A safe investment in 2010: Hot water

Though written in 2007, an analysis by RENEW's executive director Michael Vickerman may be even truer today an a few years ago, given the risk involved in "traditional" investments. The analysis shows that an investmnet in a solar hot water system generates a better rate of return than putting money in the bank:

I wrote a column which was highly critical of using payback analysis to figure out whether installing a solar hot water system on one’s house makes economic sense. In almost every example you can imagine, the payback period for today’s solar installations ranges between long and forever. For my system, which started operating in January 2006, payback will be achieved in a mere 19 years using today’s energy prices, though by the time 2025 rolls around, half of Florida might be under water and the rest of the country out of natural gas.

But there’s no reason to let payback length rule one’s ability to invest in sustainable energy for the home or business, especially if there are other approaches to valuing important economic decisions. One way to sidestep the gloomy verdicts of payback analysis is to do what most companies do when contemplating a long-term investment like solar energy -- calculate the internal rate of return (IRR) on the invested capital. The definition of IRR is the annualized effective compounded return rate which can be earned on the invested capital, i.e. the yield on the investment.

By using this familiar capital budgeting method, I’m able to calculate an IRR of 6.1%for my solar water heater if natural gas prices rise a measly 3% per annum. That yield exceeds anything that a bank will offer you today. It will likely outperform the stock market this year, which is due for a substantial downward adjustment to reflect the slow-motion implosion of the housing market now underway. And, unless you live in a gold-rush community like Fort McMurray, Alberta, your house will do well just to hold onto its current valuation, let alone appreciate by six percent.

While all investments pose some degree of risk, the return on a solar energy system is about as safe and predictable as, well, the rising sun. Fortunately for the Earth and its varied inhabitants, the center of our solar system is situated well beyond the reach of humanity’s capacity to tamper with a good thing.

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Keep working toward energy independence

From an editorial in the Sheboygan Press:

Gov. Jim Doyle's 2006 campaign promise of having four University of Wisconsin campuses completely "off the grid" by 2012 and get their energy needs from renewable sources was an ambitious one.

Unfortunately, it has turned out to be an impossible task.

Doyle said that campuses at Oshkosh, River Falls, Green Bay and Stevens Point were to work toward energy independence as a way to show that it can be done. Doyle has pushed hard for Wisconsin to research and implement alternative energy sources, especially renewable sources — wind, solar and biomass. The goal is to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels, especially oil bought from foreign countries.

The four schools were to start producing their own electricity or buy it from utilities using the renewable sources of energy, Doyle said in 2006. The challenge also would spark energy conservation on the four campuses.

But with just two years to go, the promise far outshines the reality.

Still, there has been significant progress.

UW-Green Bay, which specializes in environmental education, has reduced its energy use by 26 percent since 2005.

UW-River Falls is studying the use of wind turbines on the campus farm to generate electricity. . . .

If the governor deserves any criticism for his promise, it is that he set an unrealistic timetable and did not ensure that there was adequate funding.

But Wisconsin must continue to do the research and find the technology that will not only reduce reliance on fossil fuels, but also ensure that energy in the future will be less costly.

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Doyle Announces $190,000 to Roundy's for energy projects

From a news release issued by Governor Jim Doyle:

OCONOMOWOC – Governor Jim Doyle announced today a $190,570 grant for Roundy’s Supermarkets to help complete energy efficient lighting projects at its facility in Oconomowoc. The funding through the state’s Focus on Energy program builds on Governor Doyle’s efforts to make Wisconsin a national leader in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

“Wisconsin has a tremendous opportunity to be a leader in clean energy,” Governor Doyle said. “With this funding, we will be able to help Roundy’s become more energy efficient, so they can retain their competitive edge, reduce energy costs and carbon emissions, and create jobs.”

The project will save Roundy’s nearly $400,000 annually in energy costs and conserve enough energy to power 450 homes each year. It will also significantly reduce carbon emissions. Roundy’s recently replaced nearly 2,000 metal halide fixtures with high bay fluorescent fixtures. Nearly 1,600 of them have occupancy sensor controls to dim when the area is not in use.

