by jboullion | Aug 2, 2013 | Uncategorized
Tom Content’s article for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel examines the repercussions of the Public Service Commission’s decision to suspend Focus on Energy incentives for solar and wind energy installations. Comments from RENEW Wisconsin are included in this article but please also see our website for key points to include in a comment to the PSC in docket 5-GF-191. By registering your concern over this chilling development you are standing up for Wisconsin jobs, 330-Wisconsin based wind and solar businesses, and clean, renewable energy.
By Tom Content
Incentives that help homeowners install solar electric and solar hot
water systems in Wisconsin are being suspended for the second time in
three years. A recent decision by the state Public Service Commission means the
state Focus on Energy program will stop awarding the solar incentives
from mid-August through the end of the year.
Focus is an initiative that’s overseen by the state PSC as well as
the state’s utilities. Focus on Energy was created to to help utility
customers receive incentives to make homes and businesses more
energy-efficient and install renewable energy systems.
“We understand that there will likely be some frustration due to any changes,” Focus on Energy said in announcing the suspension.
“However, the Commission’s direction will help us create a clear plan
for 2014. We anticipate the residential prescriptive incentives for
Solar Thermal and Solar Photovoltaic to resume in January 2014.”
Focus has been providing incentives of up to $1,200 for solar hot water systems and $2,400 for solar power systems.
After Aug. 13, when the PSC is expected to finalize a recent decision
on the matter, Focus will no longer provide the incentives this year,
said Tamara Sondgeroth, director of operations at Focus on Energy in
Madison.
The stop-start approach to funding renewables is bad for small
businesses that were hurt when renewable incentives were suspended two
years ago, said leaders at Renew Wisconsin, a renewable energy advocacy group.
[READ MORE]
by jboullion | Aug 1, 2013 | Uncategorized
PSC Delivers Another Blow to Beleaguered Renewable Energy Contractors
Immediate release — For the second time in three years, state of Wisconsin incentives for customer-sited solar and small wind systems will be suspended, a result of recent Public Service Commission (PSC) decisions affecting Focus on Energy’s renewable energy budget . The suspension will take effect August 13, according to Focus on Energy, and will run through the remainder of the year. Incentives for biogas and biomass installations are not affected by the PSC’s decisions.
The impending cut-off of solar and wind incentives follows an across-the-board suspension of renewable energy incentives that lasted one year before being lifted in July 2012. Focus on Energy is authorized to spend up to $10 million per year on renewable energy incentives.
Through May 2013, Focus on Energy had spent or obligated a total of $3,048,580 for projects expected to be placed in service this year. The suspension ensures that overall renewable energy awards in 2013 will fall well short of the $10 million maximum.
In 2012, the PSC established a two-tiered funding formula that allocates renewable energy incentives based on resource type. So-called Group 1 resources—biogas, biomass and geothermal (ground source heat pumps)–are eligible for 75% of program expenditures up to a maximum of $7,500,000 a year. Funding for so-called Group 2 resources—solar and small wind—cannot exceed 25% of renewable energy expenditures.
Under this structure, outlays for Group 1 resources determine the overall funding level for renewables, even though up to $10 million is available in a given program year.As a result of the funding suspension, no renewable energy incentives will be available to residential customers until 2014. Residential customers account for approximately 60% of Focus on Energy’s program dollars.
The following represents RENEW Wisconsin’s reaction to the suspension of incentives for solar and wind energy systems. RENEW Wisconsin’s advocacy was instrumental in creating a renewable energy component to Focus on Energy.
“First, let’s not stop these incentives simply because the accounting is difficult,” said Executive Director Tyler Huebner. “That may seem like the easiest fix for decision-makers in Madison, but this is going to cost jobs throughout Wisconsin, especially amongst the small businesses that do this work. Second, if the accounting is difficult, and we agree that it is, then let’s change it. The decisions to make the accounting difficult were made by the same three Commissioners just last year, and this recent decision only adds to the complexity.”
“The disruption to solar and wind incentives will inflict measurable financial hardship on contractors operating here, and will result in a net contraction of sales and jobs. This decision will likely force these contractors to shift the focus of their business to other states that are doing a better job of supporting solar and wind.”
“On several occasions before this decision, we communicated to the PSC the tenuous nature of the solar market today, and our best forecast of the likely impact from a disruption in the flow of incentives. By all appearances, the views of Wisconsin’s solar contractors were disregarded.”
