Wind Power Happy Hour

Great Attendnce for the August Wind Power Happy Hour at Capital Brewery

2010-09-03T06:40:00.002-05:00

Photo: Deborah Erwin from the Wisconsin Public Service Commission and Mike Ross from American Superconductor at Capital Brewery in Middleton, Wisconsin.

In what turned out to be one of our most well attended events of the year, more than 60 people attended the August Wind Power Happy Hour to sample some of Capital Brewery's finest offerings, sit in the Bier Garten on one of the nicest days of the summer, and to hear from a couple of great presenters.

Mike Ross, Sr. Engineer for American Superconductor in Middleton, Wisconsin was the company spotlight for this meeting. He provided an overview of three key aspects of AMSC's products: Windtec technology, superconducting cables, and the SeaTitan--a 10 MW wind turbine being developed for off shore purposes. Mike also shared that AMSC recently acquired an ownership stake in Blade Dynamics, a designer and manufacturer of advanced wind turbine blades based on proprietary materials and structural technologies.

Deborah Erwin is the Docket Manager for the Public Service Commission and the Wind Siting Council that has been developing rules for wind farms under 100 MW in Wisconsin. Its been a tough job, but she reported they are almost ready to be sent to the Legislature for approval. Click here to see a current copy of the proposed Wind Siting rules and the press release issued by the PSC on their completion of their efforts.

Special thanks to Capital Brewery for their hospitality, and for letting us use the Bier Stube for our event.

July 2010 Wind Power Happy Hour Recap

2010-09-03T06:26:00.004-05:00

Photo: John Wilson from Michael Best & Freidrich, Jay Koenitzer from Helwig Carbon, and Finian Flood from Wisconsin Wind Works.

The first Wind Power Happy Hour in the Milwaukee region was a great success. About 40 people attended the event at Country Springs Hotel in Pewuakee. Special thanks to John Wilson from Michael Best & Freidrich for his July presentation on the need for a national RPS. Our company spotlight in July focused on Jay Koenitzer and Helwig Carbon. Helwig Carbon manufactures carbon brushes, brushholders, constant force spring assemblies, mechanical carbons, quick disconnect terminals & mounts, and sliding contacts.

Additional thanks to Michael Best & Freidrich and to Finian Flood for sponsoring the event.

Madison's RMT Selected for Wind Energy Facility in Hawaii (RMT)

2010-07-22T10:38:00.002-05:00

RMT, Inc. (RMT) has been selected by First Wind for engineering and construction of its Kahuku Wind energy facility located on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Construction has commenced on the 30-MW project and is expected to be complete by the end of this year.

“After RMT built our Milford, Utah, wind farm last year, we knew we'd be working with them again,” explains Michael Alvarez, First Wind President and Chief Financial Officer. “They have proven that they can handle the challenging engineering and construction issues to keep our projects on schedule and within budget.”

RMT will be providing engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) to support the installation of 12 Clipper Liberty 2.5-MW wind turbines. The civil infrastructure will include roads, crane walks and pads, and turbine foundations. RMT will also design and construct the electrical infrastructure, including a 23-kV underground collector system and a 23/46-kV step-up substation. RMT is also responsible for tower erection and construction of a 7,000-square-foot operations and maintenance building.

Click here for the full press release from RMT, Inc.

Wind power might require a costly grid expansion (JSOnline.com)

2010-07-20T09:56:00.004-05:00

The Midwest could be crisscrossed with a new network of high voltage power lines to move wind-generated power from the windiest spots in the Dakotas, Iowa and Minnesota.
A group of utilities in 11 states, including Pewaukee-based American Transmission Co., is studying three alternatives, each of which would cost at least $23 billion over the next 20 years.
What's unclear: How much it will end up costing for Wisconsin's share of the projects. A more detailed analysis has been launched to help determine what the payoff could be in savings from increasing the flow of low-cost power around the region.

Click here for the article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel online.

The Wind Power Happy Heads to the Milwaukee Region on 7/28

2010-07-19T08:34:00.003-05:00

The Sun Prairie Office of Economic Development in partnership with the Wisconsin Wind Works Alliance is hosting another "Wind Power Happy Hour" as an informational, social event aimed at bringing Wind professionals together for interesting discussion and making good connections!

This month’s event, will be held in Pewaukee on Wednesday, July 28th at 4:30pm. The events deliver a concise presentation on a current, interesting wind energy topic followed by a focused presentation from a featured company. The topic speech will extend about 20 minutes and the company presentation about 15 minutes. Then enjoy an extended social networking session with industry colleagues in a relaxed atmosphere.

Event Information

What: Wind Power Happy Hour

When: Wednesday, July 28th, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. (Presentations at 5:00 p.m)
Where: Country Springs Hotel
2810 Golf Road
Pewaukee, WI - (262) 547-0201
http://www.countryspringshotel.com/

Speakers/Topics:

Industry Topic - Considerations involved around Wind Regulatory and Siting Laws
Presented by: John Wilson - Michael Best & Friedrich, LLP.

Company Spotlight - Helwig Carbon Products, Inc.
Presented by: Jay Koenitzer, Vice President of Marketing

Cost: Free. Drinks Sponsored by Michael Best & Friedrich, LLP

RSVP: Please RSVP by clicking here:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dEJBb1ZyaEFYcTBsQzU2TFgyeWlOYWc6MQ

Questions can be directed to Neil Stechschulte, Sun Prairie Office of Economic Development nstechschulte[at]cityofsunpraririe.com or (608) 825-0894.

Winds Shift for Wisconsin Company (U.S. Department of Energy)

2010-07-16T10:43:00.002-05:00

A wind turbine parts facility in Cuba City, Wis., is getting another chance after shutting down twice and laying off employees over the last two years.

The Wausaukee Composites, Inc. facility will reopen its doors this fall, thanks to new orders from international wind turbine companies that will keep production going into 2012 and beyond. A 48C Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit worth over $900,000 will help the company expand the facility to meet the demands, doubling its former production capability rate.

The federal tax credit, available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will help alleviate some expansion costs, which are estimated at approximately $5 million. The upgrades are set to begin mid 2011.

Click here for the full article from the U.S. Department of Energy.

New wind turbine powers up in Evansville (Madison.com)

2010-07-16T02:13:00.001-05:00

A new wind turbine on the grounds of Evansville’s wastewater treatment plant could be providing some of the power used to run the plant.

Installed July 1, the wind turbine is expected to generate as much as 125,000 kilowatt hours a year, enough for the equivalent usage of 12 to 15 average homes.

The turbine does not send power directly to the water treatment plant; it is hooked into the electric transmission grid that sends power around the state, Evansville Mayor Sandy Decker said.

WPPI Energy, in which Evansville Water & Light is a member, paid the city $257,400 to buy the turbine’s electricity, based on 13 years of projected output. WPPI also provided a $25,000 renewable energy grant, and Focus on Energy gave the city a $150,000 grant. The city of Evansville paid the remaining $161,600 of the $594,000 project cost.

Source: Wisconsin State Journal

Chris Seider of Tower Tech Presents at the Wind Energy Speaker Series (City of Sun Prairie Office of Economic Development)

2010-07-11T18:15:00.003-05:00

Special thanks to Chris Seider from Tower Tech (above left with Mayor Joe Chase) for his presentation to the July 9th Wind Energy Speaker Series sponsored by the UW School of Business and the City of Sun Prairie Office of Economic Development. Tower Tech manufactures steel towers for a variety of international turbine manufacturers including Vestas and Gamesa.

Click here for more information on Tower Tech.

State sustainability rankings demonstrate Wisconsin industry is embracing change (Wisconsin Technology Council)

2010-07-09T09:53:00.003-05:00

The inaugural Sustainability Rankings by Site Selection magazine is a sign the term has become more than a squishy-green buzzword. And Wisconsin’s ranking among the magazine’s top 10 states for sustainability may pay dividends to the state over time.

Click here to read the full article by Tom Still at the Wisconsin Technology Council website.

Click here to read more about the Sustainability Rankings from Site Selection Magazine.

Partcipant Directory for the Wind Power Happy Hour is Underway! (City of Sun Prairie Office of Economic Development)

2010-07-06T09:07:00.003-05:00

The Wind Power Happy Hour is in progress of forming a formal contact directory for current and past participants. This directory will be made available to all participants to help facilitate additional networking. Any and all individuals who have attended to complete an entry so we have a comprehensive list. This includes multiple employees of the same company.

We are asking interested participants to complete their entry on or before July 16th. A formatted directory in a PDF format will be available sometime in early August. A sortable database will also be available later in August.

Please share this with any other individuals or companies that might be interested in being a part of this directory--regardless as to previous partcipation or not.

You can access the form to complete your directory entry here:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dHFfZlMwVlNid3FHQy1JTXJ5elg2R0E6MA

Please contact Neil Stechschulte at nstechschulte[at]cityofsunprairie.com or (608) 825-0894 with any questions you might have. Thank you for your participation.

Horizon Wind Energy's Paul Schechter Speaks at the Wind Energy Speaker Series at UW Madison

2010-06-28T13:26:00.006-05:00

Special thanks to Paul Schechter (left in the photo above) from Horizon Wind Energy for his presentation to the Wind Energy Speaker Series being hosted by Tom Eggert (right in the photo above) and co sponsored by the UW School of Business and the City of Sun Prairie Office of Economic Development. Paul provided a great overview of Horizon Wind Energy, and some of the issues that they are dealing with as they try to develop wind farm projects.

Click here for more information about Horizon Wind Energy.

No meeting this Friday, July 2nd. Watch for an announcement for the next meeting on Friday July 9th.

Have a great 4th of July, everybody!

Mayor Barrett joins Ingeteam for new factory groundbreaking (Milwaukee Department of City Development)

2010-06-28T10:01:00.002-05:00

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett joined top executives from Ingeteam for a groundbreaking Wednesday at the site of the Spanish company’s new manufacturing facility. Ingeteam’s $15-million factory is the company’s first North American production operation and will build Indar wind power generators and Ingeteam converters and solar power inverters.

Ingeteam plans to employ 275 people at the 100,000 square foot facility in the city’s Menomonee Valley Business Park.

Ingeteam plans to begin manufacturing at its new plant in 2011.

Click here to read the full article posted by the City of Milwaukee Department of City Development.

