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A news release from Clean Wisconsin:
Letters signed by nearly 100 businesses delivered to Capitol
MADISON – Letters signed by nearly 100 businesses as well as faith, low-income and environmental advocates were delivered to members of the Joint Committee on Finance today, asking them not to eliminatethe funding approved last year for Focus on Energy, a statewide program that helps homeowners and businesses reduce energy use.
“Focus on Energy is a successful program that creates thousands of family-supporting jobs and cuts energy bills,” said Keith Reopelle, senior policy director at Clean Wisconsin. “Cutting this funding would increase
electricity bills as homeowners and businesses would lose the opportunity to reduce their energy bills by a combined $2 billion.”
Joint Finance Committee co-chair Robin Vos has stated his intention to eliminate the funding approved last year several times. That move is likely to happen as early as tomorrow through the committee’s consideration of the state budget, despite the fact that Focus on Energy funding is unrelated to the state budget.
“We urge you to protect the PSC’s investment increase for the program and allow our businesses to grow, add new jobs, and strengthen the local economy,” reads a letter addressed to members of the Joint Finance Committee. “With a proven track record of delivering cost-effective energy savings and driving local business, Focus on Energy should be allowed to grow.”
To date, Focus on Energy has created 24,000 jobs and saved homeowners $2.50 for every $1.00 invested in the program, according to an independent evaluation. When the PSC issued its approval for the increased funding in November of last year, it referenced an energy efficiency-potential study that showed 7,000 to 9,000 new jobs would be created with a similar increase of Focus on Energy funding.
“The Focus on Energy program contributes significant resources to help businesses and residents save energy, create jobs and stay competitive in the marketplace,” said Randy Johnson, president of US Lamp, Inc. “Reducing or eliminating Focus on Energy funding would take away our state’s competitive energy advantage and position us in the bottom, not the top, of states to consider for residence or locating a business. I would urge legislators to keep the Focus on Energy funding in place for the vitality of
Wisconsin.”
Newly appointed Public Service Commission Chairman Phil Montgomery issued a statement two weeks ago, on Earth Day (April 22), lauding the program and pointing out that it saved Wisconsin ratepayers $380 million on their energy bills in 2010 alone.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Wind farm growth also a windfall for truckers -- in Iowa
From an article by Dan Piller in the Des Moines (Iowa) Register:
Beginning next month, motorists on Iowa highways will notice more of those huge trucks - which can be as long as 180 feet and weigh almost 400,000 pounds - hauling turbine parts as Iowa's wind industry goes through another growth spurt.
MidAmerican Energy of Des Moines will begin construction of a 593-megawatt wind farm, which will include 193 turbines in Adair County alone.
"Wind turbine units can have up to nine loads apiece," said Phoumine Baccum, who administers oversize truck permits for the Iowa Department of Transportation. "The blades come in three pieces, each a separate load, the towers are usually three separate loads, and there are separate loads for the hub and the nacelle and for other equipment."
Brad Kohlwes' family trucking company in Des Moines hauls for wind farms. "This is a real boost for the trucking industry and for Iowa's economy," he said. "I just wish we didn't have to pay more than $4 for diesel like we do."
Trucks loaded with turbine parts get about 4 miles per gallon, he said.
Beginning next month, motorists on Iowa highways will notice more of those huge trucks - which can be as long as 180 feet and weigh almost 400,000 pounds - hauling turbine parts as Iowa's wind industry goes through another growth spurt.
MidAmerican Energy of Des Moines will begin construction of a 593-megawatt wind farm, which will include 193 turbines in Adair County alone.
"Wind turbine units can have up to nine loads apiece," said Phoumine Baccum, who administers oversize truck permits for the Iowa Department of Transportation. "The blades come in three pieces, each a separate load, the towers are usually three separate loads, and there are separate loads for the hub and the nacelle and for other equipment."
Brad Kohlwes' family trucking company in Des Moines hauls for wind farms. "This is a real boost for the trucking industry and for Iowa's economy," he said. "I just wish we didn't have to pay more than $4 for diesel like we do."
Trucks loaded with turbine parts get about 4 miles per gallon, he said.
Friday, April 22, 2011
PSC chairperson highlights Focus on Energy achievements on Earth Day
A news release from the PSC:
MADISON – Public Service Commission Chairperson Phil Montgomery today marked Earth Day by recognizing the achievements of the Focus on Energy program, which for 10 years has worked successfully with businesses and residents across Wisconsin to advance renewable energy projects and efficient energy use.
