Potawatomi digester to produce energy

From an article in BizTimes by Molly Newman: 

"Milwaukee area food waste will be used to generate power in an anaerobic digester that will be built at Potawatomi Bingo Casino in Milwaukee.

The facility will be able to break down organic materials into methane gas, powering engines that will produce up to 2 megawatts of power. That adds up to about 16 million kilowatt hours per year, enough to power 1,500 homes, which will be sold back to Milwaukee-based Wisconsin Energy Corp.

"We will be producing the energy and selling it back to We Energies under a tariff agreement, which will then count toward their renewable energy portfolio standard requirements in Wisconsin," said Jeff Crawford, tribal attorney general for the Forest County Potawatomi Community. The energy production will offset most of the Potawatomi Community's energy costs throughout the state, and also renew its commitment to the environment, he said. The tribe has about 17,000 acres of land throughout Wisconsin"

Read the full article here.

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Potawatomi plan $18.5 million biomass energy project next to Milwaukee casino

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

The Forest County Potawatomi Tribe is proposing to build an $18.5 million biogas energy project adjacent to its Menomonee Valley casino.

The renewable energy plan calls for construction of an anaerobic digester that would produce both electricity as well as heat that would provide for hot water and heating to the casino.

The digester would produce gas from wastes produced by the food processing industry, the Potatatomi said in a proposal filed with the City of Milwaukee.

The tribe estimated the project would create 61 construction jobs and five full-time jobs. If all approvals are obtained, construction would begin in late spring and be completed by early spring in 2013.

The facility would be located one block west of the casino on the site of what is now a parking lot for casino employees. The tribe says it has ample parking at the casino and that the development would not result in additional street parking.

The tribe was awarded a $2.5 million grant for a variety of renewable energy projects from the U.S. Department of Energy. This project would be funded, as well as a recently completed solar installation at the tribe's administration building in Milwaukee and renewable energy projects that are in the planning stage on the tribe's reservation in northern Wisconsin.

Under the proposal, the biogas project would generate 2 megawatts of electricity, which would be sold to We Energies. That is enough power to supply about 1,500 typical homes. The project would include heat recovery equipment to proivde heat and hot water for the digesters themselves as well as excess heat that would be used to supply heat and hot water to the casino.

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Solar farm, alternative fueling station, composting set for O'Hare & Midway

From an article by Jon Hilkevitch in the Chicago Tribune:

Solar energy collectors will be installed on up to 60 acres at O'Hare International Airport, and a service station selling alternative fuels for private and commercial vehicles will open near the airport, Chicago's aviation chief announced Monday.

"The solar panels will provide a substantial renewable energy source to help power O'Hare, and the alternative fueling station will promote the use of clean fuels and electricity to power vehicles," city Aviation Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino said at the 2011 Airports Going Green conference, which runs through Wednesday in downtown Chicago and at O'Hare.

At Midway airport, a composting program will be launched to handle food waste from its 13 restaurants, Andolino said.
private waste hauler will collect compostable materials at Midway, ranging from leftover food to cardboard boxes, and deliver them to an off-site composting facility, said Amy Malick, deputy commissioner of sustainability at the Chicago Department of Aviation.

The Midway project follows a pilot composting program at O'Hare. A total of 200 tons of compostable waste at both airports will be diverted from landfills each year, Malick said.

The service station selling alternative fuels will be located on a 2.25-acre parcel at Patton Drive and Higgins Road (near the intersection of Mannheim Road and Higgins) just outside the airport, Andolino said.

"The fueling station will be able to provide alternative fuels like bio-diesel, ethanol, electric charging as well as traditional fuel'' to commercial vehicles and private passenger vehicles, Andolino said. Construction of the facility is expected to begin in about a year, she said.

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Legislators are exporting wind energy jobs and torpedoing all other renewables

From a commentary by Jeff Anthony, American Wind Energy Association, on BizTimes.com:

The Wisconsin Assembly recently passed a bill that would enable hydroelectric power from Manitoba, Canada, to be shipped to Wisconsin to meet the state’s 2006 renewable energy law requiring 10 percent of the state’s electricity to come from renewable energy by the year 2015.