Gov. Doyle: Announces $5.9 million grant to assist displaced auto workers (WisBusiness.com)

2010-06-28T09:25:00.002-05:00

Governor Jim Doyle today announced that the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $5.9 million EDA grant to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater to administer the Auto Adjustment Entrepreneurial Support Initiative to foster economic growth and job creation for six counties affected by the auto closures in southeastern Wisconsin and North Central Illinois. The grant will serve Kenosha, Racine, Rock and Walworth Counties, as well as Boone and Winnebago Counties in Illinois.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater will lead a collaborative, multidisciplinary initiative to create new economic opportunities in Southeastern Wisconsin. The initiative will:

Facilitate the start-up, expansion, and attraction of businesses to the region;
Implement worker retraining;
Promote best practices for growth;
Assist businesses that want to begin or expand the export of their products; and
Develop clean energy businesses and jobs.

The total project cost is anticipated to exceed $17 million. Key partners include Blackhawk Technical College, Center for Advanced Technology and Innovation, Gateway Technical College, Growth Dimensions, Northern Illinois University’s Center for Government Studies, Rock Valley College, Rockford Area Economic Development Council, Rockford College, and Wisconsin Business Incubation Association.

Click here to read the full article at WisBusiness.com.

UW Madison Wind Energy Speaker Series Continues on 6/25

2010-06-24T11:47:00.001-05:00

On Friday, June 25th, at 1:00 in room 5120 of Grainger Hall, we will be joined by Paul Schechter from Horizon Wind, out of Houston, TX. Paul will talk about the growth of Horizon Wind, future expansion plans, relationships with suppliers, trends in the industry and what needs to be done to see wind grow even faster in the US and WI.

Paul is the second speaker in the Wind Energy Speaker Series, which is a product of the CleanTech Thought Leaders Series. Our focus this summer is on the manufacturing side of the large wind industry. WI has attracted a number of major manufacturers in the wind sector and we want to hear from those companies, understand what attracted them to WI and look at additional opportunities for the state in the future.

The speaker series is sponsored by the Business, Environment & Social Responsibility Program at the WI School of Business, the City of Sun Prairie Office of Economic Development and the Energy Institute at UW.

We will meet in our regular room at 5120 Grainger Hall. The event is free and designed as much for community members as it is for students.

Please register at http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dFFsakllb3FieEhqRmZGRWgycTYzZ1E6MQ for Paul's talk beginning at 1:00 pm on June 25th. Each of the Friday sessions will conclude no later than 2:15.

Additional information is available from Tom Eggert at 608 267-2761 or teggert@bus.wisc.edu.

Thank you all for your interest in CleanTech and these community forums!

Upcoming Wind Energy Sector Events - Week of June 21st

2010-06-21T13:14:00.001-05:00

1) Wind Power Happy Hour This Thursday June 24th (Green Bay/Appleton Area)

What: Wind Power Happy Hour (Hosted in partnership with the Wisconsin Wind Works Alliance)

When: June 24th, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. (Presentations at 5:00 p.m.)

Where:
Royal St. Patrick Golf Course
201 Royal Saint Pat's Drive
Wrightstown, WI 54180-1261
(920) 532-4300
www.royalstpatricks.com/

Speakers/Topics:

Industry Topic - Alliant Energy's Renewable Energy Portfolio (Speaker to be announced)

Company Spotlight - Renewegy LLC, Jeff Ehlers President (http://www.renewegy.com/)

Cost: None to attend (Cash bar)

RSVP to Neil Stechschulte at nstechschulte@cityofsunprairie.com or (608) 825-0894

2) Wind Energy Community Forum Speaking Series Continues Friday June 24th, Featuring Paul Schechter from Horizon Wind (Houston, TX)

On Friday, June 25th, at 1:00 in room 5120 of Grainger Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, we will be joined by Paul Schechter from Horizon Wind, out of Houston, TX. Paul will talk about the growth of Horizon Wind, future expansion plans, relationships with suppliers, trends in the industry and what needs to be done to see wind grow even faster in the US and WI.

Paul is the second speaker in the Wind Energy Speaker Series, which is a product of the CleanTech Thought Leaders Series. Our focus this summer is on the manufacturing side of the large wind industry. WI has attracted a number of major manufacturers in the wind sector and we want to hear from those companies, understand what attracted them to WI and look at additional opportunities for the state in the future.

The speaker series is sponsored by the Business, Environment & Social Responsibility Program at the WI School of Business, the City of Sun Prairie Office of Economic Development and the Energy Institute at UW.

We will meet in our regular room at 5120 Grainger Hall. The event is free and designed as much for community members as it is for students.

Please register at http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dFFsakllb3FieEhqRmZGRWgycTYzZ1E6MQ for Paul's talk beginning at 1:00 pm on June 25th. Each of the Friday sessions will conclude no later than 2:15.

Additional information is available from Tom Eggert at 608 267-2761 or teggert@bus.wisc.edu.

Summer 2010 Wind Energy Speaker Series - UW School of Business

2010-06-11T14:17:00.005-05:00

The University of Wisconsin School of Business and the City of Sun Prairie Office of Economic Development announce the Wind Energy Speaker Series to be held on Fridays during Summer 2010. This speaker series grows out of the "CleanTech Thought Leaders Community Forums" that Tom Eggert has been offering for the last two years.

Because of the growing interest and expertise in the wind industry sector in Wisconsin, this series will focus on the Wind Sector opportunities and obstacles for the summer.

Speakers will present most Fridays from 1:00 - 2:15 pm in room 5120 of Grainger Hall. The companies that will be presenting include Horizon Wind, Energy Composites, Tower Tech, Mortenson Construction and others. A full schedule for the summer will be provided.

The first speaker will be on Friday, June 18th when Tom will provide a broad overview of the wind sector, the growth of jobs in companies that supply the wind sector, and the efforts that Wisconsin is putting into attracting wind companies to Wisconsin. There will also be time to draw on knowledge that participants will bring to the sessions.

Please feel free to forward this to others that may be interested. If you anticipate attending the session on June 18th, please register at:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dDFBdmwwalB1TFM2dEpuX25MTDdkQ2c6MQ

There is no cost, but we would like to make sure that the room will accommodate all that sign up.

Questions, please contact:

Thomas L Eggert, Esq.
Co-Director of the Business, Environment and Social Responsibility Program
University of Wisconsin School of Business
5277 Grainger Hall
975 University Ave
Madison, WI 53706
Phone:(608) 267-2761
Fax: (608) 267-9305
e-mail: teggert@bus.wisc.edu
http://www.bus.wisc.edu/sustainability

We look forward to seeing you there!

Vestas Conducting Offshore, Energy-Storage Research Projects (North American Windpower)

2010-06-10T16:09:00.005-05:00

Vestas has announced two research and development (R&D) projects. One involves cost-effective deepwater foundations for large offshore wind turbines. Vestas is also working on an intelligent energy management system that will introduce energy storage into a wind power plant.

The goal of the offshore project is to be able to design, construct and build cost-effective deepwater jacket foundations for very large wind turbines located far offshore in water depths of up to 70 meters.

The intelligent energy management system for a virtual power plant will introduce energy storage into a wind power plant as an optional component for enhanced power generation control.

Click here to read the full article from North American Windpower.

Click here to read the press release from Vestas.

[Blogger's Note: Vestas maintains an R&D facility in Madison, Wisconsin and is currently partnering with the University of Wisconsin on a variety of research projects.]

AMSC, HHI To Develop 5 MW Offshore Turbine (North American Windpower)

2010-06-10T16:01:00.002-05:00

American Superconductor Corp. (AMSC) and South Korea-based Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. (HHI) have expanded their strategic alliance to include the joint development of a 5 MW full-conversion wind turbine primarily for use in the offshore wind industry.

Click here to read the full article in North American Windpower.

Click here for more information on American Superconductor.

Click here for more information on Hyundai Heavy Industries Co.

[Blogger's note: American Superconductor maintains a facility in Middleton, Wisconsin. Hyundai Heavy Industries is currently working with several Wisconsin firms including Wave Wind LLC to deploy their turbines in a variety of projects.]

Next Wind Power Happy Hour Set 6/24

2010-06-10T14:12:00.005-05:00

What: Wind Power Happy Hour (Hosted in partnership with the Wisconsin Wind Works Alliance)

When: June 24th, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. (Presentations at 5:00 p.m.)

Where:

Royal St. Patrick Golf Course

201 Royal Saint Pat's Drive

Wrightstown, WI 54180-1261

(920) 532-4300

www.royalstpatricks.com/

Speakers/Topics:

Industry Topic - Alliant Energy's Renewable Energy Portfolio (Speaker to be announced)

Company Spotlight - Renewegy LLC, Jeff Ehlers President (http://www.renewegy.com/)

Cost: None to attend (Cash bar)

RSVP: Required RSVP by Tues. June 22nd by email to nstechschulte[at]cityofsunpraririe.com, by phone at (608) 825-0894, or online by clicking here.

RENEWSICAL - A Musical About Renewable Energy (Barrymorelive.com)

2010-06-08T10:43:00.005-05:00

Midwest Regional Collaborative For Sustainability Education presents:

RENEWSICAL - A Musical About Renewable Energy

Barrymore Theatre
Friday, July 30, 2010 at 8:00 p.m.
2090 Atwood Ave.
Madison, WI, 53704
http://www.barrymorelive.com/

Written by Musician Ed Lemar and Wacky Art Artist Robin Leewith a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency

http://www.renewsical.org/

Tickets: $10.00 Advance/$12.00 Day Of Show Buy Tickets

Renewsical is an interactive stage performance that teaches the technology of energy efficiency, sustainability & renewable energy in order to inspire action toward a healthy economy, cleaner environment, and a brighter future. We are glad you came by and hope that you get a chance to see us perform at the world's largest Renewable Energy Fair on June 19th.

The performance uses dancing, music, LED light show, elaborate costumes, poetry and puppetry to convey the benefits of solar and wind power, solar domestic hot water, alternative transportation, healthy natural systems, biomass, geo-thermal heating and cooling, and healthy local food.

Wisconsin Wind Works Alliance Now on Blogger.com and LinkedIn!

2010-06-08T06:57:00.002-05:00

Be sure to check out these two new online resources for the Wisconsin Wind Industry.

Wisconsin Wind Works Alliance News Blog:
http://wiwindworks.blogspot.com/

Wisconsin Wind Works Alliance on LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=3096644&trk=hb_side_g

We are actively seeking group members and contributors for these sites. For more information, please contact:

Mr. Finian Flood
Wisconsin Wind Works
(920) 419-4263
e-mail: fflood[at]thenewnorth.com

U.S. DOE Recognizes Michael Vickerman for Wind Advocacy (RENEW Wisconsin)

2010-06-04T14:46:00.005-05:00

RENEW Wisconsin Executive Director Michael Vickerman was presented with an award by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Powering America program. Vickerman received the Midwest Regional Wind Advocacy Award at the program’s annual state summit.

