Posts Tagged ‘Wisconsin’
Wisconsin startup gearing up to respond to turbine breakdowns
>> Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A slowdown in wind farm construction won’t deter Gearbox Express, which has invested more than $9 million to ready itself to help the wind power sector move through an inevitable challenge – gear failures.
Wisconsin regulators sign off on section of CapX 2020 power line
>> Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Members of the Wisconsin Public Service Commission on Thursday gave a nod to utilities proposing a $210 million high-voltage power line that would provide a third major grid connection with Minnesota.
Natural gas joins green vehicle options at Kwik Trip stations
>> Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Kwik Trip Inc. is adding natural gas fueling at a two Wisconsin service stations this month as part of the privately held firm’s broader expansion into alternative fuels.
Wisconsin regulators to vote today on Minnesota-Wisconsin power line
>> Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Wisconsin state energy regulators are scheduled to decide the fate of a proposed $201 million, 345,000-volt power line linking Minnesota and Wisconsin today.
Wisconsin factory will build high-speed EV charging stations
>> Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Terra 51 Direct Current fast charger can charge electric vehicles in 15 to 30 minutes, compared with charging times of up to four to eight hours for other charging station technologies.
Wisconsin power plant to get $250 million pollution control upgrade
>> Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Wisconsin Public Service Corp. said it plans to spend $250 million to help one of its coal-fired boilers in Wausau comply with federal air pollution rules.
Aerial photos show scale of frac sand mines
As you’re probably aware by now, Minnesota and Wisconsin are the source of much of the silica sand used in fracking operations throughout the U.S. The expansion of sand-mining operations has understandably let to considerable public debate, as well as moratoriums on mining operations in some communities.
Jim Tittle, a St. Paul filmmaker, is working on a documentary, “The Price of Sand,” which explores the impact of these mining operations on the residents who live near them. Recently, Tittle shared some aerial photos of sand mines in Wisconsin (posted here with his permission) that he shot as part of the project.
Below, the Chippewa Sands mine in Chippewa County, which was the subject of this report from American Public Media’s Marketplace program:
A processing plant near Chippewa Falls owned by EOG (formerly Enron), documented in this USA Today article:
The Fairmount mine near Maiden Rock, which is currently seeking a permit to expand from 789 to nearly 1,700 acres:
The Preferred Sands mine in Chippewa County:
And the Superior Silica Sands mine, also in Chippewa County:
Opponents say the expanded mining operations contribute to increased noise and road damage from increased truck traffic, and have raised health concerns about dust blowing from open-air sand piles.
Tittle said his interest in sand mining was sparked when an oil company bought land near his mother’s house outside Red Wing, Minnesota.
“I grew up playing on those bluffs,” he said.
Tittle’s film is scheduled to be completed this summer. He has interview clips and other footage posted on his YouTube page.
UPDATE: On our Facebook page, John Wawrzyniak comments: “You have sand and gravel pits all over the country. What’s the issue? They make awesome shooting ranges and trails for motor cross.”
That’s a fair point, and in these communities, sand and gravel pits have long operated without much controversy. What’s changed is the vastly increased scale and intensity of the operations – that’s what is stymieing local officials and stirring up opposition from neighbors. This video goes into more detail on this point:
Editorial: Clean, cost-effective energy should be the goal
>> Wisconsin State Journal
Let’s drop the political grandstanding and work together toward a better future. Green energy isn’t our economy’s savior, nor is it a swindle (at least it shouldn’t be). It’s a necessary push we all should be a part of.
Milwaukee program helps boost efficiency retrofits
Cross-posted from EarthTechling with permission
By Susan DeFreitas
Milwaukee, one of the greenest cities in the country? Scoff all you want, Left Coasters, but the city has announced that it will be leveraging funds it received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to provide up to $60 million in enhanced private-sector financing for building owners to pursue energy-efficient retrofits and renovations.
The program, known as the Me2 Clean Energy Financing Program, works to connect property owners with energy contractors and private lenders, eliminating those upfront costs that keep so many of those who’d like to make energy efficient improvements from pursuing them. As with other such financing programs we’ve seen (for instance, in Louisiana), costs are then recouped via the savings that result from reduced energy use.
The program has secured a high-profile partner in Johnson Controls, which brings extensive experience in building efficiency upgrades to the table, having led or participated in numerous retrofit projects around the world, including the Empire State ReBuilding project expected to decrease the iconic New York City highrise’s energy bills by 38 percent and save $4.4 million per year.
The first Me2 project has already launched at The Newport, a co-op project located at 1620 N. Prospect Avenue in Milwaukee, where Johnson Controls is implementing the removal of existing heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems and replacing them with more energy-efficient equipment. A new building automation system will also be installed to control the HVAC equipment that serves the building.
The overall goals of the Me2 program—which, it has been emphasized, is conducted entirely without the aid of local public funds—are to reduce pollution, create hundreds of private-sector green jobs in the area, reduce energy bills and improve the commercial buildings and houses in Milwaukee. More about the program is available online.
Wisconsin regulators approve $30 million transmission line to Illinois
>> Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
American Transmission Co. can move forward with construction of a 5-mile high-voltage power line that will improve the ability of We Energies and other utilities to sell power into Illinois and other states, state regulators decided Friday.