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Muskego company saves $95,000 annually from green building measures

From a news release issued by Focus on Energy:

(December 21, 2009) — Focus on Energy, Wisconsin's statewide resource for energy efficiency and renewable energy, in partnership with We Energies, awarded Ace Industrial Properties $77,300 after it completed several major green building initiatives at its new 484,000 square-foot Muskego warehouse.

Together the projects will save more than 1.2 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually compared to a conventional building of its size – saving enough energy to power 125 Wisconsin homes for a year. Ace Industrial Properties will also benefit from saving approximately $95,000 on its energy bills at the warehouse each year. . . .

The cash incentives from Focus were used to install major energy savers including:
· More than 1,000 high-performance T8 electronic fixtures, which can save up to 40 percent more energy, last 4,000 hours longer, and provide a better light quality than standard systems.
· Motion-controlled occupancy sensors installed on all light fixtures, which can reduce the lighting system operating time by up to 50 percent.
· High-efficiency cooling was also installed in a few areas throughout the building.

Not only do these upgrades save the property management company money, but they are also environmentally-friendly. The annual environmental benefits are equivalent to offsetting more than 2,400 barrels of oil from being burned – eliminating 2 million pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) from being released into the atmosphere.

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Teachers' publication features Jenny Heinzen

An article on RENEW's president Jenny Heinzen from the Wisconsin Education Association:

Jenny Heinzen’s job isn’t a breeze – though it does rely on it. As a Wind Energy Technology instructor at Lakeshore Technical College in Cleveland, Wis., Heinzen not only teaches about harnessing an alternative form of energy, she’s been part of the push for new wind farms in Wisconsin.

In September, Governor Jim Doyle signed into law a bill calling for uniform standards for wind farms. The bill will create a set of rules overruling any local ordinances on wind farms, potentially setting up a boon for wind projects in the state. Heinzen is part of a group called Wind for Wisconsin, which spurred the legislation. Heinzen said she wants to create wind farms to move Wisconsin forward and keep wind energy technology students in the state.

“The bill, and consequently the new law, was absolutely necessary in order to move forward,” Heinzen said. “The last thing I want is to ship all of my graduates to other states. I want them to have jobs available here at home. And I want Wisconsin to start using more renewable energy, as we have no coal, gas, oil or uranium. But we’ve got wind, sun, water and agricultural wastes that can be used to produce electricity. . . .”


Heinzen is also the president of nonprofit clean energy organization RENEW Wisconsin, and said a state set of standards for wind farms is crucial for their development.

“This has been one of our main topics for the past two years,” she said. “The bill was created in response to a plethora of local ordinances that ultimately restricted, and sometimes killed, wind power projects in this state.”

Heinzen said the best part of her job is watching her students learn and climb, as well as setting them up for success later in life.

“Even better is when they get their job as a technician after, and sometimes before, graduation,” she added.

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Manitowoc council approves Orion wind turbine

From an article by Steve Prestegard on Marketplace Magazine:

The Manitowoc Common Council Monday [December 21] approved Orion Energy Systems’ request to build a wind turbine at the power technology enterprises’ Woodland Drive world headquarters.

Orion’s wind turbine is expected to generate 20 kilowatts of electricity that will be used to help power the company’s technology center and manufacturing facility. The electricity generated by the wind turbine is enough to regularly power the equivalent of four to five homes a year. The turbine, manufactured by Oshkosh-based Renewegy LLC, will be 115 feet tall.

“We’re excited to be bringing the first urban wind project to Manitowoc County,” said Orion CEO Neal Verfuerth. “By installing this technology adjacent to our facility where the electricity will be used, we are demonstrating how renewable generating sources can be connected directly to the customer load.

“At the same time, we’re supporting a Wisconsin-based company — investing in Wisconsin workers and investing in our state’s economy.” The wind turbine will be erected in early spring 2010 just north of Orion’s technology center.

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Telkonet, Inc. restructures, including relocation of headquarters to Milwaukee

From a news release issued by Telkonet:

GERMANTOWN, MD--(Marketwire - December 21, 2009) - Telkonet, Inc. (OTCBB: TKOI), a Clean Technology company that develops and manufactures proprietary energy management and SmartGrid networking technology, is conducting a restructuring which includes the relocation of its offices from Germantown, Maryland to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This transition is part of an ongoing focus to competitively position the company within the $50 billion SmartGrid and Clean Technology industries while achieving favorable cost reductions. . . .

