Video celebrates 10th anniversary of Kewaunee County wind farm

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Registration open for Solar Decade Conference, Oct. 2, Milwaukee

Now in its fifth year, the Wisconsin Solar Decade Conference is your opportunity to see firsthand the latest developments in the world of solar energy. Register today to hear from top industry experts and attend dozens of exhibits, workshops and panel discussions as you discover the state of the technology, the state of the market and where both will be tomorrow!•Learn about the latest solar energy applications for your home and business•Discover opportunities to tap the renewable energy market and expand your business•Network with fellow builders, contractors, homeowners and business own...

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Green inn will be first of its kind in Midwest

From an article in Walworth County Today:DELAVAN TOWNSHIP — A totally "green," 19-room, luxury bed and breakfast inn being developed in Delavan Township will be the first of its kind in the Midwest.The Green Leaf Inn, located off Wisconsin Highway 50 and west of Wisconsin Highway 67, plans to open in the summer of 2010 and will make Walworth County a major point of interest for the burgeoning eco-tourist movement.The Inn will incorporate green energy sources, renewable and sustainable materials and practices, and environmentally responsible land and water use, according to a news releaseThat is the goal of Catherine McQueen and Fritz Kreiss, the owners of the Green Leaf. The couple has been in the energy industry for more than 17 years, and has been involved with the green energy movement...

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Concordia readies environmental stewardship center

From an article in The Business Journal of Milwaukee:Concordia University Wisconsin announced Wednesday that it plans to break ground in July for its new Center for Environmental Stewardship.Construction of the 13,000 square-foot, two-story building is set to begin July 14. The structure will be built in Mequon on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan and work is expected to be completed in time for the start of the 2010 academic year.The total cost of the building is expected to be between $3.5 million and $3.75 million and is being funded exclusively through charitable gifts already secured for the project.Concordia officials said the building demonstrates the university’s commitment to environmental education, freshwater conservation and emphasis on sustainable energy resources. Plans for the...

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Sahara solar project facts

Sometimes called the Saudi Arabia of solar energy, the Sahara could soon be home to dozens of huge solar farms under a new EU supergrid initiative to supply the continent's electricity needs with renewable energy.The 20 companies aim to sign a memorandum of understanding to found the Desertec Industrial Initiative, which would then commission studies on various projects in North Africa.Siemens...

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Solar energy pushed back because of recession

Economic recession and credit crisis is having serious effect on future development of solar energy sector. A year ago optimism around solar energy was constantly rising with many energy experts proclaiming it as renewable energy source NO.1 , and one of the top future energy sources. What has happened in only one year that changed all of this? First of al investors have started thinking twice...

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Rooftops are ill-suited for wind turbines

From a fact sheet published by Focus on Energy:Rooftop wind turbines are one of the most talked about trends in renewable energy. City dwellers and suburbanites, inspired by the spread of large turbines and intrigued by the idea of producing their own energy, are today inquiring about rooftop wind systems in record numbers.But just how viable are these systems? Can small rooftop wind turbines ever produce enough electricity to make the investment worthwhile? Find out the answers to these and other commonly asked questions below. . . .Will a small rooftop turbine power my whole house?No. Small turbines can only produce small quantities of electricity due to their small rotors. Rooftops are ill-suited to harness the wind regardless of their location due to the trees and buildings surrounding...

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Revitalizing Ourselves Through Renewable Energy

From a presentation by RENEW's Michael Vickerman at the Energy Fair of the Midwest Renewable Energy Association:Energy Policy Must Recognize Energy Realities + Supplies of liquid fuels peaked in 2008+ Capital is disappearing before our very eyes+ Energy and food are the original currencies+ The shift from stores to flows is inevitable+ Current economy is highly energy-intensive+ Energy return on energy invested (EROEI) must inform decision-making + We can’t afford to prop up existing energy sinks or engage in wealth-draining military adventuresThree paths to choose+ Business as usual+ Clean green technology+ Curtailment and commun...

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Energy fair stresses jobs, training and ROI

From an article by George Leopold and video posted on EE Times:CUSTER, Wis. — With the U.S. economy still in the tank and the ranks of the unemployed still growing, many visitors to this year's Midwest Renewable Energy Association's Energy Fair came here looking for work or a career change. Engineers and other professionals flocked to sessions on subjects like "green-collar careers" at the 20th annual event in this bucolic central Wisconsin community. Renewable energy experts stressed the job-creating potential of emerging solar, wind and other alternative energy sources. Meanwhile, vendors, mindful of the still-high up front costs for renewable energy systems, emphasized what they claimed is the shrinking time needed to recoup the cost of investment in new energy systems. Workshops were heavy...

