20 MW solar energy farm proposed in Jefferson

From an article by Ryan Whisner in the Jefferson Daily Union:JEFFERSON - A proposal to build the second-largest solar-generation farm in the United States was presented to City of Jefferson officials Wednesday night.Green States Energy Inc. of Deerfield Beach, Fla., unveiled plans to build a solar energy farm on 100 acres of the city's north industrial park that would generate approximately 20 megawatts of electricity.Jefferson Sun One would have approximately 100,000 individual solar panel modules on the 100-acre parcel. The site - just north of the former Brigg & Stratton plant - would generate approximately 3.5 million kilowatt hours per year, equivalent to generating sufficient electricity for about 3,500 homes. An interconnectivity agreement with Jefferson Utilities and WPPI is intended."This...

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Manitowoc firm will build wind-turbine towers for We Energies project

From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:Tower Tech Systems of Manitowoc will build 90 steel towers for Wisconsin's largest wind farm, as We Energies adds a "buy-local" flavor to its renewable energy project near Madison.The Manitowoc maker of wind turbine towers will build the 262-foot tall towers for turbine maker Vestas. The turbines will be erected next year in Columbia County at the $367 million Glacier Hills Wind Park.The move comes as European companies like Vestas and Ingeteam look to expand their domestic production of wind power components.Ingeteam last week broke ground on a $15 million wind power generator factory in Milwaukee's Menomonee Valley.For its part, Vestas is ramping up production of turbines, blades and towers at factories in Colorado.But for...

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Tour the top of a turbine

From Madison Gas Electric:"Many of us have seen giant wind turbines from the road... but very few people get a chance to go inside. In this story, see what's in the core and climb with us to the very top of the turbine! It's a 26 story vertical climb in a very tight space. See how it's done and find out how energy is transferred from the blades, into the nacell and down the core of the turbi...

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SCA Tissue bets on wind to power its Town of Menasha office needs

With three turbines set, crews raise a fourth one beside the SCA Tissue office building in the Town of Menasha.From an article by Michael King in the Appleton Post-Crescent:TOWN OF MENASHA — SCA Tissue is at the forefront of renewable energy applications and looking for more opportunities.On Monday, the papermaker installed the first of four 100-foot-tall, 20-kilowatt wind turbines outside the SCA Tissue Service Excellence Center offices at 1451 McMahon Drive as part of a $300,000 project. The turbines with the 15-foot blades tower over the building, which has rooftop solar panels that were installed a few years ago."This is the first commercial wind (turbine project) in the town," said Mike Dillon, SCA Tissue manager of...

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Concensus unlikely on recommendations from Wind Siting Council

From an article by Paul Ryan in The Daily Reporter:Deadline pressure and 100 amendments are cracking the unity of the state‘s Wind Siting Council as it strives to agree on turbine placement standards.Even the definition of agreement is a point of contention among the 15 members. The state law that formed the council requires only that the panel make recommendations that will go to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin and, ultimately, the state Legislature.But some council members insist they will testify against recommendations not based on a consensus vote."I told them they can come in with studies and articles and hearsay,” said Larry Wunsch, a Brownsville resident and council member. “I come in with experience. I live in a wind farm, and I can tell you what it looks like and how it...

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Group says high-speed rail will add 9,000 jobs in Wisconsin

From an article by Ilissa Gilmore in the Sheboygan Press:ASHWAUBENON — An advocacy group said Wednesday that the high-speed rail system that will connect several Midwest cities will benefit the environment and provide more than 9,000 jobs in Wisconsin.Members of the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group student chapters came to the National Railroad Museum in Ashwaubenon to promote the $823 million project that will connect Green Bay, Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, and Minneapolis-St. Paul, among other cities.WISPIRG — which works on economic, environmental, and social concerns — is conducting its second annual tour for the system. The group also has visited Eau Claire, La Crosse and Madison and will hit Oshkosh, Milwaukee and Racine.States need to invest in railways instead of more roads...

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Geothermal power plant principle

Unlike other power plants that rely on coal or other fossil fuels to generate electricity for homes and businesses, geothermal power plants use superheated fluids from the earth’s geothermal resources to generate electricity. The natural heat of the earth creates geothermal resources. This heat comes from molten rock, called magma, located at the earth’s core deep below the geothermal resource....

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Visit RENEW at the Energy Fair, June 18-20

Visit RENEW in booth C2 at the 21st Annual Energy Fair June 18-20, 2010. Each year the MREA Energy Fair transforms rural Central Wisconsin into the global hot spot for renewable energy education. The Energy Fair brings over 20,000 people from nearly every state in the U.S. and several countries around the world to learn, connect with others and ready them for action at home. The Energy Fair is the nation's longest running energy education event of its kind. Advance Energy Fair tickets and Reservations for Back 40 Camping will be available starting April 1st. The Energy Fair features: •Over 275 exhibitors - sustainable living and energy products •Over 200 workshops - from introductory level to hands-on education •Clean Energy Car Show - demonstration vehicles and workshops •Green Home Pavilion...

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Energy Fair to host renowned author, June 19

From an article by Nicole Strittmater in the Wausau Daily Herald:An environmental superstar will visit Custer this week to help inspire central Wisconsin residents to go greener.Bill McKibben, who wrote the first book about global warming 21 years ago and recently created an international campaign called 350.org to solve the climate crisis, is a keynote speaker for the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair on Saturday."I very much wanted to come, particularly because the kind of people who will be at the fair are the kind of people we need to reach," said McKibben, 49, from his home in Ripton, Vt.He spends the majority of his time traveling the world promoting his 350.org campaign, which draws its name from the parts per million of carbon that can safely be in the atmosphere. His focus is to get the...

