by jboullion | Nov 2, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Focus on Energy:
AMERY, Wis. (Nov. 2, 2009) — Mobile home residents in the Polk County area who
purchase their gas or electric heating from utilities who participate in the Focus on Energy Program, including Xcel, We Energies, Northwestern Wisconsin Electric Company, Centuria Utilities and New Richmond Utilities, have the opportunity for a free home energy evaluation and possible free energy efficiency improvements. This initiative, called the Mobile Home Duct Sealing Pilot, is part of Focus on Energy’s Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® Program, and is designed to create cost effective energy savings in mobile homes by testing for and correcting a certain set of inefficiencies, primarily leaky duct work. All testing and work is free
to the mobile home owner.
The Mobile Home Duct Sealing Pilot, like Home Performance energy evaluations, uses
the most advanced, state-of-the-art equipment to test homes, identify problems and implement recommended improvements. Duct sealing and other improvements are then tested to ensure the work is done to program standards. Partnering consultants and contractors delivering the Pilot were selected through a competitive bidding process. All the services are free to the homeowner, and the entire process can be completed in one day. . . .
To find out more about the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program, visit
focusonenergy.com. For details on scheduling a mobile home energy evaluation call Aaron Riendeau of St. Croix Energy Solutions at (715) 220-4818.
by jboullion | Oct 30, 2009 | Uncategorized
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 30, 2009
MORE INFORMATION
Michael Vickerman
RENEW Wisconsin
608.255.4044
mvickerman@renewwisconsin.org
Madison, WI (October 30, 2009) RENEW Wisconsin today hailed the decision by the Public Service Commission to approve a utility’s plan to repower an aging northern Wisconsin coal-fired plant with locally available wood fuel.
The approval allows Northern States Power Company-Wisconsin (NSPW), a subsidiary of Xcel Energy, to install the state’s first biomass gasifier. The system will produce synthetic gas from a variety of wood sources to produce electricity at the company’s Bay Front Power Plant in Ashland, Wisconsin.
“This project will yield multiple dividends to the utility’s ratepayers and the local economy in and around Ashland,” said Michael Vickerman, executive director of RENEW Wisconsin, a statewide advocacy group for renewable energy.
“Capital projects are few and far between in northern Wisconsin. Rather than closing down an inefficient plant that relies on imported fossil fuel, NSPW is extending its life and improving its environmental performance with this switch to a sustainable energy source,” Vickerman said.
“This proposal is an excellent resource fit for this part of the state. The money spent to acquire wood fuel will remain in the local area, instead of being exported to western coal states,” Vickerman said.
END
RENEW Wisconsin (www.renewwisconsin.org) is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that acts as a catalyst to advance a sustainable energy future through public policy and private sector initiatives.
by jboullion | Oct 29, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Governor Jim Doyle:
MADISON—Governor Jim Doyle [on Tuesday] announced the release to Wisconsin of over $97 million in federal funds for the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The funding released today is three quarters of the estimated $130 million in LIHEAP funding Wisconsin is expected to receive this year. . .
The funds released today will be used for the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP), which provides financial assistance to low-income residents who may struggle to pay utility bills this winter. WHEAP is part of the state’s comprehensive Home Energy Plus program which provides assistance with emergency energy needs, emergency furnace repairs, conservation service and assistance weatherizing low-income households.
Due to recent changes in program eligibility, many more households across the state may be eligible for heating assistance this winter. Effective with the beginning of the 2009-2010 heating season, the income eligibility limit for WHEAP and Weatherization has increased from 150% of the federal poverty level to 60% of the State’s Median Income. . . .
Payments under these programs depend upon household size, income level, and home energy costs. A family of four, with an annual income of $45,067 or less may be eligible for energy assistance.
To receive more information about how to apply for the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program, call the Home Energy Plus hotline at 866-432-8947, or visit www.homeenergyplus.wi.gov.
by jboullion | Oct 28, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Governor Jim Doyle:
MADISON – Governor Doyle announced today that $500,000 in funds from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program are available to communities working toward energy independence. The grants are part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and will help communities create a plan to reach the Governor’s “25×25” goal of generating 25 percent of the state’s electricity and transportation fuels from renewable resources by the year 2025.
“Local communities are critical leaders in the state’s efforts to work toward energy independence,” Governor Doyle said. “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grants will build on local leadership and invest in a clean energy future that will clean our air and water, create jobs, and save money for our citizens.”
The “25×25” Plan will help Energy Independent Communities understand their community’s overall energy consumption and create a plan to address opportunities in energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.
The Wisconsin Energy Independent (EI) Community Partnership is the first of its kind in the nation and is an integral part of Clean Energy Wisconsin, Governor Doyle’s plan to move Wisconsin toward energy independence. The partnership includes counties, cities, villages, towns, tribes, and schools in the state that have committed to Governor Doyle’s “25×25” challenge. Currently, there are over 100 EI Communities, with 10 EI Pilots working on the inaugural “25×25” Plan.
Governor Doyle and the Wisconsin Office of Energy Independence encourage communities to apply for the “25×25” Plan Grant. Communities that join the EI Community Partnership before the December 15, 2009 deadline are eligible to apply. To access the application go to: http://energyindependence.wi.gov/docview.asp?docid=18164&locid=160
by jboullion | Oct 27, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a column by Margaret Krome in The Capital Times:
President Obama toured renewable energy research facilities recently at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He wanted to drive home the point that homegrown, low-carbon energy sources and energy conservation strategies are crucial to steer the planet toward a safer climate and the nation toward greater energy security. In addition, policy based on renewable energy and conservation creates jobs.
The president could just as well have toured Wisconsin to make his point. Wisconsin’s researchers are forging ahead on many fronts, such as ways to grow biomass crops in a sustainable manner; economically viable processes to convert biomass into transportation fuels; and the siting, processing, and transportation protocols associated with using biomass for heat and power. Given the state’s large biomass capacity in forests and crops like switchgrass, researchers are making an investment in the state’s future.
But more is happening. The Legislature will soon consider recommendations from the Governor’s Global Warming Task Force, some of which offer opportunities for new jobs across the state, in small towns as well as cities. Inevitably, vested interests always fight even obviously necessary change. So it should surprise nobody when coal companies and others who depend on fossil fuels mount campaigns to oppose renewable energy policies. But many objections are borne of fear and misinformation.
For example, some farm groups express concerns about the low carbon fuel standard, a policy that is actually likely to benefit Wisconsin’s farmers. This policy uses a market mechanism to require fuel providers to reduce the total carbon content of fuels sold in the state. Rather than deprive farmers of fuels currently available, it would diversify farmers’ fuel options and reduce volatility. And because the state does not produce fossil fuels but does produce biomass-based energy, this policy plays to the state’s agricultural strengths.
Another policy being considered that supports farmers and rural communities as well as municipalities is the renewable energy buyback program. To meet demand for renewable energy, Wisconsin needs many people to become small-scale renewable energy producers. Some have already done so by installing wind turbines, methane digesters, or solar panels and selling the extra energy back into the grid. But the amount these small-scale producers get paid varies greatly, often making that energy unprofitable to produce.