If enacted into law, the effect of the Manitoba Hydro Bill will be to ship jobs to Canada and reduce Wisconsin’s ability to meet its clean energy requirement by building more homegrown Wisconsin energy projects.

One of the bill’s sponsors, State Sen. Frank Lasee (R-De Pere), was quoted saying, “This new law will keep electric bills from going up by making it more affordable for utilities to meet green energy mandates.”

Unfortunately, he was mistaken in assuming that other forms of “green energy” will raise electricity rates in the state. If he had gotten his facts straight, he would have found that wind energy costs are at near-record lows, and many utilities in the U.S. are reaping the benefits of lower electricity rates as wind energy expands on their systems. But the facts about wind energy costs, like many other facts, apparently weren’t relevant in the rush to pass this ill-conceived bill.

What Sen. Lasee failed to mention is that his bill will also have a significant impact on Wisconsin by sending good-paying jobs that would otherwise have been created in Wisconsin – to Canada instead.

Sen. Lasee and the other state legislators who voted for the bill would have the state import electricity from Canadian energy projects that use Canadian workers. Today, Wisconsin supports 2,000-3,000 workers in the wind energy industry alone, and the Manitoba Hydro Bill now threatens many of those jobs in Wisconsin.

This is just the latest example of legislative activities that are exporting good-paying, clean energy jobs out of Wisconsin. Why?

At the beginning of the year, another onerous bill was proposed to impose extreme requirements on where Wisconsin wind projects can be located. A few weeks, later a joint committee of the legislature voted to suspend Wind Siting Rules that had been developed through a collaborative, open, and fair process. This rule was suspended by the joint legislative committee on the very day that these far better new rules would have taken effect.

Combined, these actions have jeopardized approximately 700 megawatts of wind projects that were proposed in the state, resulting in the potential loss of $1.8 billion investments and 2 million construction job-hours. And guess what – those 2 million job-hours will not show up in Wisconsin, and will likely move to neighboring states.

So what will be the next step in the “Wisconsin Jobs Export Agenda”?

Well, another piece of anti-clean energy job legislation has emerged, Assembly Bill 146, which would significantly reduce the growth of renewable energy in the state. The Wisconsin clean energy law was originally created to incentivize new renewable energy development and increase fuel diversity. AB 146 would effectively remove that incentive.

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State’s Hostility Toward Renewables Escalates; “Leaders” Lag Citizenry on Wind Support

Two articles from Catching Wind, a newsletter published by RENEW Wisconsin with funding from a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy:

State’s Hostility Toward Renewables Escalates
At the urging of Wisconsin utilities, several lawmakers have introduced a bill to allow a renewable energy credit (REC) to be banked indefinitely. If adopted, this measure (AB146) would constitute the most devastating legislative assault yet on the state’s renewable energy marketplace, which is already reeling from the suspension of the statewide wind siting rule this March and the loosening of renewable energy definitions to allow Wisconsin utilities to count electricity generated from large Canadian hydro projects toward their renewable energy requirements.

“Leaders” Lag Citizenry on Wind Support
Public support for wind energy development has held strong against the attacks launched by Governor Walker and the Legislature’s new Republican majority, according to a poll conducted between April 11 and April 18 by the St. Norbert College Survey Center for Wisconsin Public Radio.

Asked whether Wisconsin should "increase, decrease or continue with the same amount" of energy supply from various sources, 77% favored increasing wind power, the highest of any option (60% favored increasing hydropower, 54% biomass, 39% natural gas, 27% nuclear, and 19% coal).

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Now online: Wisconsin Renewable Quarterly

The Wisconsin Renewable Quarterly, the newsletter of RENEW Wisconsin, features these article:

Siting Rule Suspension Rocks Wind Industry
In a move that sent shock waves through the wind industry in Wisconsin, a joint legislative panel voted on March 1 to suspend the wind siting rule promulgated by the Public Service Commission in December 2010.

Community Biogas Project Fires Up
Home to 400 dairy farms, Dane County recently dedicated a community-scale manure-to-methane generating system designed to reduce nutrient runoff into the Yahara Lakes.

Insty Prints: Mpower ChaMpion
But if I can help other businesses make some of the harder choices by being more vocal, then I’m willing to help.

