up.

We put those quotation marks around the word because we also realize that citing “realism” often has been just another way of slowing progress.

So, here’s the real utility in Gore’s call for speedier progress: It recognizes that deeper commitment can produce speedier results.

Too costly to move quicker? Those costs have to be weighed against those already levied by our reliance on fossil fuels. And the time allowed to break this addiction to oil has to be weighed against how every minute, every hour, every day of carbon emissions brings the world closer to that tipping point that spells global catastrophe.

Solar Decade Conference set for Oct. 23 in Milwaukee

by | Jul 28, 2008 | Uncategorized

From the preliminary agenda for the Solar Decade Conference posted on the conference Web site:

9:15 Opening Keynote Addresses: Solar Electric and Solar Thermal Experts

10:30 Breakout Sessions
Residential Solar Case Studies, Moderator TBD
The Future of the Solar Electric Market, Speaker TBD
Introduction to Solar Thermal Systems, Speaker TBD
Starting a Solar Business Panel, Moderator Michael Allen, Energy Law Wisconsin

12:15 Lunch with presentations by
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee’s Solar Decathlon Team
Solar Market Expert

1:30 Breakout Sessions
Solar Green Building Case Studies, Moderator Sue Loomans, WGBA
Introduction to Solar Electric Systems, Speaker Clay Sterling, MREA
Solar Thermal – Technical Details, Bob Ramlow, Speaker Artha Sustainable Living Center
Growing Wisconsin’s Solar Businesses Panel, Moderator Niels Wolter, Focus on Energy

3:15 Breakout Sessions
Solar Communities, Moderator Tehri Parker, MREA
The Economics of Solar Power, Speaker Niels Wolter Focus on Energy
Market Status of Solar Thermal, Speaker TBD
Marketing: Changing the Solar Dialog, Moderator/Speaker Kelly Lang, Focus on Energy

4:45 End of Conference

Green light on transit? Walker to seek funds for rapid bus lines

by | Jul 25, 2008 | Uncategorized

From an article by David Doege in The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker plans to seek $50 million in federal funds for two bus rapid transit lines that could help break the long-running stalemate over upgrades to the Milwaukee area’s transit system.

The funds would be in addition to the $91.5 million in federal funds allocated to the Milwaukee area in the early 1990s that has gone unspent because Walker and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett cannot agree on a revised mass transit plan. Business and community leaders have been pushing hard in recent months for an upgraded transit system to help the area’s economic development efforts and business climate.

Walker said this week that he will meet in the next few days with officials from the Federal Transit Administration to begin the application process for funding he believes would support one north-south line beginning at Bay Shore Town Center in Glendale and an east-west line beginning on the Milwaukee County Grounds in Wauwatosa.

A bus rapid transit line would use new buses that would operate in a dedicated lane at higher speeds with fewer stops than traditional urban bus systems.

“This would probably be something that we could put in the 2010 budget,” he said.

The funding Walker intends to seek is available under an federal program called Very Small Starts. According to an agency fact sheet, the program targets “simple, low-risk (transit) projects” and features a “highly simplified project evaluation rating process.”

To win approval, projects must be on corridors with more than 3,000 riders daily, offer service at least 14 hours per day, utilize vehicles with signal priority and feature on-peak service every 10 minutes and off-peak service every 15 minutes, among other criteria.

Local governments must provide at least 20 percent of the total cost for approved projects. Walker said that some of that would have to be built into the budget, but that part of it could come through “in kind” design services provided by county personnel who would participate in designing and establishing the system.

“We would have time to work with the County Board to set this up,” Walker said. “There would have to be an appropriation in the budget, but it would not involve a tax increase.”