by jboullion | Apr 8, 2009 | Uncategorized
Prairie Solar Power & Light, headed by Rich Bannen (in the cowboy hat, third from right), installed the solar system for Reedsburg Utility.
From a news release issued by Reedsburg Utility:
Electric customers in Reedsburg are benefitting from a new application of solar power in the city. The community-owned utility recently installed an array of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels at the Reedsburg Area High School.
Reedsburg Utility installed a dual axis tracker with a peak output of 3.584, providing approximately 6,000 kilowatt-hours of emissions-free electricity each year.
“It is our objective to be a model for the use of renewable energy,” said Jim Schieble, Energy Services Representative. “By supporting community-wide renewable projects, Reedsburg Utility is illustrating the practical use of renewable energy and enticing customers to do the same.”
Solar PV systems collect energy from sunlight and convert it into electricity, providing renewable, emissions-free energy. These highly visible projects demonstrate the technology, while educating the community on their benefits, operation and performance. The solar unit will provide education and student involvement for many years to come at RAHS, said Dave Mikonowicz, General Manager of Reedsburg Utility.
Reedsburg Utility pursued various grant opportunities, including funding from its power supplier WPPI Energy, to help fund the purchase and installation of the solar PV systems. The project is contracted through Prairie Solar Power & Light of Priarie Du Chien and became operational on March 30, 2009.
by jboullion | Apr 8, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Megan VerHelst in the Jackson County Chronicle:
The city of Black River Falls is testing a new kind of street light bulb that could ultimately save taxpayers money and provide a more efficient way keep the streets lit.
Four LED, or light-emitting diode, street lights were recently installed on N. Eighth Street for a trial run. City Utility Manager Jerry Ewert said the city decided to try out the alternative lights after WPPI Energy made the technology available to Wisconsin cities at a discounted price.
“We’re experimenting with them,” Ewert said. “Other communities are experimenting with them as well.”
The utility, in conjunction with the city of Black River Falls, decided to try out the LED lights because they are supposed to decrease both energy and maintenance costs, compared to the high-pressure sodium bulbs the city uses now.
The city currently sets a $70,000 budget for street lighting, said City Clerk Bill Arndt. Homeowners in Black River Falls pay, on average, $35 per year for street light costs.
“The street light budget was getting so high, so we are looking at something we can do,” Arndt said.
The city purchased the four LED lights — two with a strength of 30 LED and two with 40 — and installed them in the 500th block of North Eighth Street. Each light cost $600 and gives out a whiter, clearer light than the high-pressure sodium bulbs throughout the rest of the city.
Ewert said the main disadvantage to the LED lights are the initial cost. The four installed now were offered to the city at a discounted price, and Ewert said a standard LED replacement unit could cost up to $800 — 10 to 15 times the cost of a high-pressure sodium bulb.
But if the city were to replace all 439 street lights with the LED technology, it would be worth it in the long run, Ewert said.
“The expected life of one (LED light) is 30 to 40 years,” Ewert said. “The high-pressure sodium bulbs are significantly lower than that. Three to four years is about average.”
by jboullion | Apr 7, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a post by Jeramey Jannene on Urban Milwaukee:
We’ve unveiled a Google Maps implmentation of Mayor’s Tom Barrett’s proposed streetcar system for downtown Milwaukee. Take a look yourself, we think it’s a little more exciting than a PDF.
The route is likely to change as the planning process continues, and we’ll track those changes on our map.
by jboullion | Apr 7, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a story on WSAW-TV:
A new state report says Wisconsin utilities should meet the state’s basic energy needs over the next five years without building more new plants.
The Public Service Commission issued its latest biennial Strategic Energy Assessment Monday. The report found the state should not need any new baseload generation — energy needed for a reliable supply barring electricity-sapping events such as heat waves — through 2014 if all currently authorized projects are constructed.
The report directs PSC staff to evaluate how utilities can cheaply prepare for greenhouse gas limits, saying state, regional and federal constraints look inevitable.
