by Ed Blume | Sep 21, 2012 | Uncategorized
From an article
in the New York Times by Diane Cardwell:
Last month, Gamesa, a major maker of wind turbines, completed the
first significant order of its latest innovation: a camper-size box
that can capture the energy of slow winds, potentially opening new
parts of the country to wind power.
But by the time the last of the devices, worth more than $1.25
million, was hitched to a rail car, Gamesa had furloughed 92 of the
115 workers who made them.
“We are all really sad,” said Miguel Orobiyi, 34, who worked as a
mechanical assembler at the Gamesa plant for nearly five years. “I
hope they call us back because they are really, really good jobs.”
Similar cuts are happening throughout the American wind sector,
which includes hundreds of manufacturers, from multinationals that
make giant windmills to smaller local manufacturers that supply
specialty steel or bolts. In recent months, companies have announced
almost 1,700 layoffs.
At its peak in 2008 and 2009, the industry employed about 85,000 people, according to the American Wind Energy Association, the industry’s principal trade group.
About 10,000 of those jobs have disappeared since, according to the association, as wind companies have been buffeted by weak demand for electricity, stiff competition from cheap natural gas and cheaper options from Asian competitors. Chinese manufacturers, who can often underprice goods because of generous state subsidies, have moved into the American market and have become an issue in the larger trade tensions between the countries. In July, the United States Commerce Department imposed tariffs on steel turbine towers from China after finding that manufacturers had been selling them for less than the cost of production.
And now, on top of the business challenges, the industry is facing a big political problem in Washington: the Dec. 31 expiration of a federal tax credit that makes wind power more competitive with other sources of electricity.
The tax break, which costs about $1 billion a year, has been periodically renewed by Congress with support from both parties. This year, however, it has become a wedge issue in the presidential contest. President Obama has traveled to wind-heavy swing states like Iowa to tout his support for the subsidy. Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee, has said he opposes the wind credit, and that has galvanized Republicans in Congress against it, perhaps dooming any extension or at least delaying it until after the election despite a last-ditch lobbying effort from proponents this week.
Read
more
by Ed Blume | Sep 19, 2012 | Uncategorized
Learn more about two proposed wind farms in northeast Wisconsin. Ask questions of the development teams. Refreshments!
Beautiful Hill Wind Farm Open House
Tuesday, September 25
4:30-7:30 PM
Fox Hills Resort
250 Church Street
Mishicot, WI 54228
Windy Acres Wind Farm
Thursday, September 27
4:30-7:30 PM
Silver Creek Fire Department
W6566 Wisconsin 144
Random Lake, WI 53075
by jboullion | Sep 17, 2012 | Uncategorized
From a Dairyland Power Cooperative news release:
LA CROSSE, WI— Dairyland Power Cooperative is purchasing the excess energy output from a new 368 kW solar photovoltaic installation at the City of Galena (Ill.) Wastewater Treatment Plant. The facility is interconnected with Jo-Carroll Energy (Elizabeth, Ill.), a Dairyland member cooperative.
The solar units’ production at the wastewater treatment plant is expected to produce sufficient power to satisfy the facility’s energy needs. Dairyland has a power purchase agreement in place with the City of Galena for all energy produced beyond that required to power the wastewater treatment plant.
Eagle Point Solar, based in Dubuque, Iowa, installed the photovoltaic system. The project installation was partially funded by an Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation grant. “Jo-Carroll Energy is pleased to be collaborating on a local renewable energy project that serves a critical facility in our area, and provides benefits to the environment,” said Michael Hastings, Jo-Carroll Energy CEO.