Jason Tienor, President and CEO, commented, “The decision to consolidate Telkonet’s operations demonstrates our continued commitment to realign our business and operations, helping us achieve our growth and expansion goals. With this relocation strategy, we’re able to optimize our resources, positioning the Company to more effectively address the needs of the growing Clean Technology market. In addition, we look forward to becoming a significant part of the Clean Technology landscape in Wisconsin. This transition demonstrates our dedication to Wisconsin and further meets the conditions of our funding with the State to increase employment within
Wisconsin.

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RTA votes to stop rental car fee to pay for planning KRM

From an article by Joe Potente in the Kenosha News:

A fee on rental car transactions in southeastern Wisconsin is going away — at least for a while.

The Southeastern Regional Transit Authority voted Friday not to reinstate a $2 fee that had been charged to help pay for planning of the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail proposal.

That was after the new board voted narrowly to appoint Kenosha County designee Karl Ostby as its chairman.

Created by the Legislature as part of the 2009-11 state budget, the authority is enabled to levy up to $18 per rental transaction to support the local costs of KRM’s development.

Debate over fee

Maintaining the $2 fee for now was discussed, but a majority of the board favored holding off on any fee until a KRM grant plan is finalized, Antaramian said in a phone interview Friday. Antaramian said nobody on the board has shown an interest in levying the full $18.

“I think certain members of the board felt that there wasn’t a need until we actually saw a proposal,” said Antaramian, who supported continuing the $2 charge.

However, Ostby said the question of the fee is likely to arise again next month, after the authority has a clearer idea of KRM’s costs.

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Don't weaken state's nuke law

From a commentary by Jennifer Nordstrom, coordinator of the Carbon-Free, Nuclear-Free campaign for the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research and a member of Carbon-Free, Nuclear-Free Wisconsin, in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Weakening Wisconsin laws regulating new nuclear reactors should not be part of a climate change bill. The Clean Energy Jobs Act, unveiled in the state Legislature recently, is a significant step toward addressing global warming while strengthening our state economy. Although much of the bill is a positive step to addressing global warming, it weakens Wisconsin's current law on building new nuclear reactors.

Wisconsin's current law is common sense and protects citizens and the environment from radioactive nuclear waste, which poses considerable risks for tens thousands of years and contains plutonium, which can be used to make nuclear weapons if separated. Available renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies are faster, cheaper, safer and cleaner strategies for reducing greenhouse emissions than nuclear power.

Nuclear energy is also expensive and financially risky. Nuclear projects are large, take a long time to plan and build (eight years at a minimum and often more) and require a great deal of capital. This means a lot of money gets locked up in a single project - sometimes more than the companies seeking to build the reactors are worth. Wall Street has refused to provide capital for new nuclear reactors.

The nuclear industry wants either taxpayers or ratepayers to subsidize these projects, via taxpayer loan guarantees and/or ratepayer interest-free advance cash. Even before the current financial crisis, the CEO of General Electric said if he were a utility CEO, he would not build nuclear but natural gas or wind power plants because "I don't have to bet my company on any of this (wind or gas) stuff."

Wisconsin's law was partially designed to protect its citizens from the financial risk and expense of new reactors. It was also put it in place because of the serious, unsolved problem of nuclear waste.

Every reactor produces radioactive nuclear waste, which contains elements that last for hundreds of generations. No country in the world (including France and the United States) has a repository for storing this radioactive waste. The problems with Yucca Mountain, the proposed site in the United States, are technical as well as political; the Obama administration has rightly declared it unsuitable. Wisconsin residents should remember that in the last round of looking for a national nuclear waste dump, Wisconsin was high on the list.

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State DA surcharge now hitting We Energies bills

From a Tom Content blog post on JSonline:

The state-authorized surcharge on electric bills to pay for district attorney salaries is now hitting utility bills of We Energies customers.

The Milwaukee utility is the last of the investor-owned utilities in the state to begin collecting the surcharge. The increase took effect with bills processed on Thursday, utility spokesman Brian Manthey said.

For residential customers, the fee amounts to 47 cents a month. The fee will drop to 26 cents a month for the fiscal year that starts in July.