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Next generation wind farms

Next Generation contest 2009 with its very prestigious prize is over and the winner is so called "Wind-it" project created by French team. A French team of one engineer along with two architects has won this year’s prestigious part thanks to some really innovative ideas that could be used in installation of future wind farms.The biggest problem many people connect with wind farms is their size,...

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Wind siting bill passes major legislative hurdle with strong bipartisan support

From a news release issued by Clean Wisconsin:Madison, Wis. – Wisconsin could soon see greater growth in the promising wind energy industry after the Assembly Committee on Energy and Utilities passed Assembly Bill 256 today, a bipartisan bill that would encourage growth in the clean energy industry by replacing a chaotic patchwork of local regulations with sensible statewide standards for permitting safe wind farms.“Wind energy holds the potential to address many of the greatest problems facing our state –it can clean our environment and reduce global warming pollution while reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and creating jobs for hard working Wisconsinites,” said Amber Meyer Smith, program director at Clean Wisconsin the state’s largest environmental advocacy organization. “With so much...

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World's largest energy fair this weekend, Custer, WI

From the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune:The world’s largest and longest-running energy fair is being held in central Wisconsin.Midwest Renewable Energy Association is holding its 20th annual Energy Fair next Friday through Sunday at the ReNew the Earth Institute in Custer. It feature hundreds of workshops and exhibits emphasizing clean energy and sustainable living.General admission for the fair is $15 each day or $35 for all three days.A major sponsor is Madison-based Focus on Energy. It works with eligible Wisconsin residents and businesses to install cost-effective energy efficiency projec...

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Milwaukee program wins green jobs grant

From an article by Joel Dresang in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:The United States Conference of Mayors has recognized the Milwaukee Conservation Leadership Corps as a good example of training young workers for green jobs.The group cited the job training program Friday with a $550,000 check from the Wal-Mart Foundation, which Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said will be used for expansion. Barrett said the corps shows what private, public and nonprofit sectors can do together to develop workers while improving the environment.The program involves Johnson Controls Inc. and the Student Conservation Association and trains disadvantaged high school students in conservation practices, putting them to work in Milwaukee-area parks. About 80 students will participate in the Milwaukee Conservation Leadership...

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Jefferson business turns to sun

From an article by Steve Sharp in the Watertown Daily Times:JEFFERSON - Area dignitaries turned out by the dozens Thursday afternoon to salute and support Jefferson business leader Steve Lewis as he embarks on his quest to generate clean, solar energy. Part of Lewis' goal is to serve as an inspiration to others to undertake solar energy-capturing projects of their own.Ninety-nine solar panels now sit atop the north roof of Lewis' Jefferson Area Business Center (JABC) and provide emission-free, sustainable energy by converting sunlight into electricity. The photovoltaic, renewable energy system is the largest commercial project of its kind in the county.Thursday's reception at the JABC on Wisconsin Drive, just steps south of Highway 18, brought out a cross-section of community leaders, including...

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End unnecessary obstacles to wind power

From an editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:The single biggest constraint on increasing wind generation of electricity in Wisconsin is the permitting process, according to Clean, Responsible Energy for Wisconsin's Economy, a group working on implementing the recommendations of the Governor's Task Force on Global Warming. And one of the biggest problems in the permitting process is local opposition to wind farms.CREWE has said that over 600 megawatts of planned wind developments are stalled across Wisconsin "due to midstream changes in regulations and procedures." The Journal Sentinel's Thomas Content pointed out in an article on Monday that more than a dozen wind projects around the state have been slowed by local opposition.That can't continue. What's needed, as CREWE officials argue,...

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Lake Erie likely to get wind turbines first

From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:The first wind turbine development on the Great Lakes could be built within three years or so, experts on offshore wind power said during a conference Wednesday in Milwaukee.The first project is expected to consist of three to five turbines just off the shore of Cleveland in Lake Erie.The project is being pushed by the Cuyahoga County government as an economic development strategy to help boost the development of a wind-power manufacturing industry in a state that's been hit hard by cutbacks in the auto industry, said Steve Dever of the Ohio Great Lakes Energy Development Task Force.During the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative meeting at We Energies, experts on offshore wind in Wisconsin said they expect development to start slowly...