From a news release issued by the Public Service Commission on the final Strategic Energy Assessment – Energy 2014:
Biennially the PSC prepares a strategic energy assessment to evaluate the state’s current and future energy demands. The final report, based on data and information collected in 2007 and 2008 from Wisconsin utilities and power cooperatives highlights several conclusions:
· Mandatory constraints on greenhouse gas emissions at the state, regional and federal level appear to be inevitable, and will carry significant implications for Wisconsin’s electric utilities, as electric power generation is responsible for more than 30 percent of Wisconsin’s greenhouse gas emissions;
· Significant approved new generation coming online is expected to keep planning reserve margins near or above 19 percent through 2012 and based on already approved construction, the planning reserve margin for 2014 is expected to be nearly 12 percent. This number is expected to increase as more energy efficiency is implemented and new generation is proposed;
· Generation planning shows no new baseload generation is needed during this SEA period on a statewide basis;
· It is expected that the current and ongoing transmission system expansion and improvements will greatly enhance the ability to move electricity into and within Wisconsin by 2010; and
· Energy efficiency, conservation, and load control will play an important role in reducing Wisconsin’s energy costs and environmental impacts.
by jboullion | Apr 7, 2009 | Uncategorized
The 2nd Sawyer County Earth Day Event of 2008 was listed as one of the top news stories in the Sawyer County Record’s Year in Review.
We didn’t need to read that the Celebration of Earth Day-local solutions to global problems- drew more than two hundred local people to the Sawyer County Fairgrounds We were there again bringing together organizations, businesses, schools, & people from our area exhibiting and speaking about renewable energy, composting, fuel efficiency, gardening, natural & locally produced foods, water quality, and many other displays
Sustainability is defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
The first & second Earth Day Events facilitated by the Sawyer County Democratic Party and Good Friends highlighted and informed the visitors as to what is available in our area to assist them in not only becoming more sustainable in their individual lives, but how our communities can work together to be sustainable.
Because we know you are a community leader and pioneer in the sustainability movement and have been working hard in assisting our county’s residents in understanding and incorporating green and healthy practices in their lives, we would like to invite you to participate in the 3rd Earth Day Event- Local Solutions to Global Issues, April 25, 10-4 pm at the Sawyer County Fairgrounds near Hayward.
There is no charge to you for table or space for displays. You will be responsible for whatever taxes or fees for any products that might be sold by you. You are encouraged to fill out the attached document and return it at your earliest convenience. This will help us to assist you with your needs and assure a space for you. Set up time will begin at 9am on the 25th.
This year instead of a separate area for speakers and presentations, we will provide a “roving mic” which will be available throughout the day in the exhibition hall for you to do a short presentation about your display to visitors and other participants if you wish.
Protecting the earth and living lives individually and as communities that ensure that our grandchildren & their grand children will enjoy the good sustainable life has never been a politically partisan goal. It is all of our goal. We all are responsible for leaving the earth in better shape than we inherited. We all need to work together, no matter our beliefs or political leanings.
Thank you for what you are already doing and providing to the people of Sawyer County and our region. And thank you for your consideration in being a participant in the 3rd Sawyer County Earth Day Event this year.
For more information, questions, comments, you can call Waldo at 715-354-7450 or email sawyerdemocrats@yahoo.com. You can also contact damzel02@gmail.com
by jboullion | Apr 7, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a commentary by Mark Hirsch on Smelsertownship.com:
With an eroding tax base and an expected reduction in the state’s shared revenue (county and municipal aid payments) local municipalities and townships will need to adjust their spending or find other sources of revenue to support their operating budgets in 2010 and 2011.
In this dire economic downturn, the good luck fairy has offered to sprinkle the dust of fortune on Grant County in the form of a commercial project that fits very well in an agricultural economy. On top of the nice fit, we have the opportunity to augment our budget shortfall with some newfound and state-mandated revenue.
That newfound revenue would come in the form of the $80,000 a year Smelser Township would receive in lieu of taxes through state requirements enacted in 2003 Act 31. This act guarantees income in lieu of taxes to the host municipalities. In simplest terms, the additional $80,000 would be equal to 23% of the township’s 2008 operating revenue of $350,000.
For Smelser Township though, it seems some local citizens would rather pay higher taxes than embrace the financial windfall the township would receive from the proposed White Oak Wind Project.