“Yesterday, we sent a letter to the PSC asking it to reconsider this decision. This Friday, we will file comments with the PSC regarding future Focus on Energy planning, and our primary goal is to simplify the provision of incentives going forward. In our view, the current structure has proved to be an administrative nightmare, and this latest decision will worsen this already bad situation.”
“Finally, we don’t believe that providing policy support for the advancement of solar energy should be a partisan issue. It certainly isn’t in Georgia, where that state’s all-Republican utility commission ordered Georgia Power to acquire nearly 800 megawatts of solar by the end of 2016, effectively tripling what the state’s largest electric utility had already committed to provide.”
“It’s time for Wisconsin regulators to see the light on solar and let it drive our state’s economy forward,” Huebner said.
by jboullion | Jul 30, 2013 | Uncategorized
The Milwaukee Public Museum announced plans to cover the building’s 8-story tower with a 234 panel solar array. The completed project is predicted to produce 77,533 kilowatt hours of electricity per year.
By Trisha Bee
MILWAUKEE (WITI) – The Milwaukee Public Museum’s south façade is getting a 21stcentury update. The marble cladding on the 8-story tower of the Museum, which was built in the mid-1960s, is being replaced with 234 solar panels. Work on the project, scheduled to last approximately five months, started Monday, July 29th with preparation for the removal of the marble exterior.
Over the past 50 years, the Museum’s heavy marble façade has weathered and become less stable, creating the need for an update on the south wall facing Wells Street. MPM explored both the use of recycled material and solar panels as replacement options, and decided on the later because of the energy-generating potential of solar. Milwaukee-based manufacturer Helios USA has been contracted to produce the Museum’s solar panels.
MPM’s solar wall is expected to generate 77,533 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, the equivalent of having 442, 60-watt light bulbs on for eight hours every day for an entire year. MPM will be the only building in Milwaukee with a full solar wall that is generating electricity.
During removal of the marble cladding, the MPM’s Puelicher Butterfly Vivarium and Bugs Alive! exhibit will be closed to ensure safety of Museum visitors and staff members. This phase of construction is expected to last approximately four weeks.
by jboullion | Jul 29, 2013 | Uncategorized
Wisconsin Environment Research and Policy Center’s report Lighting the Way: What We Can Learn from America’s Top 12 Solar States identifies the twelve states making the greatest contribution to the rise of solar power in the United States. The report observes that while Wisconsin’s solar capacity is growing, this growth is far behind the increase observed in the report’s top ranking states, lagging behind enough to earn Wisconsin a ranking of 26th in the nation for per capita solar installations. The full report and the press release below identify the strong renewable energy policies adopted by the top ranking states and the reasoning for Wisconsin’s low ranking.
Milwaukee – Today, Wisconsin Environment Research & Policy Center releasedLighting the Way: What We Can Learn from America’s Top 12 Solar States, a new report highlighting a solar energy boom across the country. The report outlines the twelve states that have made a considerable contribution to the nation’s rise in solar power. Wisconsin however, missed the cut and ranks 26th in the nation for per capita solar installations. Last year, solar capacity in Wisconsin grew by 7% bringing it to a total of 14 megawatts. But Wisconsin still trails behind leading solar states such as New Jersey that has more than 50 times as many solar installations per capita than Wisconsin.
“The sky’s the limit on solar energy,” said Megan Severson, State Advocate with Wisconsin Environment. “The progress of other states should give us the confidence that we can do much more. Our message today is clear: If you want your state to be a leader in pollution-free solar energy, set big goals and get good policies on the books.”
Solar is on the rise across the country. America has more than three times as much solar photovoltaic capacity as it did in 2010, and more than 10 times as much as it did in 2007. And now the price of solar panels fell by 26 percent in 2012. Wisconsin Environment attributed the solar boom to the leadership of state officials, especially those in states profiled in the report.
“More and more, homes and businesses are turning to solar as a pollution-free energy source with no fuel costs,” said Severson. “With the increasing threat of global warming, Wisconsin must become a leading solar state.”
[READ MORE]
by jboullion | Jul 26, 2013 | Utility Scale, Wind
If you support wind energy development in Wisconsin, and if you believe a responsibly designed project should not be shouted down by antiwind pressure groups, please communicate your position to the Public Service Commission, which will decide the fate of the Highland Wind project later this year. The Commission will accept online comments through August 12th.