[Blogger's Note: Thanks to Michael for all his work. and for being a great partner to help promote wind energy in Wisconsin. I look forward to continuing to work together in 2010 and beyond.]

Canadian Company's First U.S. Turbine Spins Near Tomah (WisBusiness.com)

2010-06-04T09:53:00.000-05:00

Dentist Frederick Prehn, owner of Prehn Cranberry Marsh near Tomah, wanted the power that the cranberry farm paid for without having to pay the utility. “The second order of business, I wanted a turbine that has a history of working in low wind speed,” said Prehn. A 35-kilowatt (kW) Canadian turbine, perched on a 140-foot-tall tower, accomplishes both.

The first of its model line ever manufactured by Endurance Wind Power, Prehn’s wind generator underwent five months of testing at the company’s Quebec manufacturing facility. “The Endurance fits Wisconsin’s climate conditions,” according to Ry Thompson, a project manager with Seventh Generation Energy, Madison, which installed the turbine.

The generator begins to produce electricity when the wind blows just under 8 miles per hour (mph). With an estimated average wind speed of 12.5 mph at his location, Prehn expects to harvest as much as 85,000 kilowatt hours of electricity – more than 150 percent of the amount he needs. The turbine powers a shop, three homes, and two wells. The excess energy is sold to the Oakdale Electric Cooperative, the farm’s local utility.

[Fredrick Prehn] already has a contract with Seventh Generation to install a second Endurance turbine that will be slightly larger than the first.

Click here to read the full article at WisBusiness.com.

Click here to watch a video on the project.

For additional information, contact:

Ry Thompson, Seventh Generation Energy Systems

608.467.0123

thompson@seventhgenergy.org

21st Annual MREA Energy Fair - Custer, Wisconsin (the-mrea.org)

2010-06-04T06:38:00.000-05:00

Join the Midwest Renewable Energy Association for their 21st Annual Energy Fair June 18-20, 2010 at ReNew the Earth Institute, 7558 Deer Rd., Custer, WI.

Friday, June 18 9 am to 7 pm
Saturday, June 19 9 am to 7 pm
Sunday, June 20 9 am to 5 pm

Advance Energy Fair tickets, Home Tour tickets, Mass transit bus tickets and Reservations for Back 40 Camping are available HERE.

Click HERE for the Workshop Schedule.

Click HERE for a list of all the exhibitors at the Fair!

Click HERE for a map layout of the Fair!

Each year the MREA Energy Fair transforms rural Central Wisconsin into the global hot spot for renewable energy education. The Energy Fair brings over 20,000 people from nearly every state in the U.S. and several countries around the world to learn, connect with others and ready them for action at home. The Energy Fair is the nation's longest running energy education event of its kind.

The Energy Fair features:

•Over 275 exhibitors - sustainable living and energy products
•Over 200 workshops - from introductory level to advanced hands-on education
•Clean Energy Car Show - demonstration vehicles and workshops
•Green Home Pavilion - focused on building and remodeling in a sustainable way
•Green Building Demso - see sustainable building techniques in action
•Sustainable Tables - workshops, chef demos, and a farmers' market bringing sustainability to your dinner table
•Inspirational keynotes, lively entertainment, great food, and local beer.

The Energy Fair is held in Custer, WI just seven miles east of Stevens Point. The 21st Annual Energy Fair is held June 18-20, 2010. For more information about the Fair, contact the Midwest Renewable Energy Association at 715-592-6595.

Upcoming Events: University of Wisconsin Energy Institute (UW Business Wire Calendar)

2010-06-01T14:42:00.000-05:00

Presentation Topic: Impacts of Emerging Energy Technologies

Details: Three UW-Madison faculty members, S.A. Klein, Jessica Guo, and Megan Mallette, will discuss solar, wind, bio-energy, and electric cars.

Date: June 8th

Time: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Location: Senate Room, Madison Concourse Hotel, 1 West Dayton Street, Madison, WI

Click here for more information.

Presentation Topic: Impact of Wind Variability on Power System Small-Signal Reachability (PSERC Public Webinar)

Presenter: Alejandro D. Domínguez-García, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Date: June 8th

Time: 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Participation by Webcast: Before the tele-seminar, click here and then on 6/8/10 when the program status is “Live.” For more information, contact Dennis Ray at 608-265-3808 or djray@engr.wisc.edu

Additional event details: Click here

WES Engineering Formed In Wisconsin (North American Windpower)

2010-05-27T21:16:00.000-05:00

Sun Prairie, Wis.-based Wave Wind LLC, a wind energy service provider, and WES Engineering LLC, a professional wind project development service company, have formed WES Engineering Inc., a Wisconsin corporation whose shareholders include members of each company.

The new team created a partnership to help accelerate the development of renewable energy projects and to offer a turnkey solution for future and already existing wind project clients.

Click here to read the full article at North American Wind Power.

Ingeteam Expands Its U.S. Footprint With New Wind Facility in Wisconsin (Wind Energy Industry Today)

2010-05-27T11:49:00.000-05:00

DALLAS, May 25 /PRNewswire/ -- At the WindPower 2010 Conference, Ingeteam (http://www.ingeteam.com/), a Spanish company specializing in highly engineered renewable energy equipment and services, unveiled plans for its new $15 million wind manufacturing facility in Wisconsin. At full capacity, the Milwaukee plant will employee 275 people and supply equipment capable of producing 7,500 megawatts (MW) of clean electricity each year for the U.S. renewable energy market.

Ingeteam currently holds between 12-15 percent of the global market share for wind power components and expects to expand its global market share by opening its new plant, which will start production in January 2011. This new facility will strengthen Ingeteam's current U.S. presence, which includes a management office in Mequon, WI that provides operations and maintenance services for U.S. wind turbineSlated for completion in December 2010, the 100,000-square-foot production facility and office complex will be located in Milwaukee's Menomonee River Valley. The factory will eventually employee 275 workers, who will manufacture Indar wind power generators, which currently represent an 11 percent share of the world market and Ingeteam converters and solar power inverters.

The Milwaukee plant will produce generators and converters for 1.5 to 5 MW wind turbines and solar power inverters that range from 2.5 kW units for residential use, up to 500 kilowatt (kW) units for utility-scale installations.

"We selected Milwaukee for its close proximity to distribution channels, its experienced engineering labor pool and the persuasiveness of the local government officials, who highlighted the virtues of Wisconsin," said Sotes. "We look forward to delivering high quality renewable energy components and becoming part of the Milwaukee community."

Click here for the full article from Wind Energy Industry Today.

Wind Turbines Fit With Farms (Wisconsin State Journal)

2010-05-27T11:40:00.000-05:00

The Columbia County Board agreed Wednesday that farmers in the towns of Randolph and Scott can lease small amounts of land to We Energies for wind turbines without violating their state agreements to keep their land in agricultural production.

The board's decision is wise because the turbines will give each farmer thousands of dollars in extra income to keep their farm operations going. And the amount of land taken out of production for turbine foundations and access roads will be miniscule compared to the total size of cropland that will remain.

Click here to read the full editorial in the Wisconsin State Journal.

Photos from Windpower 2010

2010-05-27T07:16:00.000-05:00

I've posted some of the shots that I took at the Windpower 2010 Expo this week on Flickr.com. Click on the link below to check them out:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stechschulte/sets/72157624022511609/

Day 3: Windpower 2010 - A New Beginning!

2010-05-26T22:34:00.000-05:00

Last day at Windpower 2010. It was a great show, but I'm happy to be home. The plane ride home was about half full with people who attended the conference, so it was nice to see a lot of now familiar faces that I would not have know if I didn't attend.

I did get to meet a couple more companies today. I caught up with Tower Tech and Badger Transport who are both very active in the wind industry. I also met with Kim Zuhlke, an independent consultant that used to work for Alliant Energy. He had some great ideas, and it sounds like we're going to try work on some projects together.

Estimates for the show were 20,000 attendees including a broad range of industry leaders and with nearly 1,400 companies exhibiting the latest in wind power technology over an area the size of six football fields. These numbers establish WINDPOWER as the largest energy trade show in America and the world’s largest wind energy conference. I would guess that these 1,400 companies represent a couple hundred thousand private sector jobs. These are the numbers that tell the story of one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the U.S. This in spite of a lack of policy leadership at the federal level, and in many States as well(including Wisconsin) on renewable energy standards, wind farm development siting rules, unfavorable tax climates, and a difficult financing market. Imagine what will happen when some of these barriers begin to go away.

Wisconsin is making great strides. Regional groups like the New North, the Milwaukee 7, and THRIVE are going to be the main drivers behind our progress. In the next year or so, I predict that we will begin to see a Wisconsin Wind Works partnership that is active all over the State of Wisconsin. I hope the Wind Power Happy Hour can play a part to help make that happen. Hosting this event together is only scratching the surface of what we might accomplish. I sincerely hope that this is truly a beginning for what I think will be one of the most successful economic development efforts in Wisconsin over the next several years.

Watch for an announcement of a date for the next Wind Power Happy Hour sometime in June! Hope to see you there!

P.S. - And of course...we ordered more beer for Day 3. I was on my way to the airport by the time it arrived. I hope some folks stuck around to drink it.

Day 2: Recap at Windpower 2010

2010-05-25T21:09:00.000-05:00

I was armed with my camera today, so I grabbed as many photos of Wisconsin companies and their booths as I could. I'll post a link with all the photos on Flickr.com by the end of this week.

I also made my way down to the lower level to visit with the Wisconsin companies that I didn't meet yet. The signage directing people to this area was poor, and foot traffic was considerably lower here than other parts of the expo hall. Hopefully AWEA or somebody makes this up to these companies who invested considerable money and didn't get the exposure that they deserved.

Today was our Wind Power Happy Hour in the Wisconsin Wind Works booth. We had a great time, a great turnout and met a bunch of great companies. Thanks to our sponsors of today's event (notice that 5 out of 6 represent the Madison region):

Alliant Energy
imc DataWorks
Matenaer Corporation
Orchid International
THRIVE
Wave Wind LLC

Without these companies and organizations, there would have been no Wind Power Happy Hour so please sure to thank them if you see them.

