Pilot project captures 90% of CO2

From a news release issueed 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."

PSC sets hearings for Glacier Hills wind farm

A news release issued by WE Energies:

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Wisconsin regulators have scheduled 2 public hearings Nov. 4 on a proposal for a 90-turbine wind farm in Columbia County.

Wisconsin Electric Power Co., a subsidiary of Wisconsin Energy Corp., asked the state Public Service Commission in October 2008 for permission to build the Glacier Hills Wind Park. The 17,350-acre park would have the capacity to generate up to 207 megawatts of power and include access roads, an underground system to collect power from the turbines and a new substation to connect to the existing transmission system.

The PSC estimates the project could cost between $335 million and $413 million.

Alliant Energy receives approval to bring more “green” power to Wisconsin

From a news release issued by Alliant:

200 megawatts of wind energy will help utility move further down path to greener future

Madison, WI – October 1, 2009 – Wisconsin Power and Light Company (WPL), a subsidiary of Alliant Energy Corporation (NYSE: LNT), today received approval from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) to build phase one of the Bent Tree Wind Farm in Freeborn County, Minnesota. This was the final regulatory approval needed by WPL to begin construction.

“We are very pleased with the MPUC’s decision today,” said Barbara Swan, President-WPL. “The addition of Bent Tree to our wind portfolio helps pave the way for WPL to provide 12% of our retail energy supply from renewable energy sources by 2012, furthering our commitment to finding emissions-free sources of energy that complement our existing baseload generation.”

WPL plans to develop approximately 200 megawatts (MW) of emissions-free wind energy on the Bent Tree Wind Farm site - enough energy to power approximately 50,000 homes. The MPUC approval comes three months after the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) approved the plan.

Plan to boost utility rates draws critics; another hearing to be set

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

We Energies customers weighed in on the utility's proposed rate increase on Tuesday, raising concerns about the utility's proposal to recoup revenue lost to sales declines caused by the recession.

But technical glitches at the hearing prompted the Public Service Commission to announce that another hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

At issue is a proposed $189 million price increase for electricity, as well as increases proposed for local natural gas charges and steam bought by Milwaukee and Wauwatosa businesses.

More than 40 people attended the afternoon hearing at Serb Hall on Milwaukee's south side, a bigger crowd than for any hearing on a We Energies rate case over the past six years.

Sandra Larson of Elm Grove said it's understandable that more revenue would be needed for certain things, such as building power plants.

"But to include an increase for lost revenue and pension plans while We Energies customers are conserving could be considered just plain greed," she said. "We Energies should get back to serving their customers and not penalizing them."

The hearing was conducted via speakerphone, as opposed to a video conferencing system that was used two years ago for the last rate increase proposal.

But the technical glitches made it difficult for the administrative law judge on the other end of the telephone, in Madison, to hear what customers in Milwaukee were saying, and the Madison-Milwaukee phone connection failed twice. More than a dozen customers left the hearing in frustration.

"This is not acceptable," commission chairperson Eric Callisto said in a statement. "I have asked staff to schedule another hearing to make sure that everybody who wants to be heard on these critical issues is heard."

Seven careers in wind farm development

From an article by Sarah Lozanova in RenewableEnergyWorld.com:

Currently about 85,000 people are employed in the wind energy industry, up from 50,000 last year. These jobs are very diverse, and include turbine manufacturing, wind farm development, wind farm construction, and turbine maintenance.

Developing an industrial-scale wind farm requires a team of people with a variety of abilities. Here's a look at some of the jobs involved as well as the skills necessary for this line of work. . . .

Dueling survey results differ on climate change and energy

Two surveys released on September 28, 2009, produced widely different results on Wisconsinites' opinions on climate change and renewable energy.

From a news release about the survey conducted by the Forest County Potawatomi:

[Crandon, Wisc.] In anticipation of state legislation to reduce greenhouse gasses which cause climate change, a recent statewide poll shows a majority of Wisconsin voters favor action by the State of Wisconsin to reduce carbon emissions.

When asked, “Do you favor or oppose the State of Wisconsin taking action to reduce (its) emissions of gases like carbon dioxide in Wisconsin that cause global warming?” nearly three-fourths of voters (70%) favor the State of Wisconsin taking action to reduce carbon emissions. Only 24% of voters oppose taking action.

Support for action to reduce emissions also crosses party lines, with majorities of Republicans (53%), independents (67%) and Democrats (87%) favoring action by the State of Wisconsin.

“Carbon pollution threatens to dramatically change our world for the worse,” said Forest County Potawatomi Attorney General Jeff Crawford. “We have a responsibility to our children and grandchildren to be good stewards of the environment.”

The poll also found that two-thirds of Wisconsin voters favor requiring utilities to generate 25% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025.

From the press release on the survey conducted by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce:

MADISON – With jobs dominating the public’s mind, a statewide poll of voters found over 60 percent say Wisconsin should not enact its own global warming policies, favoring national and international approaches, WMC reported Monday.

Also, voters oppose global warming proposals that hit them in the pocketbook with increased energy prices or potential job losses, the poll found. In 2007, Governor Jim Doyle convened a Global Warming Task Force that called for numerous new regulations to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The Legislature is likely to consider some of those proposals later this session.

Xcel Energy CEO Interview: Richard Kelly

From an interview with Richard Elly, CEO of Xcel Energy, posted on Yahoo! Finance:

TWST: Would you begin with an overview of Xcel Energy and a picture of the things that the company is doing at the present time?

Mr. Kelly: Xcel Energy is the fifth-largest gas and electric utility in the United States. We serve eight states, with the largest ones being Minnesota, Colorado, Texas and a substantial portion of western Wisconsin, and we provide service to approximately 3.4 million electric and 1.9 million natural gas customers. We are a fully integrated, regulated utility, and our strategy is to grow the core, which means we are going to stay in the regulated side of the business. Our goal is to be an environmental leader, which I believe we have accomplished. We've done a lot of good work on the environmental side.

TWST: What are the most significant trends or developments that you anticipate in your markets over the next two to three years?

Mr. Kelly: One of the things that I worry about most for Xcel Energy is public policy and how that will evolve. I'm specifically referring to some kind of energy bill or legislation on carbon emissions and global warming, and the impact that's going to have on all utilities, including Xcel Energy. It is for this reason we've worked on our environmental strategy for the past several years. For example, strong demand-side management, large renewable energy and carbon reduction are all aspects we have worked on so that we are prepared for whatever legislation comes out of Washington, D.C. Alternatively, if nothing comes from the federal government, then at a minimum we would be in line with meeting the states' requirements.

TWST: What are the growth opportunities that you see for this company?

Mr. Kelly: The major growth opportunity is going to be investment in our environmental leadership strategy. Investment in wind, solar and biomass present great opportunities for us. We are blessed with the geography in the middle part of the United States, where there is abundant wind. And as you get farther down south, obviously there is abundant solar, and in the Midwest we have a lot of opportunities for biomass. So while the customer growth might be less going forward, as people become more conscious of energy efficiency, we'll still be able to maintain our growth because of these opportunities we have on the environmental side.