by jboullion | Oct 13, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Shelly Birkelo in the Jansville Gazette:
JANESVILLE — Have you broken down and turned on your furnace yet?
It’s natural to wait as long as possible in an effort to keep your winter heating costs down.
There are, however, other ways to spend less money and save energy starting with an annual furnace inspection.
“It will probably cost between $50 and $100, but it is important to make sure your furnace is running correctly and efficiently,” said Steven Schultz, Alliant Energy communications program manager.
A checkup also will clean out dust or dirt, he said.
“Dust and dirt can clog vital parts, making your furnace run harder and eventually break down,” Schultz said.
It’s also the best prevention against deadly carbon monoxide poisoning, according to Alliant’s monthly Natural Gas update newsletter.
To find an energy-smart heating contractor in your area, visit alliantenergy.com/ dealerlocator.
A home energy evaluation also can help consumers understand where their energy is going, Schultz said.
“It can show you where heat is escaping during the winter, for example, and will provide you with a blueprint for weatherizing your home,” he said.
For details about how you can do a home energy audit, visit www.alliantenergy.com/utilityservices/foryourhome/easyenergysavers/014671, Schultz said.
Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s statewide energy-efficiency and renewable energy initiative, also is a good source for energy and money-savings tips, Schultz said.
It is funded by all of the state’s utilities and can be accessed by visiting www.focusonenergy.com or calling 1-800-762-7077, he said.
by jboullion | Oct 13, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Shelly Birkelo in the Jansville Gazette:
JANESVILLE — Have you broken down and turned on your furnace yet?
It’s natural to wait as long as possible in an effort to keep your winter heating costs down.
There are, however, other ways to spend less money and save energy starting with an annual furnace inspection.
“It will probably cost between $50 and $100, but it is important to make sure your furnace is running correctly and efficiently,” said Steven Schultz, Alliant Energy communications program manager.
A checkup also will clean out dust or dirt, he said.
“Dust and dirt can clog vital parts, making your furnace run harder and eventually break down,” Schultz said.
It’s also the best prevention against deadly carbon monoxide poisoning, according to Alliant’s monthly Natural Gas update newsletter.
To find an energy-smart heating contractor in your area, visit alliantenergy.com/ dealerlocator.
A home energy evaluation also can help consumers understand where their energy is going, Schultz said.
“It can show you where heat is escaping during the winter, for example, and will provide you with a blueprint for weatherizing your home,” he said.
For details about how you can do a home energy audit, visit www.alliantenergy.com/utilityservices/foryourhome/easyenergysavers/014671, Schultz said.
Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s statewide energy-efficiency and renewable energy initiative, also is a good source for energy and money-savings tips, Schultz said.
It is funded by all of the state’s utilities and can be accessed by visiting www.focusonenergy.com or calling 1-800-762-7077, he said.
by jboullion | Oct 13, 2009 | Uncategorized
Students from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee assemble their solar-powered house in preparation for the start of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2009 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, Oct. 06, 2009.
From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee architecture and engineering students have erected one of 20 buildings in a solar village that has risen on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Over the past two years, the students designed a small, energy-efficient solar home on campus, as part of the Solar Decathlon competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.
After being built on campus, the home was taken down in pieces and shipped to Washington, where it was put back together over the past week.
UWM is one of 20 teams selected to compete in the Solar Decathlon and is the first entrant in the competition from Wisconsin.
“We’re excited about it,” said Greg Thomson, assistant professor of architecture. “We’re happy to be there. There’s a big chunk of the Big Ten, and also teams that are made up of multiple universities.”
The competition is international – with teams funded in part by the governments of Germany and Spain.
The UWM home – named Meltwater – features 28 solar panels producing electricity and two solar panels powering a hot water system. The name was chosen because its design was inspired by the power of the sun to melt the glaciers and create the Great Lakes.
The students and faculty involved in the project designed a home that would be comfortable in Wisconsin’s climate.
The walls are extra thick and injected with more than twice the insulation of a typical Wisconsin home, Thomson said.
Photo by Stefano Paltera/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon
by jboullion | Oct 12, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an announcement made by the U.S. Department of Energy:
The Solar Installer Instructor Training network promotes high-quality training in the installation of solar technologies. Nine regional resource and training providers support the professional development of trainers and instructors of solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar heating and cooling (SHC) technologies across the country. . . .
The nine winners were announced on October 8, 2009. The award amounts listed reflect the maximum possible amounts in total funding for each awardee, not only Recovery Act funds:
Midwest Renewable Energy Association, Inc. ($3,307,709)
The Midwest Renewable Energy Association will provide instructor development opportunities and organize a network of instructors, installers, engineers, administrators, and other industry stakeholders to create and share instructional resources. The program will use team learning methods and collaborative technologies to create instructional resources.
Other grants were made to:
+ The Pennsylvania State University ($3,500,000)
+ North Carolina State University ($3,008,826)
+ Kennebec Valley Community College ($2,886,782)
+ Hudson Valley Community College ($3,497,595)
+ Salt Lake Community College ($3,110,140)
+ Houston Community College ($3,566,058)
+ University of Central Florida ($2,800,000)
+ California Community Colleges Board of Governors ($3,499,828)
by jboullion | Oct 12, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Amy Hetzner in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
A new provision allowing school districts to bypass voters and raise property taxes for energy-efficiency improvements is gaining notice among school leaders with aging buildings and limited funds.
The exemption from state-imposed revenue caps was included in the 2009-’11 budget passed by the state Legislature and signed by Gov. Jim Doyle in June.
But it took until last month for the state Department of Public Instruction to issue discretion on how much they could spend and what they could spend it on, as long as they show the projects saved money on energy.
Now school boards have until Nov. 1 to decide whether they want to exercise their newfound flexibility for the school year already under way.
Three boards already have passed resolutions announcing their intentions to exceed revenue limits in paying for energy-efficiency projects. The most expensive of the proposals, from the Whitehall School District, involves $450,000 in spending over the next three years.
by jboullion | Oct 12, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by We Energies:
PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis., Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ — We Energies, Alstom and The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) announced today that a pilot project testing an advanced chilled ammonia process has demonstrated more than 90 percent capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the flue stream of at a coal-fueled power plant in Wisconsin.
At a press conference at We Energies’ Pleasant Prairie Power Plant, which hosted the project, We Energies Chairman, President and CEO Gale Klappa, Alstom U.S. President Pierre Gauthier, and EPRI Senior Vice President Hank Courtright discussed the demonstration of Alstom’s patented chilled ammonia process for carbon capture. Testing at the pilot facility, using a 1.7-megawatt (electric) slipstream from the plant, began in early 2008 and will conclude later this year.
The project confirmed the predicted performance of the chilled ammonia carbon capture system at an operating power plant. It achieved key research metrics around hours of operation, ammonia release, CO2 removal levels, and CO2 purity. In doing so, the project demonstrated the fundamental viability of the carbon capture technology in real-world conditions such as changes in temperature and humidity, the inevitable starts and stops of a large power plant, and the environmental hurdles that go along with using any chemical process.
“One of the biggest challenges facing our industry is the development of cost effective technology that will allow us to capture carbon from the operation of power plants around the world,” said Klappa. “Today, with the success we’re reporting from the research here at Pleasant Prairie, the solution is one step closer to reality.”