Today's biggest observation had to do with the positioning of the Madison, WI region in the overall wind industry picture in Wisconsin. In many ways the Green Bay and Milwaukee regions demonstrate an incredibly strong manufacturing capability, and these regions are embracing manufacturing as a key to furthering their respective economies. The Madison region appears different at first glance. Looking through the list of companies in the area, it would be easy to assume that the Madison region's primary contribution is in specialized, supporting services related to deployment of wind energy projects. These highly successful companies include:

Ayres Associates (photogrammetric mapping, GIS, civil engineering)
imc DataWorks (data acquisition, analysis, and control systems)
Weather Central (location based weather services)
Baker Tilly (financial, transactional, compliance, and operational assistance)
Wind Capital Group (wind project development)
Michael Best & Friedrich (corporate, intellectual property, environmental & real estate legal services)
Natural Resources Consulting (wetlands, wildlife, restoration, GIS, and regulatory support)Foley & Lardner (permitting, community relations, land rights, equipment procurement, finance, power purchase arrangements, and project acquisitions and divestitures)
JFNew (Habitat Restoration, Ecological Consulting, Wetlands)
Wave Wind LLC (planning, development, and maintenance of small to mid-sized wind farms)
Power System Engineering (engineering, economic, and planning services to utilities)
JK Hackl Transporation (specialized transportation carrier)
Continental Mapping Consultants (
RMT Inc. (specialized consulting, development, engineering, and construction services)
Energy Law Wisconsin (
GRAEF (industrial architecture, civil engineering, site development)
WES Engineering (wind project development engineering)

But a little deeper look shows a strong manufacturing base as well, including companies like:

Vestas (R&D facility)
Orchid International (supplier of metal stampings, automated assemblies, lamination stampings and die castings)
American Superconductor (design & development of turbine technology including controls)
Bladeskin (resurfacing & enhancement of turbine blades)
Palmer Johnson Power Systems (servicing/supplying components for heavy-duty transmissions & axles)
Anderson Machining Service (machined components and assemblies, run on a lean, just-in-time basis)
Gerdau Ameristeel/Madison Reinforcing Steel (fourth largest overall steel company and the second largest minimill steel producer in North America)
Trachte Inc. (prefabricated steel buildings)

...and a substantial metal fabrication and machining capacity in the eight county region surrounding Madison. (A major effort this year will be to further define and organize this sector.)

Short version: The greater Madison region not only can compete on a manufacturing level with other regions, but there are major resources for wind project development in both the public and private sectors. Add to this the local utilities supporting renewable energy efforts, and one of best engineering universities in the world, and quickly becomes clear that the Madison region is an integral part of Wisconsin's future in the wind industry.

To wrap up, I had dinner with Fin Flood from Wisconsin Wind Works last night. After we wrap up Windpower 2010, we're going to discuss taking the Wind Power Happy Hour on the road to the Fox Cities and Milwaukee on a regular basis. It just seems like a good idea to strengthen the network of companies between our three regions. So look for some announcements on schedules and locations in the next week or so. We're also going to discuss merging some of our social media marketing strategies. If we coordinate these efforts, it should have significant impacts on our ability to market Wisconsin as a whole to manufacturing and wind industry supply chain.

Wind Power Happy Hour TODAY at Windpower 2010

2010-05-25T07:26:00.000-05:00

Wisconsin companies, manufacturers, suppliers, customers, transporters....

Remember to stop by the Wisconsin Wind Works booth (10734) today (Tuesday May 25th)from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. for the Wind Power Happy Hour!

Hope to see you there!

Day 1 Recap: Getting to Know Our Wisconsin Exhibitors

2010-05-24T18:52:00.000-05:00

Job one was to stop in and meet with Fin Flood of Wisconsin Wind Works today. He's my kind of guy, because it didn't take him more than 10 minutes to ask if I could help hand out our "invitations" to the Wind Power Happy Hour tomorrow afternoon. I gladly agreed because that was as good an excuse as any to meet with the companies from Wisconsin that were exhibiting. I won't cover every stop, but here were some of the highlights.

In a building with more electrical engineers than darn near anyplace on the planet, the popcorn machine in the Wisconsin Wind Works booth was overloading the electrical system. They got fixed when the convention staff listened to our guys in the booth.

Boldt Company had one of the largest contingents of people at their booth. Of course, maybe they were the only ones where their staff was actually working their booth. Have to check on them tomorrow to confirm.

Energy Composites Corporation had a great booth. DJ Johnson has been working hard, and they looked busy every time I walked by.

Sounds like Ingeteam is making an announcement regarding their Milwaukee area facility tomorrow (Tuesday) around 3:00 p.m. Nice to have them moving forward.

Wisconsin companies (or at least ties to Wisconsin) like to party. We have competing happy hour events in the Michael Best & Friedrich booth, the RMT booth, and the Wind Capital Group booth. Plus the Ingeteam reception...if folks leave thirsty its going to be their own fault.

Its great to have the Operating Engineers of Wisconsin IUOE 139 helping to market Wisconsin as a place for the wind industry to operate. I wish more collaborations like this happen in the future.

Ran into Dr. Steven Fredette from the Vestas Madison office. These guys can really grow in the Madison area. Keep an eye on these guys.

Also ran into Tim Laughlin from Wave Wind. He broke the bad news to me that they were unable to reach a power purchase agreement with MGE. This means the six Hyundai Heavy Industries turbines that were going to be located in the Town of Springfield in Dane County will be going to a project area out of state. This should be a major reality check for a lot of proponents of developing local wind projects, and its a major blow in whatever chance we might have had to get Hyundai to have a facility in our area. I can't understate how incredibly disappointing it was to meet one of the guys from Hyundai and to hear them talking about other sites as they walked away. As far as I'm concerned, this is totally unacceptable. Its even more frustrating to get this news at a time and place we're supposed to be promoting how great Wisconsin is to do business if you're in the wind industry.

I spoke with some guys from RYAN Companies today. They were the general contractor for our new Target store in Sun Prairie, and we're also working with them on a potential senior housing project. Now I find out that they have a wind/renewable energy team too. I left them a nice map of the Sun Prairie Business Park and told them to call me.

Dave Winsor from PBS&J presented an overview of their Sierra Madre-Chokecherry wind farm project in Wyoming to the Wind Power Happy Hour a month or so ago. I ran into him today, and he said to say hi to everyone. If you think your project is tough to site, Google these guys and read about this 1,000 turbine project on BLM land. Holy cow.

I stopped and chatted with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). My wife works for Power Systems Engineering in Madison, WI. PSE is working on a Smart Grid project for them. PSE is another example of a Madison region company quietly doing great things all over the nation.

I met with some of the team from Wind Capital Group, and I think they are willing to get someone from their Chicago office to come speak to the Wind Power Happy Hour to talk about project financing. A lot of folks talk a good game, but these guys are working on some pretty amazing projects-and they have an office in Fitchburg!

Tomorrow...I plan on hitting the lower level of the convention hall which I haven't seen yet and stopping by to see the 4 or 5 more Wisconsin companies I haven't met with yet. I also have to check out a couple of leads on some companies. Hopefully one of them turns into a project!

Tomorrow is also the official day for the Wind Power Happy Hour - conveniently billed as a Wisconsin Wind Works cocktail reception. I'll correct that when we kick off at 3:00 p.m.
That's right...you can thank Sun Prairie for providing refreshments. Ready to locate your company here yet?

Preliminary Run Down of Wisconsin Companies Exhibiting at Windpower 2010

2010-05-24T07:29:00.000-05:00

A quick guide to Wisconsin companies exhibiting at Windpower 2010 as listed in the official show directory:

Company Name (Booth Number) - City

ABB Inc. (2820) - New Berlin, WI
Aarrowcast Inc. (10734) -Shawano, WI
American Superconductor (12254) - Middleton, WI
Applied Plastics (10734) - Oak Creek, WI
Avanti (10054) - New Berlin, WI
Ayres Associates (5024) - Madison, WI
B&K Trucking (5622) - Marathon, WI
Baker Tilly (10734) - Madison, WI
BLADESKIN (10243) - McFarland, WI
Boldt Company (1800) - Appleton, WI
Bonestroo (10734) - Green Bay, WI
Busch Precision (10734) - Milwaukee, WI
Elexco Inc. (10734) - Seymour, WI
EMJ Metals (15616)
Energis High Voltage Resources (1428) - Green Bay, WI
Energy Composites Corporation (3804) - Wisconsin Rapids, WI
Enerpac (1227) - Milwaukee, WI
ENSA Access & Rescue (4224) - Waukesha, WI
Foley & Lardner LLP (5022) - Milwaukee, WI
GARD Specialists Co. (5625) - Eagle River, WI
Global Finishing Solutions (15930) - Osseo, WI
Helwig Carbon Products (15910) - Milwaukee, WI
Ingeteam (7633) - Menomonee Valley, WI
In-Place Machining Co. (6225) - Milwaukee, WI
Lindquist Machine Corporation (10734) - Green Bay, WI
Magnetek (15707) - Menomonee Falls, WI
Manitowoc (15932) - Manitowoc, WI
Matenaer Corporation (15106) - West Bend, WI
Messer Cutting Systems (3425) - Menomonee Falls, WI
Michael Best & Friedrich (9547) - Madison, WI
Michels Corporation (8440) - Brownsville, WI
Midwest Operating Engineers (15006) - Pewaukee, WI
Natural Resources Consulting (10734) - Menasha, WI
Northwire Inc. (2528) - Osceola, WI
Operating Engineers of Wisconsin (10734) - Pewaukee, WI
Qgrid Technologies (16109) - New Berlin, WI
RMT Inc. (11440) - Madison, WI
Schunk Graphite Technologies (10342) - Menomonee Falls, WI
Shallbetter Inc. (10734) - Oshkosh, WI
Shuttlelift (6104) - Sturgeon Bay, WI
Snap-On Inc. (1600) - Kenosha, WI
Synchrotek (10734) - Green Bay, WI
Telesis Group (5907) - Madison, WI
Tier Electronics (5225) - Menomonee Falls, WI
Trachte Inc. (3003) - Oregon, WI
Triple Crown Products (15319) - Waterford, WI
Vestas (7620) - Madison, WI
Waukesha Electric Systems (2814) - Waukesha, WI
Wausaukee Composites (10734) - Wausaukee, WI
Weather Central LLC (15610) - Madison, WI
Wind Access Engineering (7456) - Lomira, WI
Wind Capital Group (3600) - Fitchburg, WI
Wisconsin Precision Casting Corporation (15412) - East Troy, WI
Wisconsin Wind Works (10734) - DePere, WI

It Begins....

2010-05-23T17:41:00.000-05:00

I've arrived in Dallas for the Windpower 2010 Expo. I ran into Hamang Patel from Michael Best & Friedrich at the Dane County Airport, and we're both staying in the same hotel. He was good enough to let me share a cab with him, which is no small savings folks. $47 flat rate from the Airport to Downtown where the conference and the hotel is. (Note for Madison folks: Yes they have rail transit, but it doesn't run on Sundays.) Michael Best & Friedrich are also hosting a happy hour social at booth #9547 on May 25th.

