Another wind developer suspends work in Wisconsin

Immediate release:March 30, 2011Contact:Bill FrenchMidwest Wind Energy(847) 414-0134French@midwestwind.comMidwest Wind suspends project development in WisconsinIn view of continued regulatory uncertainty in the State of Wisconsin, a leading wind farm developer has announced that it has suspended development activity until a more predictable climate is restored. Chicago-based Midwest Wind Energy, LLC (MWE) has been developing utility scale wind farms in Wisconsin since 2003 and has two of its developed projects operating; one a 54-megawatt project in Dodge County and the other a 67-megawatt project in Fond du Lac County. MWE is also developing a 98-megawatt project in Calumet County and another project which had not yet been announced publicly.According to MWE President, Stefan Noe, it no longer...

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Jobs and $1.2 million annually lost due to state's hostile regulatory climate sinks wind project

More informationMichael VickermanExecutive Director608.255.4044mvickerman@renewwisconsin.orgLess than a month after a 10-member legislative committee prevented a statewide wind permitting rule from taking effect, Invenergy, LLC, a Chicago-based wind developer that owns and operates the 86-turbine Forward Energy Center installation south of Fond du Lac, has ended efforts to install 100 turbines in southern Brown County.In a March 21 letter to the Public Service Commission (PSC), Invenergy singled out the recent suspension of the agency’s wind siting rule as a significant factor in its decision to cancel the Ledge Wind Energy Center. “The absence of regulatory stability has made it imprudent for Invenergy to proceed with investments in a project which unknown regulations might make infeasible...

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Geothermal energy – Quick facts

Introduction to geothermal energy Geothermal energy is a very rich source of energy, as it lies directly beneath us, just a few kilometers below the surface of the earth. Geothermal energy is not connected with massive carbon emissions like this is the case with fossil fuels. Underground water near geologically active areas gets heated and even boiled at high temperatures and produce steam. The...

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Manitowoc Company gets order for 70 wind turbine towers

From a post by Tom Content on JSOnline:Broadwind Energy Inc. will supply 70 wind towers for a wind farm Goldwind USA Inc. will build in Illinois later this year.Broadwind Energy, based in Naperville, Ill., operates a wind tower manufacturing plant in Manitowoc formerly known as Tower Tech.Goldwind is planning to build a 70-tower project for its Shady Oaks project in Lee County, Ill., set for installation in the second half of the year.The company saw record production levels for wind turbine towers in the fourth quarter, Broadwind said today. Broadwind is currently building towers for the Glacier Hills Wind Park, which is being built northeast of Madison in Columbia County by We Energies.The Glacier Hills project will be Wisconsin’s largest wind farm. Goldwind USA is a subsidiary of Chinese-based...

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Mad Fast Trains

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Angry anti-wind crowd intimidates town board to change vote

From an article by Tony Walter in the Green Bay Press-Gazette:GLENMORE — The Glenmore Town Board voted Monday to wait 60 days before voting on a permit request to have seven wind turbines built in the town. In an emotion-filled meeting that at one point had Town Chairman Don Kittell call in police officers when residents began chanting and shouting, the board reversed an earlier vote to approve the permits.Mark Dick of Cenergy, a subsidiary of Pennsylvania-based CG Power Solutions that is seeking to erect the turbines, said the board's delay on a decision was based on emotion and opinion, not law."You're asking the Town Board to violate law," Dick told the more than 100 residents who crowded into the Glenmore Community Center. "You might as well as ask them to outlaw smoking."The board voted...

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Busting bus systems

From an editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:Even if you never use a bus and would never think of getting on a commuter train, the current bleak prospects for mass transit systems in Wisconsin should matter to you.Transit moves people to jobs, it eases congestion on city streets and freeways and it gives people another transportation option. That's important, especially now as drivers are faced with rising gasoline prices and roadwork that is shutting down lanes on freeways and major highways.The Legislature and Gov. Scott Walker need to rethink their approach to transit and make sure that Wisconsin's systems remain healthy, especially for those who need it for work, school and shopping. Businesses such as Bucyrus International and Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. rely on transit....

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Energy programs get Walker ax

From an article by Mike Ivey in The Capital Times:If you like burning fossil fuels - hey, aren't those Koch brothers in the pipeline business? - then you'll love Gov. Walker's proposed budget.The 1,345-pager takes a whack at scores of environmental efforts, from nixing the state Office of Energy Independence to actually encouraging state vehicles to use more gasoline.Seriously, you can't make this stuff up. And with pump prices marching toward $4 a gallon, you wonder if any thought went into the long-term fiscal impacts.But here's the skinny.Walker wants to eliminate the Office of Energy Independence, which works to reduce the state's annual energy bill. Launched by Gov. Doyle in 2007, it has 10 staffers and an office at 201 W. Washington Ave. Since Wisconsin has no coal, natural gas or oil...

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From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:Utility customers could be on hook for extra costWe Energies customers may be on the hook for more money to pay for the Oak Creek power plant, based on latest estimates that indicate the project came in 8.7% over budget - adding $191 million to the price tag for the largest construction project in state history.The project initially was approved with a budget of $2.19 billion. Project delays blamed on litigation and permitting delays, as well as weather-related construction problems, have contributed to rising costs. The total price tag is now pegged at $2.38 billion.A report by R.W. Beck & Co., a consultant hired by We Energies to review the progress of the construction, indicated that the cost for the second phase of the...

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Suspension of wind siting rule endangers state’s economic future

For immediate release: March 1, 2011More informationMichael VickermanExecutive Director608.255.4044mvickerman@renewwisconsin.org(Madison) - The wind industry in Wisconsin suffered a serious setback when a joint legislative panel voted to suspend the wind siting rule promulgated by the Public Service Commission (PSC) in December, according to RENEW Wisconsin, a statewide renewable energy advocacy group. The five-to-two vote tracked along party lines, with all five votes to suspend coming from Republican members of the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules (JCRAR). Many companies involved in windpower supported the PSC’s rule as a workable compromise that would have created a stable and predictable permitting environment for all...

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