“Using energy wisely means saving money, cutting pollution and increasing the reliability of our utility services,” Chairperson Montgomery said. “I want to thank Focus on Energy for being part of a balanced approach and making significant gains that make Wisconsin a better place to live and do business.”
Focus on Energy programs saved Wisconsin approximately 2.8 million megawatt hours and $380 million in energy costs in 2010. In turn, emissions were reduced as follows: 8.7 million fewer pounds of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide; 10.7 million fewer pounds of sulfur dioxide; 6.65 billion fewer pounds of carbon dioxide and 42 fewer pounds of mercury.
The Public Service Commission oversees the Focus on Energy program, which was created in 2001 and is supported by an independent fund established by utilities and their ratepayers.
More about Focus on Energy, including information on participating and a library of product and equipment data, fact sheets, case studies, technology updates, industry best practices and more, can be found at: www.focusonenergy.com.
MADISON – Public Service Commission Chairperson Phil Montgomery today marked Earth Day by recognizing the achievements of the Focus on Energy program, which for 10 years has worked successfully with businesses and residents across Wisconsin to advance renewable energy projects and efficient energy use.
“Using energy wisely means saving money, cutting pollution and increasing the reliability of our utility services,” Chairperson Montgomery said. “I want to thank Focus on Energy for being part of a balanced approach and making significant gains that make Wisconsin a better place to live and do business.”
Focus on Energy programs saved Wisconsin approximately 2.8 million megawatt hours and $380 million in energy costs in 2010. In turn, emissions were reduced as follows: 8.7 million fewer pounds of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide; 10.7 million fewer pounds of sulfur dioxide; 6.65 billion fewer pounds of carbon dioxide and 42 fewer pounds of mercury.
The Public Service Commission oversees the Focus on Energy program, which was created in 2001 and is supported by an independent fund established by utilities and their ratepayers.
More about Focus on Energy, including information on participating and a library of product and equipment data, fact sheets, case studies, technology updates, industry best practices and more, can be found at: www.focusonenergy.com.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
How coal stacks up against wind
Madison Peak Oil Group listserve subscribers are debating coal vs. wind. To join the debate, drop an email to madisonpeakoil-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Masood Akhtar's work demands a lot of energy
From a Q&A article by Judy Newman in the Wisconsin State Journal:
If you ask for a business card from Masood Akhtar, be prepared to get a handful.
Akhtar wears many hats. He is currently:
• Chief executive officer and founder of BioPulping International, Madison.
• Co-founder and managing director of operations for Central Signal, Madison.
• President and founder of CleanTech Partners, Middleton.
• President and co-founder of the Bioenergy Deployment Consortium, Middleton.
• Chairman of the U.S. Forest Research Advisory Council.
Akhtar also is working on a joint energy project between the U.S. and India and a student exchange program between UW-Madison and several universities in India.
A native of India, Akhtar has lived in the U.S. for about 25 years, mostly in Madison, and is a U.S. citizen, "which I'm proud of," he says. . . .
Q: Most of your endeavors are related to energy. Do they share a common goal?
A: Energy efficiency and renewable energy. We talk about efforts to make our country less dependent on foreign oil - promoting efficiency is the cheapest, easiest, cleanest way to accomplish that.
When I came to the U.S., I was involved in research related to increasing crop yield. But I thought about energy and realized it would become a big issue. I wanted to find out where I could help.
All of my efforts are energy-related except for Central Signal, which develops technologies for railroad signals and constructs them.
If you ask for a business card from Masood Akhtar, be prepared to get a handful.
Akhtar wears many hats. He is currently:
• Chief executive officer and founder of BioPulping International, Madison.
• Co-founder and managing director of operations for Central Signal, Madison.
• President and founder of CleanTech Partners, Middleton.
• President and co-founder of the Bioenergy Deployment Consortium, Middleton.
• Chairman of the U.S. Forest Research Advisory Council.
Akhtar also is working on a joint energy project between the U.S. and India and a student exchange program between UW-Madison and several universities in India.
A native of India, Akhtar has lived in the U.S. for about 25 years, mostly in Madison, and is a U.S. citizen, "which I'm proud of," he says. . . .
Q: Most of your endeavors are related to energy. Do they share a common goal?