Small businesses will be assessed $1.07 a month beginning now and 57 cents a week beginning in July. Factories can expect to pay $29.53 a month starting this week, and $15.83 a month beginning in July, the utility said.

Wisconsin legislators included the surcharge among a host of fee increases aimed at helping balance the state budget. Other fee increases adopted as part of the state budget include surcharges imposed on cell-phone bills.

We Energies will end up collecting about $8 million for the state from its customers across the state over the next 19 months, Manthey said.

Prosecutors are being paid from a fund originally designed to help poor people pay their utility bills and weatherize their homes. The extra fee is the latest in a series of budget maneuvers that have sent a total of $166 million from electricity ratepayers to non-energy-related state government purposes since 2002.

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Litany of errors mars analysis of bill to enact recommendations of global warming task force

From a news release issued by the coalition for Clean, Responsible Energy for Wisconsin’s Economy (CREWE):

(MADISON, Wis.)—The coalition for Clean, Responsible Energy for Wisconsin’s Economy (CREWE) on Tuesday released a fact sheet detailing the errors with the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute’s (WPRI) November 12th report on the adverse economic effects of the Governor’s Task Force on Global Warming recommendations.

“The WPRI report is so wildly flawed that it has no place in any legislative debate on the task force recommendations,” said Thad Nation, executive director of CREWE. “Not only does the report analyze many policies that aren’t even included in the Clean Energy Jobs Act, but it takes a piecemeal approach, failing to analyze the cumulative effect the policies will have on our state.”

Among the errors included in the report, titled “The Economics of Climate Change Proposals in Wisconsin”:
• 8 of the 13 policies analyzed aren’t included in the Clean Energy Jobs Act
• Models policies that would impact the state’s general fund, despite the fact that the Clean Energy Jobs Act includes no tax increases
• Ignores the fact that low carbon fuels will be produced in Wisconsin and other
Midwestern states, while conventional gasoline is largely imported from overseas
• Fails to take into account decreased electricity demand due to energy efficiency and conservation investments outlined in the recommendations.

In addition, the authors of the report used a “black box” economic model to come to their conclusions – meaning the reader is only given the inputs and outputs, without any knowledge of how the statistical analysis was done. In order to allow others to properly analyze the report’s conclusions, the model that was used should be made publicly available for review.

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Report: Wind Turbines Cause No Human Harm

From a news release issued by RENEW Wisconsin:

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2009

MORE INFORMATION
Michael Vickerman
RENEW Wisconsin
608.255.4044
mvickerman@renewwisconsin.org

Report: Wind Turbines Cause No Human Harm
Consistent with 10-plus years of commercial wind generation operations in Wisconsin, a national report issued today concluded that the sounds produced by wind turbines are not harmful to human health, according to the state’s leading renewable energy advocacy group.

Comprised of medical doctors, audiologists, and acoustical professionals from the United States, Canada, Denmark, and the United Kingdom, the panel of reviewers undertook extensive analysis and discussion of the large body of peer-reviewed literature, specifically with regard to sound coming from wind turbines.

The panel was established by the American Wind Energy Association and the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA).

“This report corroborates testimony that RENEW presented in the ongoing Glacier Hills Wind Park hearings at the Wisconsin Public Service Commission,” according to Michael Vickerman, executive director of RENEW Wisconsin. In that proceeding, We Energies is seeking approval to construct a 90-turbine 162 megawatt wind park in northeast Columbia County.

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We all have a stake in curbing warming

From an editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Even if a global deal can't be reached in Copenhagen, actions by states such as Wisconsin can make a big difference in the fight to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

When Gov. Jim Doyle arrives in Copenhagen this week to address the international conference on climate change, he can and should stress the need for action on an international scale, but he can also show the importance of states, countries and individuals doing what they can - acting locally - to reduce the human impact on global warming.

Wisconsin has been moving forward, largely under the leadership of Doyle, several key legislators and others, such as Tia Nelson and Roy Thilly, co-chairs of the Governor's Task Force on Global Warming, which made 63 policy recommendations when it concluded its work last year. The next step is to implement some of those recommendations in the form of a bill, a draft of which was unveiled last week.

The bill seeks to curb greenhouse gas emissions in the state while at the same time growing a green economy through investments in energy conservation and alternative fuels.