After being notified that Governor Doyle was going to stop by the Wisconsin Wind Works pavilion on Tuesday during the Wind Power Happy Hour, and then notified that he wasn't going to be attending as he was "called to the White House," I must admit to being disappointed that the State of Wisconsin doesn't seem to be placing a whole lot of importance to this event. The Governors of other States such as Iowa, Colorado, and Ohio are not only attending but are participating.

The wind industry is here to stay, and so is the Windpower Expo...
- More than 25,000 attendees are expected this week in Dallas - a record high.
- More than 1,300 companies and organizations will staff a booth.
- More than 300 speakers on the widest array of topics ever.
- Total domestic production of wind energy exceeded 35,000 MW, with a record 10,000 MW installed in 2009 alone.
- There are manufacturers, developers, financiers, and transporters of the more than 8,000 parts that go into a wind turbine.

Wisconsin is doing more than holding its own in the wind energy sector due to efforts of regional organizations. The Wisconsin Wind Works team in partnership with the New North is leading a great effort to get more of Wisconsin's economic development efforts focused on one of the fastest growing sectors in our economy. tThe New North staff including Jerry Murphy, Fin Flood and Beth Sigmund have been great to work with. Other regions are actively stepping up their efforts as well. One of the guys I am going to try to connect with while down here is Jim Paetsch from the Milwaukee 7. Milwaukee 7 and the New North worked jointly to help bring Ingeteam to the Menomonee Valley, and hopefully acts as a model for recruiting additional companies to invest in Wisconsin. And perhaps more importantly to me, THRIVE and the Greater Madison region is swiftly moving to expand upon its efforts to growing the wind industry sector right here in our own back yard. Not only did they help sponsor our Wind Power Happy Hour that we will hold in the Wisconsin Wind Works pavilion, but I am confident that they will continue to be a proponent for wind and the renewable energy economy for the foreseeable future. My thanks to Sean Robbins for his leadership, and to Jennifer Smith for being a great colleague to bounce social media ideas of off. I hope they find my ramblings and musings useful these next few days. Most importantly, I can't wait to see what happens when these three regions combine their efforts.

I have been coordinating the Wind Power Happy Hour in Sun Prairie for less than a year. The successes we've had have been more than I could have hoped for in such a short time. We've hosted a half day seminar focusing on wind energy in Wisconsin where more than 200 people attended. Our monthly distribution list for people and companies interested in the wind industry is over 400 people. Partnering companies have helped sponsor events to the amount of more than $10,000. We have co-hosted events with the University of Wisconsin and the Green Energy Summit. We have found new partners with the Madison Chapter of IEEE and the Wisconsin Chapter of the Women of Wind Energy.

From its humble beginnings when I ran into Palmer Johnson Power Systems, Wave Wind LLC, Marysville Marine, and JK Hackl--all Sun Prairie companies with varying degrees of involvement with the wind industry--and Susan Olund from Palmer Johnson utter the phrase Wind Power Happy Hour, I had no idea that the Madison area would be so supportive of this effort. As long as people will come to Downtown Sun Prairie to Cannery Grill to talk about wind, I promise to keep on facilitating this outstanding network group.

Despite any setbacks we may have seen at the State level, the wind industry is stronger than ever in Wisconsin. I am betting that meeting with Wisconsin companies over the next three days will reaffirm just that.

Remember to follow events of the next several days on this blog, on LinkedIn, and on Twitter (@stechschulte).

Live Updates from Windpower 2010!

2010-05-23T11:01:00.000-05:00

I'll also be posting updates throughout the day on Twitter at @stechschulte.

WE Energies to Begin Glacier Hills Wind Park Construction (JSOnline.com)

2010-05-20T11:45:00.001-05:00

Crews will begin site preparation next week for the largest wind farm in Wisconsin, after state regulators finalized plans for the Glacier Hills Wind Park northeast of Madison.

We Energies of Milwaukee said it will erect 90 turbines at the wind farm, two more than it installed on its first large wind farm, near Fond du Lac, in 2008.

The cost of the Glacier Hills project came in at $367 million, utility spokesman Brian Manthey said.

Vestas Wind Systems is supplying turbines to We Energies for the Glacier Hills project, after supplying 88 turbines for the Fond du Lac County project.

Three Wisconsin firms have been hired to handle the project's construction: The Boldt Co. of Appleton; Michels Corp. of Brownsville; and Edgerton Contractors of Oak Creek.

Click here to read the full article in the Journal Sentinel Online.

Energy Composites Corp. Purchases Site, Has $45 Million Bond Coverage Approved (Market Watch)

2010-05-20T11:32:00.001-05:00

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis., May 18, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Energy Composites Corporation, a leading provider of composites-based solutions to the clean-tech sector, today announced the completion of its purchase of land for the company's WindFiber(TM) blade manufacturing plant in Wisconsin Rapids. The Company also said that it had been notified by the State of Wisconsin Department of Commerce that its application for access to $45 million of tax-exempt coverage under the State's Recovery Zone Bond Program had been approved.

Click here to read the full article from the Wall Street Journal Market Watch.

The cost of going green is going up (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

2010-05-14T13:14:00.000-05:00

Madison Gas & Electric Co. is proposing to increase the surcharge paid by more than 11,000 utility customers who voluntarily pay a premium for green power.

Under green pricing programs, customers who want to buy renewable energy are charged extra. The power company then agrees to obtain that power by signing contracts for electricity from wind farms, landfill gas and other renewable electricity sources.

MG&E raised its surcharge in January and is proposing a bigger increase in 2011. For a typical residential customer using 550 kilowatt-hours of electricity a month, the surcharge rose from $5.50 a month to almost $7 this year, and about $11 a month in 2011.

In its application, Greg Bollom of MG&E said the cost of wind power isn't going up because "the fuel is free." But, he said, the gap between the cost of wind power and the cost of electricity from burning coal and natural gas has widened as the price of fossil fuel-derived power has dropped over the past year.

Concern about the environmental impact of fossil fuels has helped MG&E win national recognition for its green-pricing program.

Click here to read the full article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

PSC Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Wind Siting Rules (PSC Press Release)

2010-05-14T12:32:00.000-05:00

MADISON – The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) is seeking public comment on the proposed wind siting rules, issued today by the PSC. The proposed rules will ultimately result in uniform wind siting standards for local units of government in Wisconsin and ensure consistent local procedures for regulation of wind energy systems.

“Developing uniform wind siting standards is crucial for a sound energy future in Wisconsin,” said Chairperson Eric Callisto. “I look forward to receiving robust public input on these proposed rules and finalizing them later this summer.”

2009 Wisconsin Act 40 (Act 40) requires the PSC to promulgate a variety of rules that specify the conditions a city, village, town, or county (political subdivision) may impose on the installation or use of a wind energy system. If a political subdivision chooses to regulate such systems, its ordinances may not be more restrictive than the PSC’s rules. The PSC will also consider the restrictions specified in these rules when determining whether to grant a certificate of public convenience and necessity for a wind energy system over 100 megawatts.

The PSC established docket 1-AC-231 to conduct the rulemaking under Act 40. Act 40 requires the PSC to conduct this rulemaking with the advice of the Wind Siting Council. The Wind Siting Council is an advisory body created by Act 40. The Wind Siting Council members have begun to provide input to Commission staff concerning these rules during a series of meetings in early 2010. The PSC will seek comments from the Wind Siting Council on the proposed draft rules issued by the Commission.

Any person may submit written comments on these proposed rules. Comments on the proposed rules will be accepted until July 7, 2010, at noon (July 6, 2010, at noon, if filed by fax). The comments are considered when staff is drafting the rules. The PSC will hold hearings to take testimony from the public regarding the proposed rules in the Amnicon Falls Hearing Room at the Public Service Commission Building, 610 North Whitney Way, Madison, Wisconsin, on June 30, 2010. Act 40 requires that hearings regarding these rules also be held in Monroe County and a county other than Dane or Monroe, where developers have proposed wind energy systems. The PSC will also hold public hearings on these proposed rules at City Hall, Legislative Chambers, 160 West Macy Street in Fond du Lac on June 28, 2010, and Holiday Inn, 1017 East McCoy Boulevard in Tomah on June 29, 2010.

More information on the Wind Siting Council and the wind siting rulemaking pursuant to Act 40 can be found by visiting the Commission’s website and clicking on the Electronic Regulatory Filing System (ERF) at http://psc.wi.gov/. Type case numbers 1-AC-231 in the boxes provided on the ERF system. To comment on the proposed rules, click on the Public Comments button on the PSC’s homepage and scroll down to select Wind Siting Rulemaking.

Teresa Weidemann-Smith
Public Service Commission - Office of the Commissioners
610 N. Whitney Way
Madison, WI 53707
(608) 266-9600
Teresa.WeidemannSmith[at]wisconsin.gov

Wisconsin Governor Establishes Clean Energy Consortium (North American Windpower)

2010-05-07T09:17:00.000-05:00

Gov. Jim Doyle, D-Wis., has announced the creation of the Clean Energy Generation, Transmission and Storage Systems (CEGTS) consortium that combines the expertise of state industry and government partners with the research and development capabilities of the public and private academic institutions of Wisconsin.

The consortium will build upon the strong network of energy research expertise between Madison and Milwaukee academic institutions and industry. The Center for Renewable Energy Systems (CRES) in Madison and the Southeastern Wisconsin Energy Technology Research consortium in Milwaukee will join together as a focused single statewide power and energy organization.

Click here to read the full article in North American Windpower.

Click here to read the press release from Governor Jim Doyle.

The Answer is Blowing in the Wind (Christian Science Monitor)

2010-04-30T16:09:00.000-05:00

A great series of photos from the Christian Science Monitor...check them out at:

http://www.csmonitor.com/CSM-Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/The-answer-is-blowing-in-the-wind

Job Post: Vestas Wind Systems (Madison, WI)

2010-04-30T15:13:00.000-05:00

Vestas Wind Systems is the world leader in modern energy. Our 38,000 installed wind turbines reduce CO2 emissions by 40 million tons per year. We offer you challenging, global opportunities for career growth. Our more tha 26,000 employees represent 56 nationalities, and we are eager to welcome new colleages.

Our Houston, Hudson, and Madison Technology R&D facilities are currently being staffed to support Vestas research efforts within the wind technology areas of structural mechanics, electricity, power generators, control systems, advanced materials and aerodynamics.