Manitoba Hydro: A Washout?
On behalf of our members and the many businesses and individuals who support the continued expansion of Wisconsin’s renewable energy marketplace, RENEW Wisconsin is here to express opposition to AB 114 (and its companion SB 81), and urges the Legislature not to pass this bill.

Verona Firm Begins Work on “Epic” PV
With the commissioning of its 1,300-module solar electric canopy spanning its parking deck, Epic Systems joins an elite group of Wisconsin companies embracing on-site energy capture to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. At 360 kilowatts (kW), Epic’s new photovoltaic system is the largest solar array in Dane County and the third largest in Wisconsin.

Calendar of Renewable and Energy Efficiency Events
June 17-19, 2001 The Energy Fair. Custer, WI. The nation’s premier sustainable energy education event. Three days of workshops, demonstrations, and exhibits highlighting renewable energy and sustainable living. For details see www.midwestrenew.org.

July 8-10, 2011 EcoFair360. Elkhorn, WI. Join hundreds of exhibitors and presenters and thousands of attendees who will Make Green Happen for three days of education, exploration and inspiration. For details see www.ecofair360.org.

July 16, 2011 Western Wisconsin Sustainability Fair. Menomonie, WI, Dunn County Fair Grounds. Exhibitors from business, government, and non-profi t groups, speakers, workshops, music, energy effi cient vehicles, a photo contest, and a tour of the Cedar Falls Dam. See http://sustainabledunn.org for more information.

July 30, 2011 8th Annual Kickapoo Country Fair. LaFarge, WI. The Midwest’s Largest Organic Food and Sustainability Festival. Food, music, bike and farm tours, cooking demonstrations, theater, kids’ activities, dancing. More information at www.kickappoocountryfair.org.

October 1, 2011 Solar Tour of Homes and Businesses. All across Wisconsin. Owners open their doors to let people see how renewable energy is practical, reliable, and affordable in today’s economy. The homes and businesses often include other energy efficiency and renewable technologies. For details see http://nationalsolartour.org.

October 26, 2011 Wisconsin’s Solar Decade Conference. Milwaukee, WI. Now in its seventh year, the Wisconsin
Solar Decade Conference is your opportunity to see fi rsthand the latest developments in the world of solar energy. For details see www.solardecade.com.

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Energy groups oppose bill to undermine Wisconsin's renewable energy commitment

From statements issued by three groups in opposition to Assembly Bill 146:

"Clearly, this bill is a drastic step in the wrong direction for our state. The Wisconsin Energy Business Association therefore opposes this attack on renewable energy in our state." - Wisconsin Energy Business Association. Full statement.

We strongly recommend that this bill not be approved as it solves no known problem in Wisconsin and seeks only to roll-back policies on renewable energy that have served the state well and are otherwise benefitting Wisconsin residents with cleaner air and lower prices for electricity. - Wind on the Wires. Full statement.

Fresh attack on Wisconsin voters’ desire for a renewable energy standard would kill wind projects and sap state’s economy, say wind energy advocates - American Wind Energy Association. Full statement.

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Will Wisconsin's emerging technologies survive under Walker?

From an article by Mike Ivey in The Capital Times:

When President Obama toured the state last week, he visited two companies in Manitowoc to promote Wisconsin's high-tech, clean-energy economy.

First, the president stopped at Tower Tech Systems, which manufactures utility-scale wind towers. Then he toured Orion Energy Systems, which makes high-efficiency lighting and solar-focused products.

"These aren't just good jobs that can help you pay the bills and support your families," the president told some 200 workers at Orion. "They're jobs that are good for all of us; that will make our energy bills cheaper; that will make our planet safer; that will sharpen America's competitive edge in the world."

But some are wondering whether Gov. Scott Walker, despite his "open for business" mantra, and the new Legislature share the same enthusiasm for emerging technologies and the promise of high-paying jobs.

During his first month in office, Walker has proposed strict rules that could hamper the wind power industry, nixed the Charter Street Biomass Project on the UW-Madison campus and returned more than $800 million in federal money for upgrading Wisconsin's passenger and freight rail infrastructure. There's also talk about limiting embryonic stem cell research, an issue that's more symbolic than substantive.