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Homes waste watts of power, study finds

From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:TVs, computers, others leach energy and moneyIn one of the first studies of its kind, energy researchers in Madison have uncovered a simple way that most consumers can save on their electric bills: pull the plug.The researchers set up more than 700 in-home metering devices in about 50 homes to monitor the proliferation of electronic devices in our homes, and how they affect our energy use.Thirty years ago, federal data shows, a typical home had about three plugged-in devices. The new study shows our wall sockets are jammed, with each home hosting 30 or more devices. All told, computers, printers, televisions and other devices account for 15% to 30% of a home's total electricity use - about 20% on average, the study found.The...

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All together for change

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Village of Cascade installs two wind turbines at wastewater plant

From a news release issued by RENEW Wisconsin:With the start-up of two 100-kilowatt (kW) wind turbines, the Village of Cascade became the first Wisconsin community to power its municipal wastewater treatment plant with 100 percent locally produced wind energy. The impetus behind Cascade’s embrace of wind power was the avoided utility expenditures associated with operating a wastewater treatment plant. In the first year of operation, Cascade stands to save $30,000. With anticipated increases in electric rates, the Village of Cascade should save more than one million dollars over the thirty-year life of the turbines.Additional revenue will come from the sale of excess power to We Energies. “With these two turbines, the Village of Cascade has...

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Project under way to propose development of 12.5 MW of solar power generation

An announcement by We Energies:We Energies has a commitment to propose the development of approximately 12.5 MW of solar power generation. This solar commitment entails 5 MW by Jan. 1, 2013, and the remaining 7.5 MW by Jan. 1, 2015. With the development and permitting phase of the Glacier Hills Wind Park completed, Andy Hesselbach, wind farm project manager, will be taking on the added responsibility of developing a plan to comply with this commitment.To assist in these planning and development efforts, Carl Siegrist, senior project strategist - Regulatory Affairs and Policy, has been assigned to work under Hesselbach’s direction. Siegrist serves on the board of directors of two national solar organizations, has been involved with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin solar task force,...

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DOE program recognizes Vickerman for wind advocacy

IMMEDIATE RELEASEJune 4, 2010MORE INFORMATIONMichael VickermanRENEW Wisconsin608.255.4044mvickerman@renewwisconsin.orgWind Energy Advocacy Award Presented to RENEW Wisconsin DirectorRENEW Wisconsin Executive Director Michael Vickerman was presented with an award by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Powering America program. Vickerman received the Midwest Regional Wind Advocacy Award at the program’s annual state summit following the WINDPOWER 2010 Conference & Exhibition in Dallas, Texas. At this event, Wind Powering America recognized wind energy advocates in three regions across the country: East, West and Midwest.The award cites Vickerman’s “vision and creative leadership in RENEW and his leadership of the Wisconsin Wind Working Group.” Under the auspices of Wind Powering America,...

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With biomass, green and not-so-green lines blur

From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:Wisconsin power projects spark questions about emissions from biomass vs. fossil fuelsHow green can the energy produced by a biomass power plant be if it releases carbon dioxide into the air just like a coal or natural gas-fueled plant?That's the question being raised about biomass projects, including one proposed by We Energies in Rothschild and another Xcel Energy Corp. is considering in Ashland."You can't assume that biomass is carbon-neutral. It depends on how many trees you plant and how fast they grow, and all sorts of variables," said Katie Nekola, energy program director at the conservation group Clean Wisconsin. "It's right to look at it case by case to see exactly what the carbon balance is going to be for any plant....

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Workshops, keynoters, and all the other details set for Enrgy Fair, June 18-20

Each year the MREA Energy Fair transforms rural Central Wisconsin into the global hot spot for renewable energy education. The Energy Fair brings over 20,000 people from nearly every state in the U.S. and several countries around the world to learn, connect with others and ready them for action at home. The Energy Fair is the nation's longest running energy education event of its kind. The Energy Fair features: •Over 275 exhibitors - sustainable living and energy products •Over 200 workshops - from introductory level to advanced hands-on education •Clean Energy Car Show - demonstration vehicles and workshops •Green Home Pavilion - focused on building and remodeling in a sustainable way •Green Building Demso - see sustainable building techniques in action •Sustainable Tables - workshops, chef...

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India launches National Solar Mission plan

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently stated a rather ambitious plan to make India a global leader in solar power as he launched a government initiative to boost use of the solar technology, and make solar energy the most important renewable energy source in country.According to Singh solar energy can not only help secure India's energy independence and decrease the need for expensive...

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Rail ideas await their fate in Milwaukee

Three stalled plans for Wisconsin train travel get reanalyzed in the election yearFrom an article by Larry Sandler in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:Railroads and politics have one thing in common: They're all about the timing.Trains run by schedules. Politicians wait for the right moment to make their moves.And timing is everything for rail transportation in southern Wisconsin, where political circumstances have brought three different rail transit plans to the forefront simultaneously - only to thrust them into an election-year controversy where some plans may not survive.After years of study and debate, the state has landed an $810 million federal grant to build a high-speed train line from Milwaukee to Madison. At the same time, Milwaukee-area authorities are seeking federal permission...

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