A: Energy efficiency and renewable energy. We talk about efforts to make our country less dependent on foreign oil - promoting efficiency is the cheapest, easiest, cleanest way to accomplish that.
When I came to the U.S., I was involved in research related to increasing crop yield. But I thought about energy and realized it would become a big issue. I wanted to find out where I could help.
All of my efforts are energy-related except for Central Signal, which develops technologies for railroad signals and constructs them.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Earth Day Economics: A Green and Prosperous Future
From an article in the Shepherd Express by Doug Booth, a retired Marquette University economics professor, a founder of the Driftless Area Land Conservancy, and author of The Coming Good Boom: Creating Prosperity for All and Saving the Environment Through Compact Living:
The astounding success of the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, under the tutelage of a true Wisconsin hero, Sen. Gaylord Nelson, marked the coming of age of the environmental movement in this country. Environmental victories in the 1970s included the passage of such landmark legislation as the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species acts. Earth Day ushered in a new environmental era, and today the quality of our lives is much improved for it.
Unfortunately, our work remains unfinished.
Our single greatest environmental threat today is global warming brought to us by the burning of fossil fuels to power our cars, heat our homes, grow our food and fabricate and operate all our wonderful consumer gadgets. Scientists tell us that greenhouse gases from fossil fuels act like a "tea cozy" around the Earth, bringing forth dangerous environmental harms reported in the news on a daily basis—a shrinking polar ice cap, rising sea levels, more powerful storms, droughts and wildfires.
Reducing Fossil Fuel Consumption
Bringing global warming to a halt can be accomplished with a simple act—freeing ourselves from the environmental tyranny of fossil fuels. Some will say this is easier said than done, but doing so will bring on what I call a "good boom" that will lift all our boats. The "good boom" will be an economic expansion created through compact urban living, clean energy, more grassland and less corn, green cuisine, letting forests grow old and more. It will also help us address global warming. . . .
Wind and Solar Are the Future's Power Sources
Necessary to moving beyond fossil fuels is a switch to truly clean sources of renewable energy. Notwithstanding Gov. Scott Walker's attempt to bring wind energy to a screeching halt with onerous regulations, both wind and sun are the primary energy sources of the future. For example, California lawmakers recently approved a rule requiring utilities to derive one-third of their power from renewable energy sources within 10 years. As we do more of anything in our economy, its cost inevitably falls. This is happening already for both wind and solar energy. The Great Plains is on track to becoming the Saudi Arabia of wind energy, and throughout the Midwest industrial belt, old factories are quickly being refitted to produce wind generators and solar panels. Despite the naysayers, the wind and solar energy revolution is under way, bringing forth an abundance of new jobs—windsmiths, solar panel installers, weatherization specialists, solar engineers, wind and solar equipment fabricators and, here in Milwaukee, urban farmers.
To be sure, the fossil fuel industry will resist going quietly and will defend to the death its right to pollute the atmosphere without cost. Eventually, the industry will lose this battle and will pay the public piper through some form of a tax on greenhouse gas emissions.
The astounding success of the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, under the tutelage of a true Wisconsin hero, Sen. Gaylord Nelson, marked the coming of age of the environmental movement in this country. Environmental victories in the 1970s included the passage of such landmark legislation as the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species acts. Earth Day ushered in a new environmental era, and today the quality of our lives is much improved for it.
Unfortunately, our work remains unfinished.
Our single greatest environmental threat today is global warming brought to us by the burning of fossil fuels to power our cars, heat our homes, grow our food and fabricate and operate all our wonderful consumer gadgets. Scientists tell us that greenhouse gases from fossil fuels act like a "tea cozy" around the Earth, bringing forth dangerous environmental harms reported in the news on a daily basis—a shrinking polar ice cap, rising sea levels, more powerful storms, droughts and wildfires.
Reducing Fossil Fuel Consumption
Bringing global warming to a halt can be accomplished with a simple act—freeing ourselves from the environmental tyranny of fossil fuels. Some will say this is easier said than done, but doing so will bring on what I call a "good boom" that will lift all our boats. The "good boom" will be an economic expansion created through compact urban living, clean energy, more grassland and less corn, green cuisine, letting forests grow old and more. It will also help us address global warming. . . .