Vestas offers an exciting opportunity to lead ground breaking projects of basic and applied research activities that will accelerate the deployment of wind turbine technology as well as personal development in an inspiring environment at the world's leading wind turbine producer. We value initiative, responsibility, and the right balance between creativity and quality in all solutions. You will become part of a highly professional environment with a strong technical commitment.

Technical Job Openings:

Positions require a MSAE, MSME, MSEE and 3 years of related technical experience. The ideal candidates must have experience in an R&D environment.

Loads Engineer

Controls Engineer

Aerodynamics Engineer

Structural Dynamics Engineer

Financial Project Controllers (Houston, TX and Hudson, MA)
Power Plant Engineers (Utility experience required)

Electromagnetic Machine Design Engineers (Madison, WI)

Power Electronics Engineers (Madison, WI & Hudson, MA)

Sr. Project Manager Generator Development (Hudson, MA)

Mechancial Design Engineers (Hudson, MA)

Sr. Structural Design Engineers (Hudson, MA)

NO ENTRY LEVEL OPENINGS AT THIS TIME.

Please apply to: windrdjobs[at]vestas.com

(This post was taken from North American Windpower, Volume 7, Number 4, May 2010, p. 188)

Innovation around energy and conservation will continue, even without new law (WTN News)

2010-04-30T15:03:00.000-05:00

If you listen to some of the bill's supporters, the Legislature's failure to pass the Clean Energy Jobs Act means the polar ice cap will melt away within a year and we'll all be indebted forever to OPEC. Conversely, some of the bill's opponents predicted Wisconsin's economy would run out of gas overnight if the state tried to better position itself as a player in the “green economy.” Fortunately, neither doomsday scenario is true. That's because the immense market forces at work will continue to transform Wisconsin's energy economy, even without more legislation right now to prod things along.

Click here to read the full article from Tom Still at the Wisconsin Technology Network.

Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) Derails Clean Energy Jobs Act (WisBusiness Thursday Trends - 4/29/10)

2010-04-30T14:58:00.000-05:00

The state’s largest business lobby began the 2009-2010 legislative session sounding like an organization hoping to set a kinder, gentler tone with Democrats in control of all levers of government. But the group goes out tooting its own horn after beating back the “Clean Energy Jobs Act.” Senate Democrats, wary of the political negatives of CEJA, put the final nail in its coffin last week. But political insiders credit WMC with setting up its demise. The group organized businesses statewide to oppose the bill, ran radio ads across Wisconsin and put together an aggressive phone campaign to target lawmakers.

Clean Energy Jobs Act Stalls in Senate (Daily Cardinal, Various Other Sources)

2010-04-30T14:43:00.000-05:00

Gov. Jim Doyle’s clean energy bill did not become law after the state Senate failed to vote on it Thursday, the last day of this year’s legislative session. The Clean Energy Jobs Act aimed to create 15,000 new jobs in the state’s growing alternative energy industry by 2025, according to a statement. The proposed legislation detailed goals and strategies for advancing renewable energy use, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy efficiency in Wisconsin. State Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, who introduced the Assembly version of the bill, said the initiative would have improved the state’s economy and environment and that he is “extremely disappointed” in the state Senate’s decision.

Click here for the full article from the Daily Cardinal.

Click here for the press release from Clean Wisconsin Urging the Legislature not to kill the Clean Energy bill on the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day (WisBusiness.com).

Wisconsin Renewable Energy Bill Dies on Earth Day (Associated Press).

Bills Likely to Return Next Session (JSOnline.com).

Politics Blog: A lead sponsor: Energy bill will pass Assembly, future in Senate hazy (Wisconsin State Journal)

2010-04-20T11:37:00.000-05:00

Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, is heading into today's Assembly session confident a renewable energy bill he helped draft has the votes to pass that house. But told the Wisconsin State Journal debate on the sweeping bill may not get started until 5 p.m. today - or 5 a.m. tomorrow.

Even after Assembly members work out the details of the bill, a key question looms: Will it be dead-on-arrival in the Senate? Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker has voiced concern about the bill, and it's not yet scheduled for a vote in that house.

An identical version of the bill needs to pass both houses by Thursday in order to make it to Gov. Jim Doyle's desk for his signature.

Source: Wisconsin State Journal

Report Details U.S. Wind Industry Expansion in 2009 (SiteSelection.com)

2010-04-20T09:49:00.000-05:00

The U.S. wind energy industry is expanding as established industry leaders maintain their top position and manufacturing continues to grow albeit at a slower rate than in 2008, according to the annual wind industry market report released April 8th by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

Click here for the full report from Site Selection Magazine.

Clean Energy Jobs Act Update - 4/17/10 (Various)

2010-04-17T06:24:00.000-05:00

The Assembly Committee on the Clean Energy Jobs Act held an executive session in the Capitol today, where they voted 6-3 to pass the Clean Energy Jobs Act.

Read more from the Clean Wisconsin Press Release at WisBusiness.com.

Bill may not have the votes needed to pass the Senate.

Read more at WisPolitics.com.

PSC Says Energy Bill Will Save Money (Madison.com)

2010-04-15T03:09:00.000-05:00

A new version of the state's energy bill, which was released yesterday, would be cheaper than either doing nothing or making changes proposed under the original bill, according to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin.

The PSC found the new Clean Energy Jobs Act would save at least $1.4 billion compared to maintaining the status quo for Wisconsin consumers, and would cut between $1 and $3.7 billion from the total cost of energy between now and 2025, compared to the original.

"This is the right bill at the right time," Eric Callisto, chairman of the PSC told the Wisconsin State Journal.

Click here for the full article in the Wisconsin State Journal.

Click here for the formal comments from the PSC.

Wisconsin's scaled-back global warming bill unveiled (JSOnline.com)

2010-04-13T13:10:00.000-05:00

A revised state clean energy and global warming bill unveiled Tuesday scales back the scope of the bill but retains a commitment to expand use of renewable energy and open the door to construction of nuclear reactors in Wisconsin.

The revisions, obtained by the Journal Sentinel, were drafted in response to concerns raised by business groups and politicians that the original bill was too unwieldy, too controversial and potentially too costly.

Jettisoned from the package were mandates concerning transportation fuels, including a requirement that Wisconsin require greater use of low-carbon transportation fuels such as biofuels.

Click here for the full article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online.

Wisconsin Legislative Council - Overview of Major Changes to CEJA (April 14, 2010)

Video of Clean Energy Jobs Act Panel (Sun Prairie Star Online)

2010-04-02T14:30:00.001-05:00

Special thanks to our presenters: Roy Thilly (WPPI Energy), Secretary Matt Frank (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources), and Chairman Eric Callisto (Wisconsin Public Service Commission).

Click here to watch video of the Clean Energy Jobs Act Panel on March 31st, provided by the Sun Prairie Star' Facebook Fan Page.

Workforce secretary promotes Clean Energy Jobs Act (LaCrosse Tribune)

2010-04-02T08:55:00.000-05:00

State Department of Workforce Development Secretary Roberta Gassman said Thursday the governor's proposed Clean Energy Jobs Act would create thousands of jobs, and she hopes the Legislature passes it before its regular session ends April 22.

Speaking at Dairyland Power Cooperative in La Crosse, Gassman said the act would create at least 16,000 jobs, including many construction jobs, by 2025

Click here to read the full article in the LaCrosse Tribune.

Center of Wisconsin Strategy Releases "Greener Skills: How Credentials Create Value in the Clean Energy Economy" (COWS)

2010-04-01T06:30:00.000-05:00

This report calls for "the development of a national skill credentialing system" and "a better, stronger, greener workforce system to support it."

Click here to read the full report from COWS.

Q&A with Randy Swisher: Will Clean Energy Help Wisconsin's Job Prospects? (ExpressMilwaukee.com)

2010-04-01T06:19:00.001-05:00

[Blogger's Note: Randy was kind enough to join us at our Milwuakee event. He was a super guy and just a tremendous resource. We'd like to thank him again for taking time out of a hectic schedule to spend some time with the Wind Power Happy Hour.]

One of the biggest questions posed by the state’s proposed Clean Energy Jobs Act is whether it will produce more jobs in the state or force manufacturers to cut their workforce because of increased energy costs.

Last week, Randall Swisher, former executive director of the American Wind Energy Association, spoke at the Green Energy Summit in Milwaukee about the economic advantages of renewable energy.

Click here to read Randy's comments at ExpressMilwaukee.com.

Click here for more comments from Randy in the Capital Times.

Clean Energy, Jobs and Wisconsin's Future (4th Street Forum)

2010-04-01T06:08:00.000-05:00

The Clean Energy Jobs Act tackles climate change, energy dependence and promises new jobs. Detractors fear high costs and business burdens. Is this legislation vital to our future?

Forum Date: April 1, NOON
MPTV Channel 10.1 Broadcast Dates: April 2 and 4
MPTV Show Number 820

With Host DENISE CALLAWAY, Director of Communications for the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.

With Guests...

SENATOR GLENN GROTHMAN (R), Member of the Select Committee on Clean Energy Jobs
LISA KAISER, Assistant Editor for Shepherd Express
PROFESSOR JAMES PEOPLES, Professor of Economics FOR UW-Milwaukee
JOSH ZEPNICK (D), Member of the Select Committee on Clean Energy Jobs

Click here for more information at the Milwaukee Fourth Street Forum.

Randy Swisher Presents at Mar. 25th WoWE/Wind Power Happy Hour

2010-03-26T09:21:00.000-05:00

From left to right...Carol McCoy, Wisconsin Women of Wind Energy (WoWE); Randy Swisher, American Wind Energy Association (AWEA); Michael Vickerman, RENEW Wisconsin; Pam Kleiss, Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR); Shaina Kilcoyne, Advocates for Clean Renewable Energy (ACRE); and Ryan Schryver, Clean Wisconsin.

Special thanks to Randy Swisher from AWEA for addressing his outlook on the wind industry at the national level (sounds like a lot of work still needs to be done). I also want to thank Carol McCoy for representing the Wisconsin Chapter of the Women of Wind Energy, Michael Vickerman from RENEW for his help in introducing our special guest speaker, and to Ryan Schryver from Clean Wisconsin for his update on the Clean Energy Jobs Act.

Clean Wisconsin: 200 businesses pledge support for Clean Energy Jobs Act (WisBusiness.com)

2010-03-24T17:25:00.000-05:00

In a show of support for the Clean Energy Jobs Act, the Wisconsin business community delivered a letter signed by 200 Wisconsin businesses to state legislators today highlighting the economic and job-creation benefits of strong energy efficiency and renewable energy policies.

Click here for the full press release from Clean Wisconsin at WisBusiness.com.