Speak Up for Clean Energy on the Highland Wind Farm
The Highland Wind Farm is a clean energy project proposed for the Town of Forest (St. Croix County). The proposed farm will have 41 turbines and generate 102.5 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 25,000 homes. The process of getting the Highland Wind Farm permitted has been an ongoing battle riddled with propaganda and misinformation about wind. Recently we were pleased to learn that the Public Service Commission (PSC) agreed to reopen the case and reconsider permitting the wind farm. Although a public hearing has been scheduled for August 14, at 610 North Whitney Way, Madison, in the Amnicon Falls Room (First Floor) the PSC has informed us that they will hear testimony from the general public on August 15. You may also submit online comments until August 13. Unfortunately, opponents are already commenting, and they will be out in full force at the public hearing. Don’t let a vocal minority shut the door on clean energy in Wisconsin! Send in your comments today, and make plans to attend the public hearing.
You can submit a comment following these steps:1. Click here for the PSC website and fill out your information2. Write your comment. Feel free to use our talking points below to help form your comment, but also be sure to tell your personal story and reason for wanting more clean, wind energy in Wisconsin.3. Click ‘File Comments’
Talking Points:
- Wisconsin is falling behind in the clean energy transition. All of our neighboring states have installed more wind than Wisconsin. Meanwhile in our state, at least 3 wind projects have been canceled in the past few years after the legislature temporarily suspended Wisconsin’s uniform wind-siting rules, causing the loss of hundreds of megawatts of clean energy and over 1,000 potential jobs.
- The Highland Wind Farm will create over 100 jobs during construction and up to 8 permanent jobs. Over the next 30 years, it would provide $4.8 million in revenue to Forest Township, and over $6.8 million to St. Croix County.
- The most significant commercial activity in the Town of Forest is farming. The 25 host landowners would benefit from lease payments offered by the Highland Wind Farm, and this income is critical for anchoring the many family farms in this area.
- The Highland Wind Farm will follow Wisconsin’s Wind Siting Law, PSC 128, a policy created by a range of stakeholders over a several years designed to create business certainty and overcome the patchwork of local regulations that has threatened clean energy development in Wisconsin.
- The Public Service Commission needs to make decisions based on the law and what is good for the health of Wisconsin. The Highland Wind Farm is both.
- Wisconsin wants and needs wind and we shouldn’t let a vocal minority block clean energy opportunities.
Shahla M. Werner, Ph.D., Chapter DirectorSierra Club- John Muir Chapter222 South Hamilton Street, Suite 11Madison, WI 53703-3201shahla.werner@sierraclub.orgPhone: (608) 256-0565Fax: (608) 256-4JMChttp://wisconsin.sierraclub.org/
by jboullion | Jul 24, 2013 | Uncategorized
–Immediate Release
In what will become the largest solar electric project serving a Wisconsin municipality, the City of Monona approved a contract this week that will result in the construction of rooftop arrays supplying renewable energy directly to four city-owned buildings. All four solar systems, totaling 156 kilowatts, should be online by year’s end.
The four Monona buildings selected to host the solar electric arrays are: City Hall, Public Library, Public Works Garage, and Public Works Dept. Well No. 3. All told, the solar arrays will produce more than 210,000 kilowatt-hours of clean energy per year, equating to 30% of the buildings’ combined electricity usage.
The City will receive a stream of renewable energy credits along with the electrical output under a solar service partnership agreement with Falcon Energy Systems, a Colorado based investment group. Bloomington, MN-based tenKsolar will manufacture the solar generating arrays, and Madison-based Full Spectrum Solar will install and service the equipment on the city-owned sites. Earlier this month, tenKsolar and Full Spectrum Solar teamed up to install a 48 kilowatt system on the Arbor Crossing apartments in Shorewood Hills.
The project team was assembled by Solar Connections, LLC, a Madison consulting group that has also developed residential solar installations that were financed primarily by friends and neighbors of the host customer.
Consultants Kurt Reinhold and James Yockey first introduced this municipal solar model to the Sustainability Committee of the City of Monona in September of 2012, and has since been joined by Janine Glaeser, City Project Manager, to shepherd this project through numerous committees and hearings before Monday’s unanimous vote to adopt the resolution to enter into this solar services contract.
“Five years ago, Monona passed a resolution committing itself to greatly expand its own use of renewable energy by 2025,” said Kurt Reinhold, a principal with Solar Connections. “Not only will this partnership help Monona achieve its sustainable energy goals, it will also help the City save on its energy bills.”