Doyle made the right point recently when he said, "States that stick their head in the sand and pretend this isn't happening are states that five, 10, 15 years from now are going to be looking around saying, 'How come we don't have a piece of that economy?' "

As Journal Sentinel reporters Tom Content and Lee Bergquist noted in an article Friday, the draft released Thursday calls for greater use of renewable power, opens the door to construction of nuclear power plants and lays the groundwork for how Wisconsin addresses global warming.

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Noise from wind turbines - Big problem in U.K.

Wind energy definitely has more advantages than disadvantages but as one of the main problems with win energy installations could be the noise coming from wind turbines. The U.K. Government has for instance asked for local authorities to urgently update the guidance and the impact of noise from wind turbines, campaigners.Wind turbines, as wind energy sector is developing, are becoming larger and

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Global warming bill sets stage for debate

From an article by Tom Content and Lee Bergquist in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

A draft of major legislation released Thursday calls for greater use of renewable power, opens the door to construction of nuclear power plants and lays the groundwork for how Wisconsin addresses global warming.

The legislation sets the stage for a major debate in Madison, with proponents touting the promise of thousands of new jobs and opponents warning that new controls will damage the state's already weak manufacturing sector.

The bill would dramatically change the state's sources of energy, mandating that 25% of electricity come from wind, solar, biomass and other renewable sources by 2025.

Wisconsin is heavily dependent on coal, a key source of greenhouse gases that most climate scientists say is a leading contributor to rising global temperatures.

The legislation also would tighten building codes to increase energy efficiency, impose restrictions on engine idling of freight trucks and adopt vehicle emissions standards similar to California and other states.

These link connect to:
+ Index to the bill
+ Short overview
+ Detailed summary

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Fed grants will help Milwaukee companies create green jobs

From an article in the BizTimes Daily:

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle announced today that three Milwaukee area companies have been granted a total of $3.1 million in federal funding to help them invest in manufacturing equipment and create 276 new green jobs.
“Wisconsin has a tremendous opportunity to be a leader in clean energy,” Doyle said. “With these funds, we will help these companies not only create hundreds of new green jobs in Milwaukee, but also manufacture renewable energy and energy efficient products.”

The companies receiving the federal funding are:

+ Helios USA - $1 million. The Milwaukee start-up is a manufacturer that will produce solar panels for residential and commercial applications. It is leasing 40,000 square feet in an existing facility and will invest more than $8 million for equipment and working capital. Helios expects to create 54 new clean energy jobs.

+ Nature Tech LLC - $800,000. The company is a Milwaukee start-up manufacturer of energy efficient cellulose insulation manufactured from recycled newsprint. It is leasing a vacant facility and will invest more than $3 million in the project. The company plans to create 47 new clean energy jobs.

+ ZBB Energy Corp. - $1.3 million. ZBB of Menomonee Falls is investing $4.5 million in equipment and working capital to expand its advanced battery products manufacturing. The company will retain 26 jobs and plans to create 175 additional jobs.

Doyle has launched a plan calling for the state to achieve energy independence by generating 25 percent of its electricity and 25 percent of its transportation fuels from renewable resources by 2025.

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Study: Wind farms have no effect on property values

From a news release issued by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory:

Home sales prices are very sensitive to the overall quality of the scenic vista from a property, but a view of a wind energy facility does not demonstrably impact sales prices.Over 30,000 megawatts of wind energy capacity are installed across the United States and an increasing number of communities are considering new wind power facilities. Given these developments, there is an urgent need to empirically investigate typical community concerns about wind energy and thereby provide stakeholders involved in the wind project siting process a common base of knowledge. A major new report released today by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory evaluates one of those concerns, and finds that proximity to wind energy facilities does not have a pervasive or widespread adverse effect on the property values of nearby homes.

The new report, funded by the DOE, is based on site visits, data collection, and analysis of almost 7,500 single-family home sales, making it the most comprehensive and data-rich analysis to date on the potential impact of U.S. wind projects on residential property values.

“Neither the view of wind energy facilities nor the distance of the home to those facilities was found to have any consistent, measurable, and significant effect on the selling prices of nearby homes,” says report author Ben Hoen, a consultant to Berkeley Lab. “No matter how we looked at the data, the same result kept coming back - no evidence of widespread impacts.”