With headquarters in La Crosse, Wis., Dairyland provides wholesale electricity to Jo-Carroll Energy and 24 other member distribution cooperatives and 15 municipal utilities in four states (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois). Dairyland’s generation resources include coal, natural gas, hydro, wind, landfill gas, biomass, solar and animal waste. For more information about Dairyland, visit www.dairynet.com.
by Ed Blume | Sep 14, 2012 | Uncategorized
In a presentation by Don Wichert, RENEW executive director, reported on the following RENEW programs at an informational meeting and social gathering in Stevens Point, September 13, 2012:
- Evaluation of utility performance on renewable energy;
- Clean Energy Choice, which would allow third parties to sell heat and power to customers on premise;
- Net metering;
- Focus on Energy;
- Interconnection streamlining;
- Restoration of We Energies’ renewable development fund;
- Wind initiatives.
by jboullion | Sep 14, 2012 | Uncategorized
From a blog post by Tom Content on JSOnline:
We Energies and other Wisconsin utilities are getting average grades from a renewable energy advocacy group in ratings released this week.
Renew Wisconsin announced a renewable energy performance report card that judges how utilities have performed on a variety of levels, including the compliance with the state’s renewable energy mandate as well as a variety of other policies.
Most of the utilities in the state, including Milwaukee-based We Energies, received “C” grades from Renew Wisconsin, said Don Wichert, executive director of the non-profit organization that seeks to expand development of solar, wind and other types of renewable energy.
We Energies was praised for its construction of wind farms within the state, creating jobs and providing a local source of green power. But the Milwaukee utility was faulted in part for its decision last year to cancel funding for a renewable energy commitment it gave to Renew 10 years ago.
At that time, We Energies committed to spending $6 million a year for 10 years on a variety of renewable energy programs. In return, the renewable energy advocacy group agreed not to oppose We Energies’ bid to build its coal-fired power plants in Oak Creek.
The shift away from helping customers finance renewable systems is one reason We Energies was graded as a “C” on the group’s report card, said Wichert.
Read More…
by jboullion | Sep 14, 2012 | Uncategorized
From a blog post by Tom Content on JSOnline:
We Energies and other Wisconsin utilities are getting average grades from a renewable energy advocacy group in ratings released this week.
Renew Wisconsin announced a renewable energy performance report card that judges how utilities have performed on a variety of levels, including the compliance with the state’s renewable energy mandate as well as a variety of other policies.
Most of the utilities in the state, including Milwaukee-based We Energies, received “C” grades from Renew Wisconsin, said Don Wichert, executive director of the non-profit organization that seeks to expand development of solar, wind and other types of renewable energy.
We Energies was praised for its construction of wind farms within the state, creating jobs and providing a local source of green power. But the Milwaukee utility was faulted in part for its decision last year to cancel funding for a renewable energy commitment it gave to Renew 10 years ago.
At that time, We Energies committed to spending $6 million a year for 10 years on a variety of renewable energy programs. In return, the renewable energy advocacy group agreed not to oppose We Energies’ bid to build its coal-fired power plants in Oak Creek.
The shift away from helping customers finance renewable systems is one reason We Energies was graded as a “C” on the group’s report card, said Wichert.
Read More…
by jboullion | Sep 14, 2012 | Uncategorized
From a blog post by Tom Content on JSOnline:
We Energies and other Wisconsin utilities are getting average grades from a renewable energy advocacy group in ratings released this week.
Renew Wisconsin announced a renewable energy performance report card that judges how utilities have performed on a variety of levels, including the compliance with the state’s renewable energy mandate as well as a variety of other policies.
Most of the utilities in the state, including Milwaukee-based We Energies, received “C” grades from Renew Wisconsin, said Don Wichert, executive director of the non-profit organization that seeks to expand development of solar, wind and other types of renewable energy.
We Energies was praised for its construction of wind farms within the state, creating jobs and providing a local source of green power. But the Milwaukee utility was faulted in part for its decision last year to cancel funding for a renewable energy commitment it gave to Renew 10 years ago.
At that time, We Energies committed to spending $6 million a year for 10 years on a variety of renewable energy programs. In return, the renewable energy advocacy group agreed not to oppose We Energies’ bid to build its coal-fired power plants in Oak Creek.
The shift away from helping customers finance renewable systems is one reason We Energies was graded as a “C” on the group’s report card, said Wichert.