Click here to read the letter and see the signatories.

Clean Energy Jobs Act Panel Discussion - March 31st

2010-03-24T11:02:00.000-05:00

Please join us for a panel discussion on the Clean Energy Jobs Act with DNR Secretary Matt Frank, PSC Chairperson, and WPPI Energy CEO Roy Thilly on March 31st. This event will be an objective discussion of the potential costs and benefits associated with the bill, with some time for Q&A after the presentations. Seating is limited to 75, so RSVP early.

What:
Informational Meeting on Clean Energy Jobs Act

Presenters:
Secretary Matt Frank, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
Chairperson Eric Callisto, Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC)
Mr. Roy Thilly, CEO of WPPI Energy

When:
Wednesday March 31st, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. (Informal networking event to follow)

Where:
Cannery Grill, 315 E. Linnerud Dr., Downtown Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
http://www.thecannerygrill.com/

Cost/RSVP:
No cost to attend, RSVP by March 29th required.

RSVP to nstechschulte[at]cityofsunprairie.com or by calling (608) 825-0894.
SEATING IS LIMITED TO 75.

Hosted by:
Thrive
Wind Power Happy Hour
City of Sun Prairie Office of Economic Development

Burns & McDonnell Transmission / Wind Economics Study and Model (WPPI Memo)

2010-03-22T11:20:00.000-05:00

WPPI recently commissioned a study that attempts to determine the point at which building wind closer to load, at a lower capacity factor (i.e., in an area with lower wind speed), is more cost effective than building wind further from load, at a higher capacity factor (i.e., in an area with higher wind speed), with transmission builds.

This study shows that a 765 kV (or extra high voltage) overlay across the Midwest as proposed by ITC and AEP is not likely to be the best economic method to put wind to work. A careful build out of 345 kV lines, and more wind development near loads, may make more sense:

“We further conclude that it therefore is difficult to justify 765 EHV overlay investment at this time to support highly concentrated wind development. Finally, we conclude that a "no regrets" incremental approach to expanding the existing 345 kV backbone, as is under consideration by UMTDI among others, is likely of higher economic merit and lower risk."

Any questions or comments can be adderssed by Mr. Tim Noeldner at 608-220-1263 or via e-mail.

Click here to view the full report by Burns & McDonnell Transmission: "Wind Economics Study and Model Produced for WPPI Energy."

UPDATE: Former AWEA Exec. Director Randy Swisher to Speak at 3/25 Wind Power Happy Hour

2010-03-22T10:58:00.000-05:00

We are excited to announce that we will be joined by Mr. Randy Swisher, former Executive Director of the American Wind Energy Association, who will provide us a brief overview of the national perspective of the wind industry starting at 5:20 p.m. Thanks to RENEW Wisconsin for making this special presentation possible.

If you haven't RSVP'd yet, please do so by Wednesday March 24th.

We will be co-hosting our next Wind Power Happy Hour in partnership with the Wisconsin Chapter of Women of Wind Energy in conjunction with the 2010 Green Energy Summit at the Midwest Airlines Center March 24th-26th.

Next Wind Power Happy Hour
Date: March 25th, 2010
Time: 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Place: Bar 333, Hyatt Regency Milwaukee (in conjunction with 2010 Green Energy Summit)
Speakers: None. Networking only.
Registration Cost: None to attend.

RSVP requested to Neil Stechschulte at nstechschulte[at]cityofsunprairie.com or by calling (608) 825-0894.

Questions?: Contact Neil Stechschulte via e-mail or by phone at (608) 825-0894.

For more information on the 2010 Green Energy Summit:
http://www.greenenergysummit.us/

2) Don't forget to check our news blog: http://breezesandbeverages.blogspot.com/
...or our group on LinkedIn.com: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?id=2518946&trk=hb_side_g

See you on the 25th!

FAA Rules Wind Turbines [at Epic] Wouldn't Interfere With Airports (Verona Press)

2010-03-19T14:32:00.000-05:00

VERONA, WISCONSIN - Giant wind turbines on the Epic campus would be OK with the FAA. The Federal Aviation Administration is in charge of determining, among other things, where towers more than 200 feet tall can and cannot be placed if there are nearby airports. A wind turbine contractor applied last month for a "determination of hazard" for four 466-foot-tall wind towers with the FAA, one of the first steps in putting up such structures, and on Friday the agency gave its approval.

Representatives for Epic and the contractor, the Morse Company, both said last month that because the company is still gathering data, the locations and heights of turbines they build - if any - have not yet been determined. The State of Wisconin will have the last word on where they can be built on the company's sprawling, 600-acre campus. Already Morse has erected a 197-foot-tall meteorological tower to study wind speed and direction. Paperwork filed with the FAA proposes a "small wind energy project" with four machines that would have "328 ft hub-height with 269 ft rotor diameter," which would be among the larger commonly produced "utility-sized" turbines available. Four typical turbines with the rotor diameter proposed could produce enough energy to power about 2,000 homes at peak efficiency.

Click here to read the full story in the Verona Press.

PSC Names Wind Siting Council (Daily Reporter)

2010-03-18T11:03:00.000-05:00

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin on Tuesday announced appointments to Wisconsin’s Wind Siting Council, an advisory body created last year by state law. The council will advise PSC staff as it develops uniform wind turbine placement standards throughout Wisconsin.

“Wind siting regulation is complex and sometimes controversial,” PSC Chairman Eric Callisto said in a press release. “I look forward to the council’s input as we develop these rules for Wisconsin, and I thank the council members for their service.”

The following people have been appointed to serve on Wisconsin’s Wind Siting Council:

Dan Ebert, WPPI Energy

David Gilles, Godfrey & Kahn SC

Tom Green, Wind Capital Group

Jennifer Heinzen, Lakeshore Technical College

Andy Hesselbach, We Energies

George Krause Jr., Choice Residential LLC

Lloyd Lueschow, Green County

Jevon McFadden, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health

Tom Meyer, Restaino & Associates Inc. Realtors

Bill Rakocy, Emerging Energies of Wisconsin LLC

Dwight Sattler, Landowner

Ryan Schryver, Clean Wisconsin Inc.

Michael Vickerman, RENEW Wisconsin

Larry Wunsch, Landowner

Doug Zweizig, Town of Union

Source: http://dailyreporter.com/blog/2010/03/17/psc-names-wind-siting-council/

PSC Press Release: http://psc.wi.gov/pdffiles/News%20Releases/2010/03%20March/PSC%20Appoints%20Wind%20Siting%20Council.pdf

APNewsBreak: Governors seek wind energy boost (Assoicated Press)

2010-03-17T11:13:00.000-05:00

A coalition representing governors of 29 states [including Governor Jim Doyle] is urging the federal government to take steps to boost wind energy, such as a renewable electricity standard requiring utilities to produce at least 10 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2012.

The bipartisan Governors' Wind Energy Coalition plans to make the recommendations Tuesday in a report to Congress and the White House.

The report comes as Senate sponsors of a climate bill prepare to unveil their legislation, perhaps as soon as this week.

Click here to read the full AP report.

Click here to read the Governor's Wind Energy Coalition Report entitled "Great Expectations."

Click here to go to the Governor's Wind Energy Coalition website.

Southeastern Wisconsin Companies Team Up on US Wind Turbine Installations (FESCO Direct Press Release)

2010-03-16T08:39:00.000-05:00

Two Waukesha based companies have partnered to offer US clients turnkey wind energy services. FESCO Direct, a leading global supplier of wind turbine systems, announced an agreement with Oscar J Boldt Construction, an experienced wind turbine installer, to work together to offer clients a single source for planning, purchase, installation and commissioning of wind turbine systems. For more information on available wind systems visit http://www.fescodirect.com/wind_energy.html

FESCO Direct has primarily worked as a wind turbine supplier, providing equipment to full service wind installers, and clients that have utilized subcontractors that handle permitting, installing and commissioning the turbines. Company executives emphasize that FESCO Direct will continue to offer wholesale pricing on new, used, and remanufactured wind turbines in the mid-sized kilowatt to several megawatt ranges. Now with the experience and expertise of Oscar J. Boldt Construction Company, FESCO Direct is able offer to its customers wind turbine installation and erection services throughout the U.S.A.

Oscar J Boldt Construction is a well known construction company with offices and crews across the United States. Boldt’s wind energy division is highly experienced with the installation of wind turbines, having been the installer on several major US wind farms throughout the Midwest. Bolt Construction has erected hundreds of utility sized turbines and already possesses the equipment and skill necessary to install the wind turbines available from FESCO Direct.

“Boldt Construction is pleased to team up with FESCO Direct, a leading player in the mid-range wind turbine market.” said John Greidanus, Vice President of Boldt Construction’s Power and
Energy Development. “We believe this market niche has significant potential for growth… and we look forward to applying our experience and skill in constructing wind turbines in partnership with FESCO Direct.” he added.

The announcement is welcome news for those who are looking for an affordable and productive wind energy system. “Providing our customers with the best service and value was the number one reason we chose to team up with Boldt Construction. They are strategically located, have the experience, crew, equipment and safety record we were looking for to service our customers throughout the United States.” said Jason Jacobs, Chief Operating Officer of FESCO Direct’s Wind Energy Division. “Because we supply globally and throughout the US, it is not logistically practical for us to own or rent equipment, or subcontract with crews that do not possess the
experience necessary to provide our customers with a high level of service.” he continued.

FESCO Direct is a proud partner of Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy program and the Midwest Renewable Energy Association. Their staff includes grant writers, MREA Certified Wind Site Assessors, and other strategic personnel necessary for turnkey wind turbine system projects. For more information on wind turbine systems available from FESCO Direct or turnkey installation services visit http://www.fescodirect.com/wind_energy.html or call
(262) 349-9436.

Newly Released Independent Report Confirms Job Creation Potential of Clean Energy Policies (Press Release)

2010-03-11T16:43:00.000-06:00

Governor Jim Doyle announced today the release of an independent evaluation that shows Wisconsin’s clean energy programs through Focus on Energy have added more than 5,000 jobs and more than $1 billion to Wisconsin’s economy since the program began in 2001.

“This independent report is yet further confirmation that our existing energy efficiency and renewable energy programs are proven job creators,” Governor Doyle said. “Because of good government policy and our renewable energy standards, we now have hundreds of companies in Wisconsin creating thousands of jobs in the emerging clean energy sector. By increasing our efforts in these areas, we can make businesses more competitive, add to individuals’ disposable income, and create jobs here in Wisconsin.”

