by jboullion | Nov 11, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a story by Anita Weier in The Capital Times:
The state Public Service Commission on Tuesday unanimously rejected a proposed 300-megawatt mostly coal-fired power plant proposed by Wisconsin Power & Light at Cassville.
In justifying their decision, commissioners cited the cost, inefficiency and carbon dioxide emissions of the plant.
“Based on the evidence, I find this particular project is not in the public interest,” said PSC Chairman Eric Callisto.
“Public comment was really significant,” said Commissioner Mark Meyer, praising the extent of public participation after he stated that he could not support the application because it did not meet fundamental requirements.
Commissioner Lauren Azar said the proposal would lock the state into a coal technology that may soon be obsolete.
by jboullion | Nov 10, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a story by Rick Olivo in The Daily Press:
Bayfield County could reasonably consider installing a commercial scale wind turbine on one of two possible locations in the county, says a preliminary assessment from a consulting professional engineer.
The report, released to members of the Bayfield County Board Executive Committee Thursday said a large-scale wind turbine would be “reasonably productive” if built on a Mount Ashwabay site or another Bayfield hills site west of the City of Bayfield.
“The county could either develop one of those sites or try to find a site closer to Washburn, where the wind turbine could be directly connected to its largest electric use buildings in Washburn,” said Robert H, Owen Jr., of Superior Safety and Environmental Services of Middleton. Owen said the Mt. Ashwabay site was large enough to accommodate about 12 600-kilowatt turbines, with a few more potentially sited on the upper reaches of the ski slope property. Owen said in the report that the county could consider selling the output from the wind turbines to Xcel Energy, or deliver most of its output to county offices and sell just the surplus energy.
While Owen said much research was needed into the amount of wind available from the Bayfield area sites, he said the amount of energy available to a single 600-kilowatt turbine could add up to 1.23 million kilowatt hours a year. Nevertheless, he was careful to emphasize that his estimates concerning available wind energy were only preliminary and could be seriously overstating or understating the amount of energy actually available. He said an absolute necessity to come up with accurate figures was a wind-speed study that could last a year or more at the sites.
Nevertheless, he said because of predictable future increases in the cost of electrical energy, the amount Bayfield County pays for electricity, currently put at five cents per kilowatt hour, could increase to 50 cents per kilowatt hour by the year 2030.
by jboullion | Nov 7, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an article by Debbie Griffin in the River Falls Journal:
River Falls agreed last year to let Madison-based EcoEnergy install a 197-foot wind-test tower on a hill in the Whitetail Ridge Corporate Park. The company plans to gather wind-speed data through April next year to see if it warrants a permanent 400-foot turbine.
Alex DePillis, an EcoEnergy wind-monitoring engineer, said if the data pans out and the company installs a permanent wind turbine, it would generate enough electricity to power for a year about 350 homes or one of the city’s big industrial businesses.
“The wind-generated electricity would be carried by the city’s lines and used wherever it’s needed at the time,” said DePillis about the potential wind-generated power.
by jboullion | Nov 6, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an article in the River Falls Journal:
River Falls committed early last month to join the Wisconsin Energy Independent Community Partnership, a state-led program aiming to generate 25% of Wisconsin’s fuels – used for electricity and transportation – from renewable resources by the year 2025.
A press release from the River Falls Municipal Utilities and Governor Jim Doyle’s Web site says the city joins 11 other community members of Wisconsin Public Power, Inc., the city’s power supplier, in committing to help the state achieve energy independence.
River Falls plans to reach this goal by using renewable fuels, taking advantage of diverse resources and reducing energy consumption. Participation in the program enables access to more federal and state funding as well as technical assistance in developing renewable sources.
by jboullion | Nov 5, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an article by Darlene Ramos in The Dunn County News:
The business of saving money also makes money. And so it is with the booming business of pellet and wood-burning stoves and furnaces.
In the face of rising fuel prices, energy-conscious consumers are intent on lowering their home-heating costs — and accommodating these customers is also helping local stove dealerships flourish. Stories from both sides are resoundingly positive.
“We are having a hard time keeping up with orders for pellet stoves,” said Dale Amundson of Great American Homes and Fireplace in north Menomonie. “When one considers that the operation of a wood pellet stove is 50 percent cheaper than propane, 70 percent cheaper than fuel oil and 30 percent cheaper than natural gas, it’s easy to see why.”
Pellet stoves require only simple venting, and operation is so safe that with proper installation, insurance companies regard them as nearly a non-issue, said Amundson.
Check the EPA air quality rating on any pellet or wood-buring stove to be certain to avoid putting unnessary pollution into the air.
