by jboullion | Oct 19, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article in Sustainable Times:
After reviewing several proposals, Focus on Energy selected two locations for showcasing this particular solar energy application.
One of the Focus on Energy-funded demonstration sites is the Cooperative Educational Service Agency, located in Chippewa Falls.
Better known as CESA 10, this agency provides energy management services to 30 school districts in northwest Wisconsin. A low-rise building with plenty of unshaded roof space, the CESA 10 office presents an ideal setting to test a solar application that could very well be a good technology fi t for the schools served by this agency.
“We hope this installation will enable us to practice what we preach,” said Todd Wanous, an energy manager at CESA 10 and the driving force behind this demonstration. Placed in service in August 2009, CESA 10’s innovative installation features Wisconsin’s first example of a modular rooftop air heating system called SolarDuct®.
On the roof are three banks of corrugated collector panels, each connected to the building’s air handling system. The dark-colored panels are covered with ventilation holes that draw in outside air. Sunlight striking the panels warms the air passing through the holes. Through the ducts running behind the arrays, ventilation fans draw the preheated air into the building’s air handling system.
CESA 10’s SolarDuct® unit is designed to supplement, not replace, the natural gas furnaces that used to be the sole source of space heat.
However, this system does not necessitate additional fans or blowers to move the preheated air throughout the building. As a result, there is no parasitic energy loss to factor in.
by jboullion | Oct 16, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a story in The Capital Times:
With winter approaching, Alliant Energy is urging qualified utility customers to apply for energy assistance.
The company says more households are eligible for assistance due to the economic downturn, so people are urged to apply as soon as possible through the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP). Residents can apply with their local county office through May 15, 2010, or until funds are exhausted.
The dollar amount of the payment varies, but the program will help households with incomes at or below 60 percent of the state median income. This means a family of four that makes about $45,000 or less per year, or a two-person household making $30,600 or less, may qualify for assistance.
Frank Galle, Alliant Energy senior manager of customer support, recommends that customers who think they may qualify apply right away.
“In these challenging economic times, it’s important that people know that they do not have to wait until they are behind on their utility bills to receive energy assistance,” said Galle. “We encourage customers to check their eligibility now and apply as soon as possible if they qualify for funds.”
Customers can find their nearest county agency by calling 1-866-432-8947 or by visiting http://www.homeenergyplus.wi.gov.
by jboullion | Oct 15, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Cassandra Colson in the Jackson County Chronicle-News:
The Black River Falls Utility Commission approved recommending its financial plan for the $8.7-million dam and hydroelectric project, sending it to the city council for final approval.
Sean Lentz of Ehlers and Associates, who has been consulting with the commission regarding the project’s financing, gave a presentation at the Sept. 29 commission meeting and made his recommendations for the project’s financing.
“The most important point, of course, was the USDA acceptance of the terms and conditions,” Lentz said. “That will make this electric revenue bond issue fit with the other financing that the utility and the city need to do for the combined dam and hydro project.”
by jboullion | Oct 14, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Focus on Energy:
Focus on Energy provides $99,000 to boost energy saving efforts
Madison, Wis. – Since being acquired in 2001, Cortec Coated Products in Eau Claire, Wis. has prided itself on finding smart business solutions. The manufacturer has built on its knowledge and experience to become a global supplier and forerunner in the coated paper and film industry. With the help of Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative, Cortec Coated Products has also been able to build on Focus’ knowledge and experience tobecome a leader in energy efficiency.
Cortec Coated Products received $99,000 in financial incentives from Focus on Energy after installing an innovative heat-recovery system and plant-wide lighting and steam
trap upgrades. These improvements will save the company more than 223,000
kilowatt-hours of electricity and 175,000 therms of natural gas annually – enough
energy to power 200 Wisconsin homes for a year. The company will also benefit
from $210,000 in savings on its energy bills each year.
The biggest energy saver is a unique heat-recovery system installed last [June] that provides extraordinary energy savings. The system captures “waste” heat from the facility’s oven exhaust system and instead of venting that hot air outside of the facility; the system extracts heat from the outgoing air and returns it to the oven inlet to start the process again. Reusing this heat enables the manufacturer to significantly reduce its natural gas use and saves $170,000 a year. Focus on Energy awarded $82,000 to help get the project off the ground and also provided $2,400 prior to install so a feasibility study could be completed to assure significant energy savings.
by jboullion | Oct 13, 2009 | Uncategorized
The Public Service Commission issued the final environmental impact statement on the Glacier Hills Wind Park, and it includes these items:
Medical Impacts (page 68)
UW Med Flight is the responding air ambulance service closest to the Glacier Hills project area. UW Med Flight and the other reswponding agencies plan to develop safe landing sites or locations within the project area to which medical helicopters could be dispatched. Establishing alternative landing zones in an area is a common tool employed by medical helicopter services where terrain, vegetation, or
structures restrict landing sites….
In some instances, alternate landing sites may not be required; a medical helicopter can land in proximity to a wind turbine if it is safe and prudent to do so. There do not seem to be any UW Med Flight rulers or policies that would preclude landing within a project area if it is safe to do so. The decision about where to land is the pilot’s and is based on a variety of site factcors that present themselves upon arrival at an emergency scene. For example, closer landins to a turbine might be possible if the winds are calm and the wind turbine rotors are not rotating.
Sound Impacts (Page 82)
The studies done to date suggest that there is a wide variability in how peopole react to wind turbine noise and that many people do no appear to be affected. The studies do, however, support the concern that some people do react negatively to wind turbine noise, primarily through annoyance and sleep disturbance. It is widely accepted that disruption of sleep can lead to other physiological and psychological problems.
Dr. Nina Pierpont has hypothesized that in addition to annoyance and disturbance, wind turbine noise can result in direct activation of the vestibular and autonomic system leading to other health problems. The validity of this suggestion has been questioned. The Minnesota Department of Health concluded that “evidence is scant” for this hypothesis.
In summary, it is important to recognize that turbine noise can be problematic for some people. Although specific sound levels or distances from turbines cannot be directly correlated with these disturbance or annoyance problems, project design and siting should take potential impactcs of turbine noise into account.
Property Values (page 84)
A more recent study of two recently completed Wisconsin wind farms was completed by Appraisal Group One. This study contained similar problems of small sample size and weak statistical analyses. While the study was limited to residential vacany land sales, other potential factors that might influence sales prices were not analyzed. The study did not verify that all properties sold within the wind farm areas actually had views of wind turbines, whether the properties were sold prior to the proposal of a wind facility versus after the facilities were constructed and operating, and it did not differentiate between vacant lots with infrastructure potential such as streets, sewer, and water as opposed to farmland with no infrastructure.
