Pilot project captures 90% of CO2

From a news release issued by We Energies:

PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis., Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- We Energies, Alstom and The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) announced today that a pilot project testing an advanced chilled ammonia process has demonstrated more than 90 percent capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the flue stream of at a coal-fueled power plant in Wisconsin.

At a press conference at We Energies' Pleasant Prairie Power Plant, which hosted the project, We Energies Chairman, President and CEO Gale Klappa, Alstom U.S. President Pierre Gauthier, and EPRI Senior Vice President Hank Courtright discussed the demonstration of Alstom's patented chilled ammonia process for carbon capture. Testing at the pilot facility, using a 1.7-megawatt (electric) slipstream from the plant, began in early 2008 and will conclude later this year.

The project confirmed the predicted performance of the chilled ammonia carbon capture system at an operating power plant. It achieved key research metrics around hours of operation, ammonia release, CO2 removal levels, and CO2 purity. In doing so, the project demonstrated the fundamental viability of the carbon capture technology in real-world conditions such as changes in temperature and humidity, the inevitable starts and stops of a large power plant, and the environmental hurdles that go along with using any chemical process.

"One of the biggest challenges facing our industry is the development of cost effective technology that will allow us to capture carbon from the operation of power plants around the world," said Klappa. "Today, with the success we're reporting from the research here at Pleasant Prairie, the solution is one step closer to reality."

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Time for regional transit is now, say Racine advocates

From an article by Christine Won in the Racine Journal Times:

RACINE - Bernie Hoff, 59, of Racine, said she and her family enjoyed the comforts of commuter rail when they were living in a Chicago suburb 24 years ago before they moved to Racine.

"We saw commuter rail is such an asset to the area," said Hoff, who was at a transit forum Wednesday night. "We can't understand why they don't have it here."

More than 130 people attended the community forum "Tapping into Transit as a Game-Changer" Wednesday night at the DeKoven Center, 600 21st St. The forum, hosted by Racine Transit Task Force and Transit NOW, highlighted the benefits of public transit and specifics of the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail project. The Task Force is a group working to improve transit for Racine.

Different community leaders appealed on the behalf of the community, businesses, labor unions and students for a public transit system.

Mayor John Dickert, one of the speakers, stressed the importance for interconnectivity of commuter rail, high-speed rail and buses to work together to move Racine forward. He addressed concerns about how much the commuter rail project would cost and pointed out putting in another lane in I-94 is costing $1 billion.

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Solar PV Installation, Permitting and Code Seminar, Nov. 18, Milwaukee

We Energies welcomes nationally recognized solar-electric code expert John Wiles to Milwaukee on Nov. 18. Wiles, a program manager at the Southwest Technology Development Institute at New Mexico State University, has many years of experience assisting the PV industry, electrical contractors and electrical inspectors in understanding the PV requirements of the National Electrical Code (NEC). For more information, contact Connie Lindholm.

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Panel discusses future of green jobs in Milwaukee

From an article by Tony DiZinno in the Marquette Tribune:

Two major points came out of Tuesday’s business forum on future green job growth in Wisconsin.

A panel of experts said more money needs to arrive as expected from part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — commonly known as the stimulus package — and potential candidates to fill the new jobs require higher levels of education and skill sets.

Before the panel spoke, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett gave a speech on his blueprint of the green job movement.

“Green jobs are a continuum of what jobs are now,” Barrett said. “Since work is done at the local levels, it is important to us to be involved in this. We have such a need for business development.”

Money appropriated as a part of the stimulus package, the panelists said, has been slow to arrive and will largely determine the future of green jobs in Milwaukee and Wisconsin.

“There’s been a lot of talk, but very little has actually entered the market,” said Tom Boldt, chief executive officer of Oscar J. Boldt Construction in Appleton. He added that he expects 2010 and 2011 to attract more funds.

Clay Nesler, vice president of global energy and sustainability for the building efficiency sector of Johnson Controls, said the stimulus package had the unintended consequence of halting projects that were in progress because workers and investments slowed while waiting for the “free money.”

He added he hopes companies can attract matching funds and create projects with “seed money,” funds that can be extrapolated over a longer period of time.

The described longer period of time involves integrating the new workers into the workplace. The jobs that have the potential to be created offer higher salaries on average, but require a corresponding higher level of available skills, the panel said.

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Milwaukee area seen as hybrid hub

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

It's August. The forecast calls for weather in the 90s. You pull into a parking ramp downtown and plug your hybrid-electric car into a charging station.

By midafternoon, with air conditioners all over town running full tilt, the local electric utility can't keep up with the demand. So instead of charging up, your car's battery begins feeding power back to the grid - saving the city from a brownout.

That night, an app on your cell phone confirms how much money you saved on your electric bill by helping out.

This scenario may have seemed far-fetched just a few years ago. But today, more and more utilities are working with transportation researchers on developing the infrastructure for an advanced way for Americans to fuel their cars and trucks.

And some lawmakers and businesses are working to position the Milwaukee region as a leader in the industry.

"This is an area that's going to be growing in national importance, and there are some really unique opportunities that we are well-positioned to take advantage of," said state Rep. Jeff Stone (R-Greendale).

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Wisconsin Rapids company mulls Great Lakes wind farms

From an article by Nathaniel Shuda in the Wausau Daily Herald:

As leaders of a Wisconsin Rapids company finalize logistics of a planned local manufacturing plant, they have their sights set on an even larger project.

Officials with Energy Composites Corp. are developing a group to build wind farms on the Great Lakes, said Sam Fairchild, chief executive officer.

"There have been a lot of groups trying to align some interest in the Great Lakes in terms of energy," Fairchild said Friday. "The problem is no one is trying to build wind farms in the Great Lakes. That's what we're trying to do."

Two weeks after announcing plans to form what it's calling a Great Lakes Consortium, Energy Composites already has attracted the attention of state and federal officials, outside energy companies and power utilities in states surrounding the lakes, Fairchild said. Because of that, company leaders are trying to acquire federal funding for wind development.

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MATC to run state's largest solar electric system

From an article in the Business Journal of Milwaukee:

The Wisconsin Technical College System board has unanimously approved a $6.9 million solar education farm, the largest in the state of Wisconsin, to be built on Milwaukee Area Technical College land in Milwaukee.

The farm, a collaborative project between MATC and Glendale-based Johnson Controls Inc. (NYSE: JCI), was approved Wednesday at a meeting in Rhinelander.

The farm will be located on MATC-owned property at 810 E. Capitol Drive in Milwaukee. The farm will serve as a training center for technicians, designers, site assessors, electricians, sales personnel and other professionals in the fields of renewable energy.

The 32-acre property is located along the west bank of the Milwaukee River. Construction on the farm is pending receipt of a required permit issued by the city of Milwaukee. That process begins in two weeks.

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