Read More…
by jboullion | Sep 14, 2012 | Uncategorized
From a blog post by Tom Content on JSOnline:
We Energies and other Wisconsin utilities are getting average grades from a renewable energy advocacy group in ratings released this week.
Renew Wisconsin announced a renewable energy performance report card that judges how utilities have performed on a variety of levels, including the compliance with the state’s renewable energy mandate as well as a variety of other policies.
Most of the utilities in the state, including Milwaukee-based We Energies, received “C” grades from Renew Wisconsin, said Don Wichert, executive director of the non-profit organization that seeks to expand development of solar, wind and other types of renewable energy.
We Energies was praised for its construction of wind farms within the state, creating jobs and providing a local source of green power. But the Milwaukee utility was faulted in part for its decision last year to cancel funding for a renewable energy commitment it gave to Renew 10 years ago.
At that time, We Energies committed to spending $6 million a year for 10 years on a variety of renewable energy programs. In return, the renewable energy advocacy group agreed not to oppose We Energies’ bid to build its coal-fired power plants in Oak Creek.
The shift away from helping customers finance renewable systems is one reason We Energies was graded as a “C” on the group’s report card, said Wichert.
Read More…
by Ed Blume | Sep 13, 2012 | Uncategorized
From a blog post by Tom Content on JSOnline:
We Energies and other Wisconsin utilities are getting average grades from a renewable energy advocacy group in ratings released this week.
Renew Wisconsin announced a renewable energy performance report card that judges how utilities have performed on a variety of levels, including the compliance with the state’s renewable energy mandate as well as a variety of other policies.
Most of the utilities in the state, including Milwaukee-based We Energies, received “C” grades from Renew Wisconsin, said Don Wichert, executive director of the non-profit organization that seeks to expand development of solar, wind and other types of renewable energy.
We Energies was praised for its construction of wind farms within the state, creating jobs and providing a local source of green power. But the Milwaukee utility was faulted in part for its decision last year to cancel funding for a renewable energy commitment it gave to Renew 10 years ago.
At that time, We Energies committed to spending $6 million a year for 10 years on a variety of renewable energy programs. In return, the renewable energy advocacy group agreed not to oppose We Energies’ bid to build its coal-fired power plants in Oak Creek.
The shift away from helping customers finance renewable systems is one reason We Energies was graded as a “C” on the group’s report card, said Wichert.
“That’s nothing to shout about,” he said. “We don’t want to be average. There is no reason that Wisconsin utilities should be performing at average levels in clean energy.”
But the Milwaukee utility said it’s spent heavily on development of renewable energy, tallying up nearly $1 billion in investments in its two wind farms as well as the biomass power plant under construction in north-central Wisconsin. As a result, the utility is in position to be in compliance with the state’s renewable mandate through 2018.
by Ed Blume | Sep 13, 2012 | Uncategorized
From an article in the Journal Sentinel by Thomas Content:
A
coalition of Wisconsin firms involved in the solar power and solar hot
water industry are joining together to market the state at the solar
sector’s major annual conference.
“We want to raise
awareness of what Wisconsin has to offer the solar industry,” said Amy
Heart of Milwaukee Shines, the city’s solar program. “In Milwaukee, we
are known for making things, and making things well. We are taking that
tradition and reputation to the solar supply chain.”
Milwaukee
Shines previously launched a business council focused on the solar hot
water industry, including Johnson Controls Inc. and Caleffi Solar, based
in the Menomonee Valley .
The new partnership, the
Wisconsin Solar Initiative, is broader, focusing on the solar sector as a
whole, and includes Helios Solar Works and Ingeteam, both located in
the Menomonee Valley, as well as Eaton Corp., which makes solar
inverters at its plant in Menomonee Falls.
The
initiative, and the appearance at this week’s Solar Power International
conference in Orlando, Fla., aims to spotlight the state’s solar efforts
much as Wisconsin Wind Works has done for wind energy components
suppliers.
Read more…