“With this action, Monona joins the growing circle of Wisconsin businesses, communities and individuals committed to serving themselves with renewable energy produced on-site,” said Michael Vickerman, program and policy director of RENEW Wisconsin, a statewide renewable energy advocacy organization.
“Through their actions, forward-thinking entities like Monona will reduce Wisconsin’s dependence on imported fossil fuels in a way that creates jobs and invigorates the local economy,” Vickerman said.
Read Gina Covelli’s article in the Herald Independent to learn more
by jboullion | Jul 23, 2013 | Uncategorized
Laura Ritger’s article for the Fond du Lac Reporter published last Friday provided an outline of the continued debate over the impact of wind turbines on human health. Demonstrating the misinformation frequently used to attack wind farms, Barbara Vanden Boogart of the Brown County Citizens for Responsible Wind Energy anti wind group incorrectly reported to Ms. Ritger that a health study had been conducted to assess the risk for cancer in Brown County residents near a local wind farm. Wisconsin’s renewable energy community was quick to identify and correct the misinformation used by Ms. Boogart’s group with wind energy expert Mike Barnard responding in Barnard on Wind and RENEW’s Michael Vickerman writing the following response to the Fond du Lac Reporter.
By Michael Vickerman
Dear Ms. Ritger:
You
recently wrote an article describing an effort on the part of certain
Fond du Lac County residents to advocate for a state-funded health study
analyzing impacts of utility-scale wind generators
on neighboring residents. Your article contained the following
sentence:
Barbara Vanden Boogart, representing Brown County Citizens for Responsible Wind Energy, spoke Wednesday
about health issues. She referred to a study
that measured increased cancer risk for people living in Brown County
homes near turbines and how some residents were compelled to leave their
homes.
The
highlighted statement is completely false.Yes, a team of acoustical
engineers took measurements of infrasound and low-frequency sound levels
at three houses near the
Shirley wind farm. The results were recorded and written up in a report
titled “A
Cooperative Measurement Survey and Analysis of Low Frequency and
Infrasound at the Shirley Wind Farm in Brown County, Wisconsin.”
While
these acoustical engineers are experts in their field,
their expertise does not extend into medical science. They took sound
readings, nothing more. Moreover, they were unable to persuade the owner
of the Shirley Wind Farm to shut down the turbines at any time during
the testing. Without a baseline sound reading,
it is impossible to determine to what extent, if any, the Shirley wind
turbines are responsible for any sounds recorded by this team. That
being the case, the statement is in error on two grounds:
1. This was an acoustical inquiry, not a medical inquiry.
2.
The measurements taken neither implicate or exonerate the Shirley wind
turbines for any readings taken, because they were always operating
during the testing.
It’s
quite a leap to interpret the data and conclude, as Ms. Vanden Boogart
did, that living near wind turbines increases the risk of contracting
cancer. No peer-reviewed
medical study I’m aware of connects wind generation to any illness or
disease recognized by the medical profession. Moreover, every reporter
who covers this issue ought to know that Wind Turbine Syndrome is not a
medically recognized phenomenon.
I
would ask that your newspaper issue a correction on this point. Ms.
Vanden Boogart completely misrepresented the report in question, and her
quote suggests that there
is a risk from wind generators when in fact none has been determined to
date by many researchers working around the world.
For
a balanced presentation of the Shirley report, please review the latest
post on Barnard on Wind, which sets the record straight on what the
Shirley infrasound report says and does not say.
by jboullion | Jul 18, 2013 | Uncategorized
In what could be the first third-party-owned solar electric system installed this decade in Wisconsin. Monona’s proposed four-array 156 kilowatt project could test the legality of third-party renewable energy installations in the state. Wisconsin’s murky policy regarding third party ownership combined with the economic growth experienced by states that expressly support it, emphasizes the need for clarification. Dan Haugen’s informative article with comments from RENEW’s Michael Vickerman provides a snapshot of the current debate in the context of the Monona project and what RENEW’s Clean Energy Choice proposal could do for projects like it.
By Dan Haugen
Can a Wisconsin city buy solar power from someone other than its electric utility? A Madison suburb may soon find out the answer.
The Monona City Council discussed Monday what could be a first-of-its-kind solar project in Wisconsin.
A private company would install solar arrays on four municipal buildings at no upfront cost to the city. The installer would then own and maintain the systems over the life of a contract and sell the renewable energy credits they earn to the city of Monona.