Put together, it's not exactly what economic development advocates were hoping to see from a governor who's vowed to create 250,000 new private sector jobs.

"I don't want to get in trouble here ... but there's some hand-wringing among our members," says Bryan Renk, who heads BioForward, a trade association for the state's bioscience and biofuel industry.

Both Gov. Tommy Thompson and Gov. Jim Doyle were big supporters of emerging technologies. Doyle in particular backed clean-energy initiatives and pushed a sweeping renewable energy bill in his last term that eventually died in the Legislature.

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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 fuels

How 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. . . ."

Milwaukee-based We Energies is proposing a $255 million, 50-megawatt power plant at the Domtar Corp. paper mill in Rothschild. Some residents in Rothschild, south of Wausau, have objected to the project because of concerns about air pollution that would be released by a new power plant located not far from a $770 million coal-fired power plant in Weston and south of Rothschild.

The utility said it proposed the biomass project as a way to help it comply with Wisconsin's renewable power mandate because it can generate electricity around the clock, unlike a wind farm. The project would supply steam to Domtar's paper mill and create up to 150 jobs, the utility said.

Critics call for a review

Critics of the project are asking the state Public Service Commission and Department of Natural Resources to do a full environmental review of the project.

A detailed review is not required and was not performed for the proposed Xcel Energy biomass plant in Ashland.

The agencies have not decided whether the review, known as an environmental impact statement, will be done for the We Energies project.

"Stop this biomass project now, please," Rebecca Simms of Rothschild said in a public comment filed with the state. "Biomass should no longer be considered an alternative to fossil fuels and should no longer be considered carbon-neutral, because it is not."

In a filing last week in response to an inquiry by state regulators, We Energies disclosed that carbon dioxide, or CO2, emissions from the Rothschild plant would be about 590,000 tons a year.

The utility says that will be offset by the replanting of trees in the forest that will absorb carbon dioxide. . . .

In Madison, the state of Wisconsin has proposed a $250 million biomass and natural gas plant to replace a coal-fired plant that serves the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

In Ashland, Xcel Energy would replace a coal-fired power plant with a biomass gasifier. The status of that project is uncertain, however, after the utility's cost estimate for the project ballooned by nearly 37% to $79.5 million.

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More groups join call for veto of waste-to-energy bill

Shortly following the end of the legislative session, RENEW Wisconsin wrote to Governor Jim Doyle asking him to veto Senate Bill 273, which would allow "plasma gasification" of municipal wastes to generate electricity. RENEW sought the veto because the bill would allow the electricity to be called renewable and count toward the renewable energy requirements placed on Wisconsin utilities.

Now several other organizations, including RENEW, fleshed out the orginal veto request with a second letter:

We, the undersigned businesses and organizations, urge you to veto SB 273, which would undermine Wisconsin's current renewable energy standards under Act 141. Signing this bill will result in less renewable solar, wind and biomass energy for Wisconsin at a time when our economy and our environment desperately need more, not less, of these technologies to decrease our dependence on dirty fossil fuels.

New development companies across the country are attempting to define gasification facilities as "green" renewable energy. Yet this technology, a glorified form of incineration that is burdened with many of the same cost and environmental drawbacks, has never been successfully deployed anywhere in this country. Developers are seeking tax incentives, grants and renewable energy credits at the expense of recycling and true renewable energy programs.

Please end your tenure as Governor by vetoing the bill that will undermine Wisconsin’s efforts to become a leader on genuine renewable energy. The benefits of doing so will be recognized for years to come.

The letter came from the Sierra Club – John Muir Chapter * Waukesha Environmental Action League * Midwest Environmental Advocates * Advocates for Renewable Energy * Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters * Clean Wisconsin * Wisconsin Environment * Citizens Utility Board * RENEW WI * Physicians for Social Responsibility * Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice.

Click here for a description of SB 273, as amended.

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Doyle launches Clean Energy Jobs initiative

From a news release issued by Governor Jim Doyle:

MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle today was joined by business leaders, labor, legislators and environmental organizations as he launched the Clean Energy Jobs Act, a landmark legislative package to accelerate the state’s green economy and create jobs. New industry-recognized research shows the package will directly create at least 15,000 green jobs in Wisconsin by 2025.

