From an article by Josh Lintereur in the Sheboygan Press:
A more than 400-acre property in the Town of Sherman could become home to Sheboygan County’s first commercial wind farm.
A Hubertus-based developer, EEW Services, LLC, told leaders of the southern Sheboygan County township this week that it intends to submit a formal application to begin construction there next year on the Windy Acres Wind Farm.
Under the proposal, four wind turbines would be built on a stretch of land located east of state Highway 57, west of county Highway CC and north of county Highway A.
William Rakocy, managing member of EEW Services, said the site is well-suited for a wind farm due to its wind capacity and proximity to transmission infrastructure.
“The first thing we look for is adequate wind resources, and the second thing we look for is adequate transmission and then thirdly, willing participants,” he said.
The wind farm would produce between nine and 12 megawatts of electricity, or enough power for about 4,000 average residential homes. The turbine blades would reach as high as 500 feet and connect to a substation in the Town of Holland.
Highland Wind Farm is a $250 million proposed wind project for the Town of Forest in St. Croix County, Wisconsin. It will generate 102.5 megawatts of electricity from 41 turbines.
From a story by Jeff Holmquist in the Pierce County Herald:
Developers of the proposed Highland Wind Farm in the Town of Forest, Wis. will not be required to complete an environmental impact statement.
The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin issued a decision on the possible EIS requirement on July 25.
While the five-page document outlines several potential impacts that the wind farm project could have on landowners and the surrounding landscape, its conclusion is that there is “no significant impact” expected from the proposal.
Forcing an EIS typically slows down the approval process for such projects. With last week’s decision, final approval of the 41-turbine wind farm might come in the next few months.
Jay Mundinger, founding principal of the Highland Wind Farm project, said he was very pleased with the news.
Highland developers have worked with expert consultants to design and install the project in such a way that it would have little or no impact on the community, Mundinger said. He said the PSC apparently recognized that is the case as well.
“We’ve worked hard to protect the environment,” he said.
The PSC’s preliminary environmental assessment acknowledged that the large turbines would “affect the visual character” of the township. There may also be some increase in “ambient noise” near the turbines and “shadow flicker” (the blinking created on homes as the sun is blocked by the twirling blades) when the project is installed, the report concedes. There would also likely be some bird and bat losses as a result of the turning turbines, the report states.
But taking everything into consideration, the report’s author, Environmental Planning Analyst Kathy Zuelsdorff, concluded that the impacts are “typical of modern wind projects” and “would not result in significant environmental effects on the human environment.”
From a story by Jeff Holmquist in the Pierce County Herald:
Developers of the proposed Highland Wind Farm in the Town of Forest, Wis. will not be required to complete an environmental impact statement.
The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin issued a decision on the possible EIS requirement on July 25.
While the five-page document outlines several potential impacts that the wind farm project could have on landowners and the surrounding landscape, its conclusion is that there is “no significant impact” expected from the proposal.
Forcing an EIS typically slows down the approval process for such projects. With last week’s decision, final approval of the 41-turbine wind farm might come in the next few months.
Jay Mundinger, founding principal of the Highland Wind Farm project, said he was very pleased with the news.
Highland developers have worked with expert consultants to design and install the project in such a way that it would have little or no impact on the community, Mundinger said. He said the PSC apparently recognized that is the case as well.
“We’ve worked hard to protect the environment,” he said.
The PSC’s preliminary environmental assessment acknowledged that the large turbines would “affect the visual character” of the township. There may also be some increase in “ambient noise” near the turbines and “shadow flicker” (the blinking created on homes as the sun is blocked by the twirling blades) when the project is installed, the report concedes. There would also likely be some bird and bat losses as a result of the turning turbines, the report states.
But taking everything into consideration, the report’s author, Environmental Planning Analyst Kathy Zuelsdorff, concluded that the impacts are “typical of modern wind projects” and “would not result in significant environmental effects on the human environment.”
GRANT COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) – Wisconsin’s largest electric utility will spend $27 million to buy an existing wind farm in the southwest part of the state.
Wisconsin Energy, the parent of We Energies, has agreed to buy the Montfort Energy Center near Montfort in Grant County. NextEra Energy Resources of Florida currently owns the facility.
