Utility's renewables program judge 'average,' We Energies disputes 'C' grade

From a blog post by Tom Content on JSOnline: 

We Energies and other Wisconsin utilities are getting average grades from a renewable energy advocacy group in ratings released this week. 

Renew Wisconsin announced a renewable energy performance report card that judges how utilities have performed on a variety of levels, including the compliance with the state’s renewable energy mandate as well as a variety of other policies. 

Most of the utilities in the state, including Milwaukee-based We Energies, received “C” grades from Renew Wisconsin, said Don Wichert, executive director of the non-profit organization that seeks to expand development of solar, wind and other types of renewable energy. 

We Energies was praised for its construction of wind farms within the state, creating jobs and providing a local source of green power. But the Milwaukee utility was faulted in part for its decision last year to cancel funding for a renewable energy commitment it gave to Renew 10 years ago. 

At that time, We Energies committed to spending $6 million a year for 10 years on a variety of renewable energy programs. In return, the renewable energy advocacy group agreed not to oppose We Energies’ bid to build its coal-fired power plants in Oak Creek. 

The shift away from helping customers finance renewable systems is one reason We Energies was graded as a “C” on the group’s report card, said Wichert.

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We Energies Gets Lowest Score on Renewable Energy Report Card

RENEW Wisconsin announces the following for immediate release:

Churches and other nonprofits in We Energies’ service area will have difficulty following the renewable-energy example of the Unitarian Universalist Church West in Brookfield, because the utility unilaterally ended the incentive program which helped the church absorb the cost of a solar system installed in 2008.

The end of the utility program resulted in WE receiving a C on a renewable energy report card issued by RENEW Wisconsin, a statewide renewable energy advocacy organization.

“We Energies agreed with RENEW and other groups to spend $6 million/year over 10 years to encourage the use of renewable energy in its service area.  As part of the program, over 100 nonprofit organizations installed renewable energy systems.  In 2011, however, WE simply announced the end of the program after only five years,” said Don Wichert, RENEW’s executive director and the report card director, at a news conference in front of the church.  

“The money was critically important to our ability to install a solar system and was needed because nonprofits are not eligible for the federal tax credits” said Amy Taivalkoski, a congregation member who headed up the project along with Dennis Briley, another member.  “The grant of $27,500 covered about a third of the total cost.”

“We were very thankful to receive the grant, which allowed us to show other congregations how to fulfill a vision for a just, sustainable world.  It’s unfortunate that the WE program won’t be there to help them as it helped us,” added Rev. Suzelle Lynch, minister of the more than 700-person congregation.

WE earned a C (2.4 out of 5) overall on the report card for its renewable energy efforts in 2011, but had the lowest score of all utilities graded.  The state’s other major utilities’ grades ranged from C to B/C -- Alliant, C (2.6); Madison Gas & Electric, B/C (3.0); Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, C (2.7); and Xcel, B/C (3.0).

 “2011 was a year in which Wisconsin’s investor owned utilities cut back on their previous good performance supporting renewable energy,” said Wichert.  “At this point in 2012 it appears that this poor performance trend continues.”

 “It’s surprising and disappointing because recent opinion surveys indicate that the vast majority of Wisconsin’s population, including utilities ratepayers and stockholders, prefer renewable energy,” according to Wichert.

            RENEW graded utilities on six criteria: amount of renewable electricity sold; green energy purchasing programs; ease of connecting to the utility system; prices paid for renewable electricity; legislative activities; and other programs offered voluntarily to customers.

Wisconsin utilities performed best in meeting the state’s renewable electricity standard.  All of the utilities already meet or expect to meet the 10% standard by 2015, although some have the majority of the power coming from out of Wisconsin.

RENEW scored gave WE the following grades for 2011:

     B     Amount of renewable electricity sold (also called renewable energy standard)

B    Green energy purchasing program for customers

B    Ease of interconnecting to the utility system

F    Price paid for electricity purchased from renewable energy systems

F    Legislative activities on renewable energy policy

C-  Other programs offered voluntarily to customers.

This was the first time RENEW conducted a grading system, but RENEW plans to continue the process in the future because people are interested in how well their utilities support renewable energy. 