“Addressing climate change is not just an environmental issue, it’s about creating green jobs,” Governor Doyle said.

“The Clean Energy Jobs Act offers new standards to help accelerate Wisconsin’s green economy. I am calling on the Legislature to update renewable portfolio standards to generate 25 percent of our fuel from renewable sources by 2025 and set a realistic goal of a 2 percent annual reduction in energy consumption by 2015.”

The Clean Energy Jobs Act, State Senate Bill 450 and State Assembly Bill 649, implements the recommendations of Governor Doyle’s Global Warming Task Force to address climate change and grow the state’s green economy through several key measures:
• Enhanced renewable portfolio standards – A new 20 percent standard would be set for 2020 and a 25 percent standard would be set for 2025. The current 10 percent standard would be accelerated from 2015 to 2013. By advancing our current renewable portfolio standards, and setting new standards, we will ensure more of our energy dollars stay in the state, creating thousands of jobs for Wisconsin families in fields like construction, manufacturing, and agriculture.
• Enhanced energy efficiency and conservation efforts – Graduated statewide electricity savings goals would be set, leading up to a 2 percent reduction by 2015 and annual reductions thereafter. The cheapest way to lower carbon emissions is through energy conservation. By setting achievable conservation goals, this bill will help reduce energy costs in businesses and homes across the state.

A comprehensive economic assessment of the Clean Energy Jobs Act found that the package would directly create at least 15,000 green jobs in Wisconsin by 2025. More than 1,800 jobs would be created in the first year alone. The assessment also found that between 800 and 1,800 construction jobs would be created each year from 2011-2025, and more than 2,000 manufacturing jobs would be created once the laws are fully implemented.

Michael Vickerman, RENEW Wisconsin’s executive director said:

Wisconsin's existing 10% Renewable Energy Standard has driven significant investment in rural, forestry and agriculture markets by encouraging the construction of large wind, biogas, biomass and solar projects. Increasing the Renewable Energy Standard to 25% in 2025 would continue to generate more of the lucrative payments to landowners and biofuel / biomass providers as well as create more jobs constructing and maintaining the additional projects are built to meet the new standards.

The bills also include three of the proposals backed by the Homegrown Renewable Energy Campaign:

• Renewable Energy Buyback Rates, also called an Advanced Renewable Tariffs, would set utility payments for small renewable energy producers who want to "feed energy" into the electric grid, enabling farmers and rural businesses to help Wisconsin become more energy independent with biopower, wind and solar.
• The Biomass Crop Reserve Program would award contracts to farmers to plant native perennial plants, which the farmer can then sell for bioenergy production, helping to solve the chicken-and-egg problem of jumpstarting the homegrown fuels market.
• A Low-Carbon Fuel Standard would be a market-based approach to promoting the cleanest, low-carbon fuels for Wisconsin, and would put Wisconsin in a position to capture the rapidly-developing clean energy market by using Wisconsin's abundant natural resources like switchgrass.

Statements of support for the legislation came from Customers First!, WPPI Energy, CREWE, Clean Wisconsin, ACRE, MEUW, Sierra Club, and others.

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Closed duck farm may reopen as renewable energy site in Racine

From an article by Rick Barrett in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

A group of local businessmen have proposed using a waste treatment facility at the former Maple Leaf Farms in Yorkville to process food waste into electricity.

Maple Leaf was one of the nation's largest duck farms. It closed in 2008, resulting in the shutdown of its manure-to-energy methane digester.

DF-1 Associates is a group of Racine-area businessmen involved in restaurant grease recycling. They're hoping to reopen the methane digester and fuel it with restaurant garbage and waste from food-processing plants. The company would make money by hauling away the waste from restaurants and food processors and selling electricity generated from the digester.

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We Energies plans biomass plant at Rothschild mill site

From a news release issued by We Energies:

ROTHSCHILD, Wis. – We Energies announced today the proposed construction of a $250 million biomass-fueled power plant at Domtar Corporation’s Rothschild, Wisconsin paper mill site. Wood, waste wood and sawdust will be used to produce 50 megawatts of electricity and will also support Domtar’s sustainable papermaking operations. The project would be funded by We Energies.