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Wisconsin's clean economy: "Small and losing"

From a post on Tom Content's blog on JSOnline.com:Wisconsin's clean-energy economy is smaller than the national average and lost jobs between 1997 and 2007, a new report published Thursday says.Wisconsin employed more than 15,000 jobs in the clean-energy sector, according to a study by the Pew Charitable Trusts. But employment in the clean sector fell 5% during that decade, at a time the state's overall job growth was more than 3%, according to the report.As a result, the company ranks with Maryland, Utah and West Virginia as states where the clean-energy sector is described as “small and losing.”Despite that stark description, Wisconsin ranked well in one area, the report found. With 2,801 people employed in the energy efficiency field, Wisconsin employed more people in this area than all...

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Church goes green with solar power

A story by Tom Murray on WTMJ:SHOREWOOD - The Presbyterian church at Bartlett Avenue and Capitol Drive claims to be the first green church on the North Shore.The congregation believes in making God's green earth a little greener."It's a way of helping to reduce our carbon footprint," said Reverend Jim Bender.The 55-year-old church has a new look. There are three rows of solar panels on the roof pointing toward heaven. Jackie Keltner and Sam Kashou belong to North Shore Presbyterian's very own eco focus group."I think they look fabulous," said Keltner. "Even on a relatively small scale, you can make a difference."It's quite a leap of faith for Sam, who's been attending this church since 1948."Solar panels? They didn't even have that in the vocabulary," he quipped.The panels will not do all...

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UW-Parkside: a SHINING example in Wisconsin

From an article published in the e-newsletter of Focus on Energy:Drive through the UW-Parkside campus today and you'll notice a new energy on campus—solar energy, to be exact. UW-Parkside just put Kenosha on the renewable energy map in a big way with the installation of a 26 kilowatt solar electric system. Under the guidance of UW-Parkside's Task Force on Sustainability, Don Kolbe, the university's director of facilities management, oversaw the installation of three separate, highly visible solar electric systems across the campus. According to Mr. Kolbe, "We [UW-Parkside] wanted a visual representation of the sustainability initiative that our university has been actively pursuing." These three solar electric systems will convert the sun's...

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Rooftop gardens all about growth

From an article by Kathleen Gallagher in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:A year ago, Erik Lindberg rented a boom lift with a bucket and hoisted 15 cubic yards of dirt to the roof of his north side remodeling business. In the process, he planted himself firmly in the middle of a growing urban agriculture movement.Lindberg, owner of Community Building & Restoration, turned to rooftop gardening in the belief that his actions might encourage people to grow their own food or buy locally grown produce.And by selling the vegetables he grows to subscribers and a nearby Outpost Natural Foods store, he may have become Milwaukee's first commercial rooftop farmer."It's an experiment," said Lindberg, 42. "Can you develop a business plan out of something like this? The answer is, I don't know yet."Rooftop...

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Wisconsin can save money by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy

From a news release issued by Wisconsin Environment:Green Bay, WI –Reducing dependence on fossil fuels, creating new jobs and protecting the environment for future generations are all benefits resulting from the clean energy policies adopted in Wisconsin in recent years, according to a new report released today at events in Madison, Milwaukee and Green Bay by Wisconsin Environment. The group cited the report’s findings as clear evidence the state legislature should take the next steps toward a clean energy economy. “This report shows that we can repower Wisconsin and revitalize our economy with homegrown clean energy solutions,” said Wisconsin Environment Director Dan Kohler. “With our abundant natural resources and strong manufacturing and agricultural base, we have the perfect combination...

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Costs fall for We Energies' wind farm project

From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:Wind turbine prices have fallen significantly in recent months amid the economic slowdown, and that, in turn, has brought down the projected cost to build the state's largest wind farm.The Glacier Hills Wind Park in Columbia County is now projected to cost a maximum of $413.5 million, down from a projection of $525.6 million when We Energies announced the project last year.The Milwaukee utility is seeking to build the project in the next several years to comply with a state law that requires 10% of Wisconsin's electricity be supplied by wind turbines and other renewable energy sources by 2015."Market conditions for the procurement of wind turbine equipment have changed considerably" since the utility first submitted its proposal...

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