“The annual survey can be used by Wisconsin utilities and others to see which areas are

lacking and how they can improve their grades.  Adoption of renewable energy supports local

jobs, lower emissions of pollutants, and energy security.  These are attributes everybody wants.  There is no reason that Wisconsin utilities should be performing at average levels in clean energy,” said Wichert.

-END-

RENEW Wisconsin is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that leads and represents businesses, organizations, and individuals who seek more clean renewable energy in Wisconsin.  More information on RENEW’s Web site at www.renewwisconsin.org. 

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Wisconsin Energy to buy Monfort wind energy center

From a story on WTAQ radio, Green Bay:

GRANT COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) - Wisconsin’s largest electric utility will spend $27 million to buy an existing wind farm in the southwest part of the state.

Wisconsin Energy, the parent of We Energies, has agreed to buy the Montfort Energy Center near Montfort in Grant County. NextEra Energy Resources of Florida currently owns the facility.

It opened 11 years ago, and it now has 20 turbines that provide enough power for about 9,000 homes. We Energies’ CEO Gale Klappa says the wind farm will deliver positive benefits for both customers and shareholders. It will also help the utility meet its state-mandated requirement to produce 8.25 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2015.

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PSC plans local hearing on We Energies rate hike

From a story by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The state Public Service Commission announced Tuesday it will hold a public hearing in Milwaukee this fall on We Energies' rate increase proposal.

Dates, times and locations will be announced later, but it's expected to take place in late September.

The commission announced its decision via Twitter after putting out a schedule last week that called for a hearing in Madison only.

The Cleaner Valley Coalition, a group concerned about pollution from We Energies' Milwaukee coal-fired power plant, had said Friday it was requesting a local hearing.

The agency typically has held hearings in the Milwaukee area, but planned the hearing in Madison while encouraging utility customers to comment on the We Energies proposal electronically on the PSC website, agency spokeswoman Kristin Ruesch said in an email.

"Typically, there is very low attendance at rate case hearings, so it was a cost-saving and staff-resource saving measure to hold the hearing here at the Public Service Commission," she said.

Because of the announcement, the Cleaner Valley Coalition canceled plans to hold a news conference on Wednesday to express its concerns on the need for a local hearing. The coalition organized to urge We Energies to stop burning coal at its Valley power plant in Milwaukee's Menomonee Valley.

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RENEW asks PSC to stop We Energies' termination of renewable program

From the testimony of RENEW presented by Michael Vickerman, who draws attention to the fact that We Energies is trying to defund its $6 million/year renewable energy development program without any justification. In fact We Energies doesn't say anything about their actions. RENEW asks the PSC not to sanction this sleight of hand maneuver:

Q. What is the purpose of your testimony?
A. The purpose of my testimony is to discuss the May 2011 decision by We Energies to cancel a 10-year, $60 million commitment to support renewable energy development in its service territory. . . .

My testimony includes a recommendation to the Commission that it not allow We Energies to reallocate in 2012 the $6 million per year it had committed to spend on renewable energy development activities for other purposes. . . .

Q. What elements of We Energies’ Renewable Energy Development program do you consider to be particularly successful?
A. Several of We Energies’ customer incentives and tariffs were unique in the way they complemented Focus on Energy’s renewable energy program. For example, We Energies was the first utility to: (1) offer a solar energy-specific buyback rate; (2) increase the net energy billing capacity ceiling for small wind systems generators to 100 kW; and (3) support renewable energy-specific conferences and events such as Solar Decade held in Milwaukee. Perhaps the most innovative element in We Energies’ program, however, was its special incentive for nonprofit customers seeking to install renewable energy systems. Every three months, We Energies would solicit proposals from schools, religious institutions, local governments, nature centers and other nonprofit entities to co-fund new renewable energy systems on their premises. This We Energies incentive supplemented Focus on Energy grants and cash-back awards. It was designed to overcome the inability of these nonprofit entities to capture federal renewable energy tax credits to offset their own system acquisition costs. As a result of this unique incentive, there are more renewable energy systems serving nonprofit customers in We Energies territory than in any other utility territory. This initiative has an educational component to it as well; We Energies posts real-time production data from these systems on its web site.

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