The partnership between We Energies and Domtar will result in a highly efficient use of resources and will add another technology to We Energies’ renewable energy portfolio.

That portfolio includes the state’s largest wind development -- the 145 megawatt Blue Sky Green Field Wind Energy Center in Fond du Lac County and the proposed 162 megawatt Glacier Hills Wind Park in Columbia County. Together, these three projects will be capable of delivering nearly 360 megawatts of renewable energy, enough to supply approximately 120,000 homes. . . .

Under Wisconsin law, utilities statewide must use renewable energy to meet 10 percent of the electricity needs of retail customers by the year 2015.

The project is expected to create approximately 400 construction jobs and 150 permanent jobs in the surrounding community, including independent wood suppliers and haulers from northern and central Wisconsin who will secure waste wood for the project.

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New Berlin firm receives renewable energy grant

From a news release issued by Focus on Energy:

MADISON, Wis. (July 8, 2009) - Focus on Energy, Wisconsin's energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative, has awarded grants totaling more than $2.6 million to help businesses statewide finance the installation of large renewable energy systems. Funds were awarded on a competitive basis to help eligible businesses become more energy independent.

"The grants awarded offer businesses financial assistance for projects that will make a significant impact on Wisconsin's growing renewable energy market; in fact, these larger renewable energy systems offer businesses a way to lessen their dependence on fossil fuel based energy use, in turn reducing pollution" said Don Wichert, program director for Focus on Energy. "It is my hope more organizations will look to these businesses as shining examples of energy pioneers — and follow their example."

Grant Recipients
Following are the grant recipients in their respective technologies:

Solar hot water
Industrial Towel & Uniform (ITU) Inc. of New Berlin, Wis., an industrial laundry service company, was awarded $170,000 to install a 10,000 square foot solar hot water system. This system will reduce ITU's natural gas use by 28,388 therms a year, a significant decrease in its annual natural gas consumption. The system will be the largest solar water heating system in the state when completed.

Other grant recipients
Orion Electric Systems in Manitowoc, Wis., was awarded $250,000 to install a 273 kilowatt (kW) solar electric system. Orion Energy Systems labels itself as a technology center, designed with the express intention of reaching out to the community and developing an education program to introduce various energy technologies and devices to the public. To this end, its solar electric system will serve as a demonstration and educational tool. In addition, the project will be the largest solar electric system in the state and the first in the state to use an innovative cylindrical solar thin film technology.

PPC Partners Inc. in Plymouth, Wis., was awarded $500,000 to complete a 1,137 kW anaerobic digester energy system. PPC Partners will own the system; however, it will be located at Goeser Dairy LLC, a 1,000 head dairy operation. Goeser Dairy will provide the majority of waste stream to serve as the digester's feedstock and other wastes will also be used. The dairy will benefit from the enhanced waste and odor management system as well as reduced bedding fees.

The City of Sheboygan Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) was awarded $205,920 to install a biogas maximization system. The Sheboygan WWTP has been successfully operating a number of 300 kW microturbine systems for nearly four years. The new biogas maximization system will increase the gas production of the existing anaerobic digester from 30 percent to 60 percent. To capture the energy from the increased amount of biogas, the city will install two additional 200 kW microturbines, bringing the total generation capacity of the WWTP up to 700 kW.

Dairy Dreams LLC of Casco, Wis., a 3,000 head dairy operation, was awarded $434,477 for the installation of an 800 kW anaerobic digester energy system. The system will produce energy, while helping to manage waste and control odor.

Industrial Towel & Uniform (ITU) Inc. of New Berlin, Wis., an industrial laundry service company, was awarded $170,000 to install a 10,000 square foot solar hot water system. This system will reduce ITU's natural gas use by 28,388 therms a year, a significant decrease in its annual natural gas consumption. The system will be the largest solar water heating system in the state when completed.