An expert witness on real estate voiced the same conclusion during hearings on We Energies proposed Glacier Hills Wind Park.

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Energizing Fort Atkinson’s schools from the sun and earth

The solar water heating systems serve Fort Atkinson high school and the middle school. The radiant energy striking the rooftop panels year-round is efficiently collected and taken inside to preheat the swimming pools inside each structure. Except during the winter months, the incoming solar energy is sufficient to maintain pool temperatures at 84°F. Even in January, however, the savings that a solar hot water system yields simply by preheating a pool to 70°F is substantial when multiplied over several decades.

From a story by Michael Vickerman, RENEW's executive director:

As a result of educating themselves on the connection between energy use and atmospheric pollution, several school districts in Wisconsin are taking increasingly aggressive steps to conserve energy as well as produce a portion of what they use on-site. Some have embraced ground source heat pump systems (Fond du Lac High School), while others have installed solar hot water systems (Osceola Middle School) and solar electric systems (Paul Olson elementary school in Madison). Not to be outdone, Wausau East High School recently installed a 100 kW Northwind turbine, which is now the largest wind generator attached to a school building in Wisconsin.

Yet if one measures success by substantial reductions in energy expenditures and emissions reductions, there is one school district in Wisconsin that stands head and shoulders above its peers: Fort Atkinson. Serving 2,700 school-age children in a community of 12,000, the Fort Atkinson School District operates six buildings: four elementary schools, one middle school and a high school. School officials have made no secret of their aspiration to make Fort Atkinson the most energy-efficient and self-sufficient K-12 district in the state.

Since 2005, Fort Atkinson has rigorously pursued a sustainable energy agenda that integrates, in a systematic and complementary fashion, continuous monitoring of consumption, aggressive building efficiency measures, and renewable energy capture. As articulated in its 2009 energy plan, the district, the district’s principal goals for 2010 are nothing if not ambitious:

+ Pare energy costs by 20% from 2005 levels;
+ Lower carbon emissions by 25% from 2005 levels;
+ Obtain EnergyStar certification for all six schools; and
+ Install on-site renewable production at all six schools.

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Energy audits help stop home heat loss

From an article by Julie Lawrence posted on OnMilwaukee.com:

The temperatures outside are plummeting. It's winter in Wisconsin and the cozy comfort of our homes becomes our refuge after hours of shoveling and ice scraping. What we're forced to endure in the Midwest could be considered criminal in other parts of the country, but the real crime Wisconsinites face is not adequately preparing their homes for the seasons.

Kent Borden has been an energy audit consultant for Five Star Energy Corp. for close to three years and he's seen homes at just about every level of efficiency. Interestingly, it's not that most people aren't willing to work to limit energy loss, it's that they don't fully understand its source.

Wisconsinites often misinterpret old windows as the major culprit. Borden says not necessarily. While windows are a very visible part of the home, Borden says our notion that they are leaking like sieves is largely thanks to window manufacturers who like to portray that message.

"I don't want to completely refute what they're saying; windows certainly can be a factor."

But, he says, a homeowner planning to drop $10,000 to $15,000 on new windows will never see the payback in energy savings.

So if the windows aren't the biggest energy loss offenders, what are?

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Kohl’s pledges net zero emissions by 2010

From a news release issued by Kohl's Corporation:

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis., December 2, 2009 – Kohl’s Department Stores (NYSE: KSS) today became the first retailer to announce a commitment to reach net zero U.S. greenhouse gas emissions as part of its ongoing partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Climate Leaders program. To achieve this goal of being carbon neutral, Kohl’s will continue to invest in projects to reduce the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions that the company emits into the atmosphere.

The goal accounts for U.S. emissions at all Kohl’s facilities, including stores, distribution centers and corporate offices, as well as emissions resulting from business travel. Kohl’s goal, once realized, will be equivalent to removing more than 130,842 vehicles from the road for a year or offsetting the annual emissions from electricity used by more than 99,084 homes. . . .