“The city has committed to being an energy-independent community and increasing our use of renewables,” Monona project manager Janine Glaeser said, “and this looks like a good way to do that without the upfront capital costs.”
One possible hitch: Wisconsin law is unclear about whether so called “third-party-owned” solar systems, in which neither the customer nor their utility owns the panels, are legal in the state.
[READ MORE]
by jboullion | Jul 16, 2013 | Uncategorized
Responding to decreasing solar energy systems costs, Stone House Development Inc. invests in a 117 solar panel setup above their new mixed use apartment building in Shorewood Hills. Phil Levin’s report for NBC 15 notes that projects like this could be just the beginning. Read the article below and watch the video report to learn more.
By Phil Levin
Local developers are reconsidering solar panel installations as prices drop and energy efficiencies rise.
The projects were previously prohibitively expensive as
pricey installations could take years to generate enough energy to
offset their cost. Commercial arrays can now pay for themselves in as
few as five years.
“If you are going to be owning the building for ten years
or more, you’re going to recoup those costs and the savings will keep
going another 15 plus years after that,” said Full Spectrum Solar
Founder Burke O’Neal.
His group installs the arrays on residential and commercial
buildings. They recently set up 117 panels above a new mixed-use
apartment building in Shorewood Hills called Arbor Crossing.
The panels will produce energy when the sun is out to power common area
utilities like lighting in hallways and the garage. In the middle of the
day the solar array might generate more energy than those circuits
need, causing the Madison Gas and Electric meter to spin backwards.
[READ MORE]
by jboullion | Jul 15, 2013 | Uncategorized
Utility Responses submitted to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission report that the electrical providers received far fewer requests to connect renewable energy systems to the energy grid in 2012 than in previous years. Read the press release below to learn what this means for utilities, energy consumers, and ultimately the future of renewable energy in Wisconsin.
Immediate Release —
In filings submitted to
the Public Service Commission (PSC), most of Wisconsin’s electric providers
reported that they handled far fewer customer requests in 2012 to interconnect
renewable energy systems to the grid than in previous years. Last year’s
decrease followed several years of steady growth in customer-sited renewable
energy installations.
The solar and small
wind energy sectors were hit hardest by this slowdown, while biogas installation
activity remained steady through 2012. Solar electricity systems account for
more than 90% of customer interconnection requests. “These reports confirm
our fears that ongoing utility resistance to customer use of clean energy is
sucking a lot of oxygen out of Wisconsin’s renewable energy marketplace,” said
Michael Vickerman, program and policy director for RENEW Wisconsin, a statewide
renewable energy advocacy organization. According to data
submitted by Milwaukee-based We Energies, the utility processed only 56
interconnection requests in 2012, compared with 120 requests in 2009, 146 in 2010, and 172 in 2011.
Green Bay-based Wisconsin Public Service and
Madison Gas & Electric also reported declines in customer-sited renewable
systems since 2011. According to Madison-based Wisconsin Power & Light,
interconnections involving renewable energy peaked in 2009 and 2010, and have
fallen off since.
“The slowdown in
Wisconsin stands in stark contrast to solar’s rapid expansion in other states.
This contraction is occurring in spite of declining installation costs and
higher electric rates,” Vickerman said.
Vickerman
attributed the fall-off in installation activity to a number of policy changes,
including
- Service
changes adopted by several utilities to make net metering a less economically
attractive option for customer-generators;
- Across-the-board
elimination of special buyback rates for solar-generated electricity; and
- Recently
adopted restrictions to the amount and availability of Focus on Energy
incentives for solar and small wind.
“Solar is a proven
generator of jobs as well as electricity. Lately, it seems that utilities are
doing their level best to keep solar out of their resource mix,” Vickerman
said.
“Other states such as
Minnesota and Georgia are warming to solar, because they see how this clean
resource drives business start-ups and investment opportunities. What will it
take for Wisconsin to see the light?” Vickerman asked. The
utility filings were submitted as part of a PSC investigation to determine
whether the state’s interconnection rules should be modified to facilitate more
customer-sited renewable energy systems. The docket number is 05-GF-233.
-END-
RENEW Wisconsin
is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that leads and represents
businesses, organizations, and individuals who seek more clean renewable energy
in Wisconsin. More information on
RENEW’s Web site at www.renewwisconsin.org.