Cashton Greens Wind Farm LLC of Cashton, Wis., was awarded $250,000 to install two wind turbines with a 5,000 kW capacity. The two-turbine wind farm is an innovative partnership between Cooperative Regions of Organic Producer Pools (CROPP), Western Technical College (WTC) and Gundersen Lutheran Health System Inc. It will be the first "community wind" project in the state and its two turbines will be the largest in the state.

Clear Horizons LLC in Sun Prairie, Wis., was awarded $500,000 to complete a 1,137 kW anaerobic digester energy system. Clear Horizons will own the system; however, it will be located at Maunesha River Dairy, a 1,000 head dairy operation. The dairy's waste stream will serve as the digester's feed stock and will use additional organic wastes from other sources. The system will produce energy, help manage waste and control odor.

Gundersen Lutheran Envision LLC in La Crosse, Wis., was awarded $376,057 to install a biomass fired steam plant to produce renewable thermal energy for Gundersen Lutheran Hospital's main campus. The system is estimated to provide approximately 95 percent of the campus' thermal needs. The boiler system will be fired with both wood waste and agricultural waste.

Businesses Statewide Are Eligible
In addition to the grants awarded, Focus on Energy offers financial incentives for smaller renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements. To learn more about Focus on Energy, available financial incentives, or to get an application, call (800) 762-7077 or visit Focus on Energy.

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RENEW Wisconsin's spring newsletter now online

The spring edition of RENEW's newsletter includes the following articles:

Legislature to Tackle Wind Permitting
The Importance of Doing the Math
Stimulus Package 101
Policy Drives Solar Hot Water Market
PSC Investigates Renewable Tariffs
Open Letter from RENEW President
Calendar

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Renewable energy facility proposed for Port of Milwaukee land

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

An industrial facility that would collect wood waste and other biomass and use it to make wood pellets and natural gas has been proposed for the Port of Milwaukee.

The renewable-energy facility would be operated by Waters' New Biotech Inc., a Pewaukee start-up led by Edward L. Waters.

The Common Council's Public Works Committee on Wednesday is to review a proposal to lease 3.7 acres on the Port's south harbor to Waters' New Biotech. The company would pay $85,100 annually for 15 years, according to the lease proposal.

The firm would demolish some city-owned buildings to make way for the facility and would receive rent credits to cover $116,000 in estimated demolition costs, the proposal said.

Waters' New Biotech plans to convert wood waste into wood pellets that can be burned as fuel, said Eric Reinelt, port director.

The development would include a gasification facility, with natural gas produced as a byproduct, he said.

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Waukesha mayor and others tell success stories

From a post by Don Albinger, VP of Renewable Energy, on the blog of Johnson Controls:

I was very pleased to be one of the speakers at the recent Wisconsin Renewable Energy Summit in Milwaukee. The session topic was the Role of Local Governments in Moving Towards Energy Independence with Renewable Energy – and I was honored to appear with a distinguished group of people who are doing just that:

Larry Nelson, Mayor of Waukesha, Wisconsin. Larry talked about the work he and his colleagues are doing to demonstrate that cities can be fiscally and environmentally responsible at the same time. . . .

Jeanne Hoffman, Facilities and Sustainability Manager for the City of Madison, Wisconsin. Jeanne talked about MadiSUN – the city’s solar energy program aimed at doubling installations of solar electric and solar hot water systems by 2001. . . .

Dave Merritt, Dane County, Wisconsin. Dave correctly pointed out that “the key to energy independence and climate change is local.” And he provided an excellent example of how Dane County is doing more than giving that lip service: Cow Power is the County’s program to build two digester systems to turn cow manure from a number of dairy farms in the County into electricity. . . .

And Ann Beier, director of the City of Milwaukee Office of Environmental Sustainability. Ann painted a clear picture of the critical role Milwaukee city government is playing in energy independence by setting the right example, testing new technologies, and developing innovative programs and policies. Ann talked about the progress the city is making in meeting its goal to reduce energy use by 15% by 2012 by installing solar electric and geothermal systems in municipal buildings, and converting city stoplights to high-efficiency LED fixtures – a step the city is also studying for municipal parking garages. . . .

In my mind, the stories told by each one of these speakers demonstrate how we already have the means, the funding mechanisms, the technologies and the expertise to put energy efficiency and renewable energy to work in city halls and county courthouses across America to save money, create jobs and protect the environment.