Initiatives central to Kohl’s achievement of its Climate Leaders goal include a continuation of the company’s five environmental strategies: maximize energy efficiency, minimize waste, improve new building design, reduce emissions and encourage environmental values. Highlights include:

• Commitment to green power: Kohl’s strongly supports the development of renewable energy and was named one of EPA’s 2009 Green Power Partners of the Year. The company currently ranks as the no. 1 retailer on EPA’s list of Green Power Purchasers in its Green Power Partnership. In 2009, Kohl’s purchased 851 million kilowatt-hours in renewable energy credits – enough to meet 71 percent of the company’s purchased electricity use. Kohl’s plans to reach 100 percent green power by the end of 2010.
• Leading solar program: Kohl’s is currently the world’s largest retail host of solar power with 79 solar locations in six states – California, Wisconsin, Oregon, Connecticut, Maryland and New Jersey. The company aims to expand the program into additional states in 2010 to reach more than 100 solar locations.
• Central Energy Management Systems: As of 2008, all Kohl’s locations are operated by a system that controls most interior and exterior lighting, as well as heating and cooling systems. Last year, even while adding more than one million square feet of retail space through new and existing store expansion, Kohl’s reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 12 percent.
• ENERGY STAR: The EPA ENERGY STAR national energy performance rating system provides a score on a 1 to 100 scale relative to similar buildings nationwide, with 50 as the average score. Buildings with a score of 75 or higher are eligible to receive EPA’s ENERGY STAR label. To date, more than 350 Kohl’s stores have earned the ENERGY STAR label – this is more than one third of all Kohl’s stores and more than 70 percent of retail buildings to date that have earned the ENERGY STAR. As a whole, Kohl’s stores average an ENERGY STAR score of 72, well above industry standard.

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Handbook on financing community wind projects

From the newly released handbook on "Community Wind Financing," published by the Environmental Law & Policy Center:

. . . community wind [i]s any project up to 20 MW which was “initiated and (at least partially) owned locally.”

Community wind power projects represent a relatively small, but growing, share of the wind energy market. As of July 2008, community wind projects accounted for at least 736 MW of the total installed wind energy projects in the United States, primarily in the Midwest, and more have been developed in the last year. These projects are largely owned by farmers and other local investors, schools, tribes and municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives. Such local ownership generates powerful economic and social benefits for rural areas. . . .

This updated Handbook provides the latest information on financing community wind projects, including ownership structures, roles of financial intermediaries, and sources of federal and state financial support. Although building these projects has become easier over time as landowners have benefited from the experiences of the community wind pioneers, understanding and accessing financing opportunities remains perhaps the most important requirement for a successful project.

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Renewable energy advantages

Since gas and home heating prices are very likely to be soaring in years to come, it is really a logical choice to explore renewable energy not only to save some money that would otherwise be spent on huge energy bills but also to help our environment that is being heavily polluted with fossil fuels. These days, the more and more people realize that our large dependency on fossil fuels is causing

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Regional Transit Authority stuck in transit funding tangle

From an article by Larry Sandler in the Milwaukee Jounral Sentinel:

The Milwaukee area's newest government body started work this week with the realization that it doesn't have the power to accomplish its only mission.

In essence, the members of the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority were told that the state had put them in an impossible position, and only the state can get them out of it.

The 2009-'11 state budget created the new RTA to oversee the planned KRM Commuter Link rail line. It did not give the new body any power to fund or coordinate local bus systems.

Yet Federal Transit Administration officials have said they won't approve the $207.5 million commuter railroad until the financial problems of the Milwaukee County Transit System and its Racine and Kenosha counterparts are solved, Ken Yunker, executive director of the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, told RTA members.

Therefore, the RTA and the KRM will be doomed to fail without additional help from Madison, said Milwaukee County Supervisor Michael Mayo, an RTA member.

Lawmakers are working with Gov. Jim Doyle to draft new legislation that would create more transit authorities with the power to levy various taxes to support the bus systems, said Dan Kanninen, Doyle's legislative director. Kanninen said the bill could be introduced by the end of the year, for action when the Legislature reconvenes in January.

This isn't what Doyle wanted, Kanninen stressed. In his recommended budget, the governor proposed a single body that would oversee both the KRM and public buses in Milwaukee, Kenosha and eastern Racine counties, funded by a 0.5% sales tax.

But legislators shot down that idea in the face of heavy sales tax opposition from Racine County.

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