Two excellent films about the importance of water

From an announcement by the Waukesha County Environmental Action League:

Water is on its way to becoming the oil of the 21st century. World water shortages brought about by increasing demand of growing populations and the results of mis-use and overuse of water, in conjunction with globalization, and the privatization of government roles and responsibilities, are adding up to what may be a world water crisis. While improved technology and new and alternate sources may provide answers to the energy crunch, no scientists have discovered how to make more water yet.

Two award-winning documentary films begin to address this issue: "Thirst" and "FLOW" (For Love of Water). Beginning on Sept. 23, WEAL (Waukesha County Environmental Action League) will show these films around the County.

Think of it as the "No Excuses Film Fest":

Seven showings ("Thirst" -- 4 showings. "FLOW" -- 3 showings.)
On different nights of the week
From Sept 23 to Oct 22, 2009
At locations all around the County
Free parking at easily accessible Public Libraries**
Free admission
Light refreshments
Discussion to follow

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UW-M students break ground at solar village

Students from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee assemble their solar-powered house in preparation for the start of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2009 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, Oct. 06, 2009.

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

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee architecture and engineering students have erected one of 20 buildings in a solar village that has risen on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Over the past two years, the students designed a small, energy-efficient solar home on campus, as part of the Solar Decathlon competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.

After being built on campus, the home was taken down in pieces and shipped to Washington, where it was put back together over the past week.

UWM is one of 20 teams selected to compete in the Solar Decathlon and is the first entrant in the competition from Wisconsin.

"We're excited about it," said Greg Thomson, assistant professor of architecture. "We're happy to be there. There's a big chunk of the Big Ten, and also teams that are made up of multiple universities."

The competition is international - with teams funded in part by the governments of Germany and Spain.

The UWM home - named Meltwater - features 28 solar panels producing electricity and two solar panels powering a hot water system. The name was chosen because its design was inspired by the power of the sun to melt the glaciers and create the Great Lakes.

The students and faculty involved in the project designed a home that would be comfortable in Wisconsin's climate.

The walls are extra thick and injected with more than twice the insulation of a typical Wisconsin home, Thomson said.

Photo by Stefano Paltera/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon

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Pilot project captures 90% of CO2

From a news release issued by We Energies:

PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis., Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- We Energies, Alstom and The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) announced today that a pilot project testing an advanced chilled ammonia process has demonstrated more than 90 percent capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the flue stream of at a coal-fueled power plant in Wisconsin.

At a press conference at We Energies' Pleasant Prairie Power Plant, which hosted the project, We Energies Chairman, President and CEO Gale Klappa, Alstom U.S. President Pierre Gauthier, and EPRI Senior Vice President Hank Courtright discussed the demonstration of Alstom's patented chilled ammonia process for carbon capture. Testing at the pilot facility, using a 1.7-megawatt (electric) slipstream from the plant, began in early 2008 and will conclude later this year.

The project confirmed the predicted performance of the chilled ammonia carbon capture system at an operating power plant. It achieved key research metrics around hours of operation, ammonia release, CO2 removal levels, and CO2 purity. In doing so, the project demonstrated the fundamental viability of the carbon capture technology in real-world conditions such as changes in temperature and humidity, the inevitable starts and stops of a large power plant, and the environmental hurdles that go along with using any chemical process.

"One of the biggest challenges facing our industry is the development of cost effective technology that will allow us to capture carbon from the operation of power plants around the world," said Klappa. "Today, with the success we're reporting from the research here at Pleasant Prairie, the solution is one step closer to reality."

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Time for regional transit is now, say Racine advocates

From an article by Christine Won in the Racine Journal Times:

RACINE - Bernie Hoff, 59, of Racine, said she and her family enjoyed the comforts of commuter rail when they were living in a Chicago suburb 24 years ago before they moved to Racine.

"We saw commuter rail is such an asset to the area," said Hoff, who was at a transit forum Wednesday night. "We can't understand why they don't have it here."

More than 130 people attended the community forum "Tapping into Transit as a Game-Changer" Wednesday night at the DeKoven Center, 600 21st St. The forum, hosted by Racine Transit Task Force and Transit NOW, highlighted the benefits of public transit and specifics of the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail project. The Task Force is a group working to improve transit for Racine.

Different community leaders appealed on the behalf of the community, businesses, labor unions and students for a public transit system.

Mayor John Dickert, one of the speakers, stressed the importance for interconnectivity of commuter rail, high-speed rail and buses to work together to move Racine forward. He addressed concerns about how much the commuter rail project would cost and pointed out putting in another lane in I-94 is costing $1 billion.

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Solar PV Installation, Permitting and Code Seminar, Nov. 18, Milwaukee

We Energies welcomes nationally recognized solar-electric code expert John Wiles to Milwaukee on Nov. 18. Wiles, a program manager at the Southwest Technology Development Institute at New Mexico State University, has many years of experience assisting the PV industry, electrical contractors and electrical inspectors in understanding the PV requirements of the National Electrical Code (NEC). For more information, contact Connie Lindholm.

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Panel discusses future of green jobs in Milwaukee

From an article by Tony DiZinno in the Marquette Tribune:

Two major points came out of Tuesday’s business forum on future green job growth in Wisconsin.

A panel of experts said more money needs to arrive as expected from part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — commonly known as the stimulus package — and potential candidates to fill the new jobs require higher levels of education and skill sets.

Before the panel spoke, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett gave a speech on his blueprint of the green job movement.

“Green jobs are a continuum of what jobs are now,” Barrett said. “Since work is done at the local levels, it is important to us to be involved in this. We have such a need for business development.”

Money appropriated as a part of the stimulus package, the panelists said, has been slow to arrive and will largely determine the future of green jobs in Milwaukee and Wisconsin.

“There’s been a lot of talk, but very little has actually entered the market,” said Tom Boldt, chief executive officer of Oscar J. Boldt Construction in Appleton. He added that he expects 2010 and 2011 to attract more funds.

Clay Nesler, vice president of global energy and sustainability for the building efficiency sector of Johnson Controls, said the stimulus package had the unintended consequence of halting projects that were in progress because workers and investments slowed while waiting for the “free money.”

He added he hopes companies can attract matching funds and create projects with “seed money,” funds that can be extrapolated over a longer period of time.

The described longer period of time involves integrating the new workers into the workplace. The jobs that have the potential to be created offer higher salaries on average, but require a corresponding higher level of available skills, the panel said.

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Milwaukee area seen as hybrid hub

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

It's August. The forecast calls for weather in the 90s. You pull into a parking ramp downtown and plug your hybrid-electric car into a charging station.

By midafternoon, with air conditioners all over town running full tilt, the local electric utility can't keep up with the demand. So instead of charging up, your car's battery begins feeding power back to the grid - saving the city from a brownout.

That night, an app on your cell phone confirms how much money you saved on your electric bill by helping out.

This scenario may have seemed far-fetched just a few years ago. But today, more and more utilities are working with transportation researchers on developing the infrastructure for an advanced way for Americans to fuel their cars and trucks.

And some lawmakers and businesses are working to position the Milwaukee region as a leader in the industry.

"This is an area that's going to be growing in national importance, and there are some really unique opportunities that we are well-positioned to take advantage of," said state Rep. Jeff Stone (R-Greendale).

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