Waukesha, Madison, Dane County and Milwaukee – they’re all leading the way. A lot more like them need to find the will to join in.

What do you think?

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RENEW's winter newsletter goes online

The Wisconsin Renewable Quarterly, RENEW Wisconsin's newsletter, features these articles:

+ Rest in Peace: Cassville Generation Plant
+ Mississippi River Bird and Bat Study
+ Osceola School Heats Pools with Solar
+ Bob Ramlow: Solar Pioneer
+ Focus on Energy Issues Biogas Profiles
+ Focus on Energy Earns National Honor
+ State Plugs into Renewable Energy

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More waste could generate more electricity at Jones Island

From an article by Don Behm in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Sun seekers and swimmers put off by slimy, foul-smelling cladophora algae covering Lake Michigan beaches and rocky shorelines in summer have a pair of new allies in the ongoing battle with the nuisance plant: Daniel Zitomer and hungry microbes.

Where some see a putrid eyesore, Zitomer sees a sweet opportunity to make energy.

Allow bacteria and other microbes known as archaea to digest the stringy algae in enclosed tanks and the end product is methane, said Zitomer, an associate professor of engineering and director of the Water Quality Center at Marquette University.

The same goes for animal droppings at the Milwaukee County Zoo, as well as waste from food processing, candy making or even distilling liquor. Each is rich in organic carbon compounds, and they, too, could yield methane if digested by a diverse set of microbes.

Then, Zitomer says, burn the methane to generate electricity to lessen demand for energy from coal or natural-gas-fired power plants and reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases from the power plants that could contribute to global warming and climate change.

The tanks and microbes he wants to fill with cladophora and organic wastes from the community are at the South Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant in Oak Creek.

The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District uses bacteria and archaea to digest human feces and other sewage solids removed during the beginning of the treatment process at the Jones Island and South Shore plants. The blend is mixed and heated in four separate tanks with capacities of 3 million gallons each and two smaller tanks with half that capacity at South Shore.

Nearly a decade ago, Zitomer identified a seasonal waste - aircraft de-icing fluids from Mitchell International Airport - that could be poured into the digesters to boost methane production.

Christmas will come early again this year for billions of bacteria and other microbes in the below-ground tanks at the South Shore plant. The winter's first tanker full of de-icing waste - propylene glycol and water - arrived last week.

The addition of glycol to the tanks has the same effect as tossing sugar-loaded candy to children: It sets off a feeding frenzy among bacteria and archaea, Zitomer said.

Glycol molecules are broken apart by bacteria, then quickly fermented into acids, which are converted to methane by the archaea. Both groups of microbes working in the tanks thrive in warm, oxygen-free environments.

Since 2000, the airport has shipped between 250,000 and 300,000 gallons of the waste each winter to the South Shore plant. Tankers arrived more frequently last winter, however, and the treatment plant received a record 500,000 gallons.

In October, a separate partnership between InSinkErator, the Racine-based maker of food waste grinders, and Outpost Natural Foods on S. Kinnickinnic Ave. started sending small volumes of ground vegetables to the digesters at South Shore.

In 2007, the total energy value of methane produced in the digesters was estimated at $1.9 million, MMSD chemical engineer Jeff Schilling said. That dollar figure equals the money MMSD saved by reducing energy purchases for the plant. No estimate was available on the value of methane provided by adding the de-icing waste, he said.

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Easy to understand fact sheets on energy tax credit

The Web site awkwardly called the Database for State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency hosts two useful fact sheets for any individual or business considering a renewable energy installation.

Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit covers these eligible renewable enrgies and technologies: Solar Water Heat, Photovoltaics, Wind, Fuel Cells, Geothermal Heat Pumps, Other Solar Electric Technologies

Business Energy Tax Credits covers these eligible renewable enrgies and technologies: Solar Water Heat, Solar Space Heat, Solar Thermal Electric, Solar Thermal Process Heat, Photovoltaics, Wind, Biomass, Geothermal Electric, Fuel Cells, Geothermal Heat Pumps, CHP/Cogeneration, Solar Hybrid Lighting, Direct Use Geothermal, Microturbines

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