Wind and Solar Are the Future's Power Sources
Necessary to moving beyond fossil fuels is a switch to truly clean sources of renewable energy. Notwithstanding Gov. Scott Walker's attempt to bring wind energy to a screeching halt with onerous regulations, both wind and sun are the primary energy sources of the future. For example, California lawmakers recently approved a rule requiring utilities to derive one-third of their power from renewable energy sources within 10 years. As we do more of anything in our economy, its cost inevitably falls. This is happening already for both wind and solar energy. The Great Plains is on track to becoming the Saudi Arabia of wind energy, and throughout the Midwest industrial belt, old factories are quickly being refitted to produce wind generators and solar panels. Despite the naysayers, the wind and solar energy revolution is under way, bringing forth an abundance of new jobs—windsmiths, solar panel installers, weatherization specialists, solar engineers, wind and solar equipment fabricators and, here in Milwaukee, urban farmers.
To be sure, the fossil fuel industry will resist going quietly and will defend to the death its right to pollute the atmosphere without cost. Eventually, the industry will lose this battle and will pay the public piper through some form of a tax on greenhouse gas emissions.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Rising Diesel Prices Fuel Higher Electric Rates
For immediate release
April 15, 2011
More information
RENEW Wisconsin
Michael Vickerman
608.255.4044
mvickerman@renewwisconsin.org
We Energies Customers Will Pay the Higher Cost of Hauling Coal
We Energies’ electricity customers can look forward to coughing up an additional $25 million in 2011 due to the Public Service Commission’s approval yesterday [April14] of a rate increase to cover the escalating cost of transporting coal to Wisconsin power plants.
Milwaukee-based We Energies, Wisconsin’s largest electric utility, imports coal from such distant locations as Wyoming and Pennsylvania to generate electricity. Transportation now accounts for two-thirds of the delivered cost of coal to Wisconsin.
Diesel fuel costs have jumped to approximately $4.00 a gallon this year, propelled by political unrest in the Middle East, declining petroleum output from Mexico, a weakening dollar, and other factors. We Energies’ request predated the ongoing civil war in Libya.
“While we cannot control any of those price drivers, we can more effectively cushion their effects by diversifying our energy generation mix with locally produced wind, solar, small hydro, and biogas electricity,” said Michael Vickerman, executive director of RENEW Wisconsin, a statewide organization advocating for public policies and private initiatives that advance renewable energy.
“The coal mines aren’t getting any closer to Wisconsin. Therefore we have to be serious about reducing our dependence on fossil fuels that are tied to the global oil supply picture. Now is not the time to skimp on investments in conservation and renewable energy that will help stabilize the utility bills of businesses and residents,” Vickerman said.
“Do we have the will to pursue energy policies that take us off of the fossil fuel price escalator? Doing nothing will bake these rate increases into our future without any corresponding boost to Wisconsin’s job market and sustainable energy economy.”
April 15, 2011
More information
RENEW Wisconsin
Michael Vickerman
608.255.4044
mvickerman@renewwisconsin.org
We Energies Customers Will Pay the Higher Cost of Hauling Coal
We Energies’ electricity customers can look forward to coughing up an additional $25 million in 2011 due to the Public Service Commission’s approval yesterday [April14] of a rate increase to cover the escalating cost of transporting coal to Wisconsin power plants.
Milwaukee-based We Energies, Wisconsin’s largest electric utility, imports coal from such distant locations as Wyoming and Pennsylvania to generate electricity. Transportation now accounts for two-thirds of the delivered cost of coal to Wisconsin.
Diesel fuel costs have jumped to approximately $4.00 a gallon this year, propelled by political unrest in the Middle East, declining petroleum output from Mexico, a weakening dollar, and other factors. We Energies’ request predated the ongoing civil war in Libya.
“While we cannot control any of those price drivers, we can more effectively cushion their effects by diversifying our energy generation mix with locally produced wind, solar, small hydro, and biogas electricity,” said Michael Vickerman, executive director of RENEW Wisconsin, a statewide organization advocating for public policies and private initiatives that advance renewable energy.
“The coal mines aren’t getting any closer to Wisconsin. Therefore we have to be serious about reducing our dependence on fossil fuels that are tied to the global oil supply picture. Now is not the time to skimp on investments in conservation and renewable energy that will help stabilize the utility bills of businesses and residents,” Vickerman said.
“Do we have the will to pursue energy policies that take us off of the fossil fuel price escalator? Doing nothing will bake these rate increases into our future without any corresponding boost to Wisconsin’s job market and sustainable energy economy.”
--END--
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