It opened 11 years ago, and it now has 20 turbines that provide enough power for about 9,000 homes. We Energies’ CEO Gale Klappa says the wind farm will deliver positive benefits for both customers and shareholders. It will also help the utility meet its state-mandated requirement to produce 8.25 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2015.
GRANT COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) – Wisconsin’s largest electric utility will spend $27 million to buy an existing wind farm in the southwest part of the state.
Wisconsin Energy, the parent of We Energies, has agreed to buy the Montfort Energy Center near Montfort in Grant County. NextEra Energy Resources of Florida currently owns the facility.
It opened 11 years ago, and it now has 20 turbines that provide enough power for about 9,000 homes. We Energies’ CEO Gale Klappa says the wind farm will deliver positive benefits for both customers and shareholders. It will also help the utility meet its state-mandated requirement to produce 8.25 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2015.
GRANT COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) – Wisconsin’s largest electric utility will spend $27 million to buy an existing wind farm in the southwest part of the state.
Wisconsin Energy, the parent of We Energies, has agreed to buy the Montfort Energy Center near Montfort in Grant County. NextEra Energy Resources of Florida currently owns the facility.
It opened 11 years ago, and it now has 20 turbines that provide enough power for about 9,000 homes. We Energies’ CEO Gale Klappa says the wind farm will deliver positive benefits for both customers and shareholders. It will also help the utility meet its state-mandated requirement to produce 8.25 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2015.
In addition to RENEW’s news releaseJessica Larsen of the La Crosse Tribune covered the dedication of the Cashton Greens Wind Farm:
CASHTON, WIS. — Wisconsin’s first community wind project is now up and running in Cashton.
A joint project of Organic Valley and Gundersen Lutheran’s Envision program, the Cashton Greens Wind Farm features two wind turbines expected to generate nearly 5 megawatts of energy for Cashton’s power grid — enough to power 1,000 homes each year.
The energy produced with the $10.5 million project will more than offset electricity used at Organic Valley’s Cashton Distribution Center and its La Farge headquarters facilities, and it represents about five percent of Gundersen’s energy independence goal.
As developers and owners of the wind farm, Organic Valley and Gundersen will receive income per kilowatt hour generated. Organic Valley will buy back its portion of energy to offset its footprint through a renewable energy contract with the villages of Cashton and La Farge.
The renewable energy project ties to the hospital’s goal of improving health in local communities while lowering the cost of health care, said Jeff Rich, executive director of the hospital’s Envision program.
“I plan to be a more effective, less costly health system because of projects like this,” said Dr. Jeffrey Thompson, Gundersen Lutheran CEO.
The two organizations held a grand opening Wednesday for the project, which is next to Organic Valley’s distribution center off Hwy. 27 in Cashton.
From a news release issued by Kohl’s Department Stores:
MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — Kohl’s Department Stores (NYSE:KSS) today announced that the company will expand its solar program by nearly 25 percent in 2012, installing solar panels at approximately 30 additional Kohl’s locations. While some of the new solar sites will be in states such as California, Connecticut and Maryland where Kohl’s already has a solar presence, additional sites will be located in new solar states for Kohl’s, including Massachusetts, New York and Ohio.
On average, the solar panels will supply 20 to 50 percent of each store’s energy. Construction of the solar panel arrays on the first phase of stores began this spring. Once the installations are complete by the end of 2012, Kohl’s expects to have more than 150 solar locations across 13 states.
Helios Solar Works has received a loan of $652,079 to support its $11 million investment to purchase equipment and add a third shift of workers at its Menomonee Valley solar panel factory.
The loan was announced by the Northwest Side Community Development Corp., based on funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Helios opened its factory at 1207 W. Canal St. last year. The funds will be used to help meet demand from new orders from Helios customers in the United States, Asia and Europe, according to the community development corporation. The corporation said the loan will support the addition of up to 40 jobs.
“It is very satisfying to know that the NWSCDC is helping Helios ship solar panels to customers worldwide stamped ‘Made in Milwaukee,’ ” said Sam McGovern-Rowen, NWSCDC planning director, in a statement. Helios makes efficient panels using a highly automated production process.
Helios chief executive Steve Ostrenga says employment currently stands at about 35, running two shifts, and the company is planning its capital investment in part to accommodate a third shift and development of a new panel aimed at the residential market.
“We’ve been doing primarily commercial and this gets into the residential space with a differentiated product that lowers the total cost of installation,” he said in an interview.