The independent evaluation of economic development benefits was completed by PA Consulting Group, Inc. and Economic Development Research Group, Inc. – both leading, independent consulting firms serving public and private sector clients throughout the world. State law requires the Public Service Commission (PSC) to contract for periodic independent evaluations of the Focus on Energy programs. This is the second such report evaluating economic development benefits.

The evaluation of economic development benefits used actual program data and sophisticated economic models to estimate the past, present and future value of Focus on Energy programs. Over the first 10 years, Focus on Energy programs added $1.428 billion cumulatively to Wisconsin’s gross state product. Today, 5,194 full time employees work in jobs supported by the programs that would not otherwise exist, including 1,220 jobs in the construction trades and 366 manufacturing jobs. Manufacturing output is $137 million greater than it otherwise would be, and virtually every sector of the economy has higher employment than it would in the absence of the Focus on Energy programs.

The evaluation report also considered the likely economic impacts that will result if Focus on Energy funding is increased to levels proposed in the Clean Energy Jobs Act that is currently being debated in the Wisconsin Legislature. According to the report, investment at that increased level of funding could increase gross state product by more than $2 billion per year and support more than 20,000 jobs.

“These are eye-opening results,” said PSC Chairperson Eric Callisto. “They point to an economic opportunity that Wisconsin cannot afford to miss. It’s easy to see why the Governor’s Task Force unanimously recommended enhancing Wisconsin’s energy efficiency programs.”

Since taking office, Governor Doyle has advanced an aggressive agenda to position Wisconsin as a leader in a growing clean energy economy. Wisconsin has adopted renewable portfolio standards, invested in green job creation, led the advancement of research in cellulosic ethanol and biomass, and made great strides to increase energy efficiency in homes, businesses and government buildings.

The results of these efforts have driven a rapid expansion in alternative energy production and real growth in clean energy jobs. Wisconsin’s original renewable portfolio standards have helped spur development in the wind, solar and biomass industries in Wisconsin – with more than 300 companies and thousands of jobs now in the state’s wind industry. Through energy conservation efforts, numerous Wisconsin companies, including some of the biggest manufacturers, have also reduced energy costs.

The Clean Energy Jobs Act is a landmark legislative package to accelerate the state’s green economy and create jobs. The package calls for updating renewable portfolio standards to generate 25 percent of Wisconsin’s fuel from renewable sources by 2025 and sets a realistic goal of a 2 percent annual reduction in energy consumption by 2015. A recent independent report shows the proposed legislation would create more than 16,000 jobs in Wisconsin and boost gross state product by nearly $5 billion over the next 15 years.

The newly-released report, Focus on Energy Evaluation – Economic Development Benefits: CY09 Economic Impacts, can be found by visiting: http://www.focusonenergy.com/files/Document_Management_System/Evaluation/cy09economicimpactsreport_evaluationreport.pdf
The analysis of the Clean Energy Jobs Act can be found by visiting: http://www.climatestrategies.us/ewebeditpro/items/O25F22680.pdf
Focus on Energy builds on the Governor’s energy efficiency and clean energy efforts through energy-saving programs for homes and businesses. In January, Governor Doyle announced that Focus on Energy has helped Wisconsin residents and businesses save more than $268 million in annual energy costs. For more information on Focus on Energy, please visit focusonenergy.com.

A Couple of Opportunities for Participating in the Wisconsin Wind Works Pavilion at AWEA Remain

2010-03-09T09:55:00.000-06:00

"Wisconsin Wind Works" will be hosting a pavilion with Wisconsin companies at the AWEA 2010 Windpower Conference and Exhibition inDallas, Texas on May 23rd-26th. A couple of spots remain for interestedcompanies.

Participation includes:

● Turnkey Pavilion Presence For 15 Companies

● Large Logo prominently displayed in New North booth (Booth locationis in a high traffic location)

● Company Listing in AWEA Exhibitor Show Guide

● 2 Exhibit Hall Passes Included

● Website Links

● Company Listing in Wisconsin Wind Works Supply Chain Directory

● Logo on all Marketing Material

● Pre-show Mailer/Email Options

● Participation in Wisconsin Windworks Ad in North American Windpowermagazine including your company logo

Corporate Sponsorship

● 1 Exhibit Hall Pass

● Logo on Banner Stand

● Website Links

● Company Listing in Wisconsin Wind Works Supply Chain Directory

● Logo on all Marketing Material

● Pre-show Mailer/Email Options

● Utility Sponsor Ad In North American Windpower magazine

For additional information. contact:

Beth Sigmund, Office Manager

New North, Inc.

1716 Lawrence Drive

DePere, WI 54115

920.336.3860 p

920.617.6073 f

bsigmund[at]thenewnorth.com

http://www.thenewnorth.com/

Next Wind Power Happy Hour - Thursday March 25th in Milwaukee!

2010-03-05T18:58:00.000-06:00

We're excited to announce that we will be co-hosting our next Wind Power Happy Hour in partnership with the Wisconsin Chapter of Women of Wind Energy. We're going to Milwaukee so our event can be held in conjunction with the 2010 Green Energy Summit at the Midwest Airlines Center March 24th-26th.

Next Wind Power Happy Hour
Date: March 25th, 2010
Time: 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Place: Bar 333, Hyatt Regency Milwaukee (in conjunction with 2010 Green Energy Summit)
Speakers: None. Networking only.
Registration Cost: None to attend. RSVP requested to Neil Stechschulte at nstechschulte[at]cityofsunprairie.com or by calling (608) 825-0894.

Questions?: Contact Neil Stechschulte via e-mail at nstechschulte[at]cityofsunprairie.com or by phone at (608) 825-0894.

For more information on the 2010 Green Energy Summit:
http://www.greenenergysummit.us/

2) Watch for additional information on a second event in late March/early April!

3) Don't forget to check our group on LinkedIn.com:

See you on the 25th!

Seventh Generation Authorized as Endurance Dealer (Press Release)

2010-03-05T13:55:00.000-06:00

Endurance Wind Power is pleased to announce that Seventh Generation Energy Systems of Madison, WI has fulfilled its requirements to become a Direct Dealer of the Endurance line of wind turbines.

"Seventh Generation Energy Systems has the expertise, customer commitment and passion for the business--we look forward to supporting them in our efforts to provide wind power to the growing Wisconsin market place," stated Doug Hicks, VP of Channel Sales, Endurance Wind Power.

"The small wind industry is set-up for explosive growth over the next few years. We are thrilled to have access to the Endurance line of products for our customers. We see the Endurance product line as an excellent fit with our market and our wind regime. As the leading installer of small wind systems in Wisconsin we expect our relationship with Endurance to be fruitful and long lasting," commented Jim Yockey, Executive Director, Seventh Generation Energy Systems.

About Seventh Generation Energy Systems (SGES)

Seventh Generation Energy Systems (SGES) is a leading non-profit renewable energy firm specializing in community education, resource assessment, energy analysis, and wind and solar power systems from 35kW to 2MW. SGES began implementing wind power in 2002, designing, planning, and installing wind systems for farms, schools, homes and businesses

About Endurance

Endurance Wind Power is a manufacturer of advanced wind turbines designed specifically for distributed wind power applications. Our line of modern, induction based wind turbines bring efficient, reliable, safe and quiet, renewable energy within reach of businesses, institutions and homeowners.

Source: http://www.endurancewindpower.com/news/2010/03/seventh-generation-authorized-as.html

Wind Power Happy Hour draws 75 to Cannery Grill (Sun Prairie Star)

2010-03-05T11:38:00.001-06:00

[Blogger's Note: The above photo is the team from Vestas. From left to right: Peter Hansen (Madison Office), Henrik Lykke Sørensen (Århus, Denmark Office), William Dorner (Houston Office), Dr. Ramasamy Anbarasu (Lübeck, Germany Office), Jennifer Green (Houston Office), Henrik Vejergang (Århus, Denmark Office), and Professor Thomas Jahns, University of Wisconsin, Madison.]

Wind energy is a hot topic in Sun Prairie, not only for city planners working to add wind power companies to the city’s business roster, but also for the many wind industry representatives who convene in Sun Prairie once a month.

Sun Prairie Economic Development Coordinator Neil Stechschulte’s efforts to bring wind industry stakeholders together—including everyone from manufacturers to engineers to state government representatives—have led to a well-known and increasingly well-attended networking event—the Wind Power Happy Hour, held right here in Sun Prairie at the Cannery Grill each month.

The most recent happy hour event, held on Wednesday, Feb. 24, drew about 75 attendees including international representatives from Vestas—the world’s largest manufacturer of wind turbines and home of the industry’s largest research and development unit.

With research centers in Denmark, Singapore, India, and the United Kingdom, and plans to establish units in the United States in Houston and Boston, their attendance at the Sun Prairie event shows that international industry experts recognize the Dane County area as a worthwhile place to participate in wind-industry discussions.

Stechschulte said he hopes those discussions will lead to economic growth and new jobs in Sun Prairie’s future.

“Our reason for holding these events is to develop relationships with private sector companies that have a high growth potential in terms of jobs,” Stechschulte said. “As far as I am aware, this was the first meeting where we had representatives from three of the most notable wind energy projects over the past year in one room—Vestas, Ingeteam, and Energy Composites. Sooner or later, one of these companies is going to be looking for space for a new facility. By using these events to build a relationship with these companies, this should greatly enhance our ability to put Sun Prairie in the running when they are considering possible sites.” Wednesday’s event—which was the most highly attended of any of the Wind Power Happy Hour events at the Cannery so far—showed that interest in the wind industry here in Sun Prairie is gaining enthusiasm.

Click here to read the full article in the Sun Prairie Star.

[Blogger's note #2: Special thanks to Star for their continung support of this event.]

Western Wind Selects Madison Based RMT as EPC Contractor (Press Release)

2010-03-05T09:26:00.000-06:00

Western Wind has selected RMT of Madison, Wisconsin, as the Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractor for Windstar.

RMT is a world class EPC contractor whose parent company is the multi-billion dollar regulated utility, Alliant Energy of Madison, Wisconsin. (LNT:NYSE). RMT is currently performing substantial activities on the Windstar project which include geotechnical drilling of all 60 turbine sites, calculations of soil dynamic loadings, seismic refraction surveys, electrical resistivity testing, road design, substation design and transmission interconnection design.

Western Wind Energy, Gamesa and RMT are currently formulating the complex delivery, erection, mechanical completion and commissioning strategy and Western Wind Energy expects this construction strategy to be substantially complete within several weeks.

Windstar is a 120-Megawatt wind project located in Tehachapi, California.

RMT delivers specialized consulting, development, engineering, and construction services to effectively balance the undeniable link between energy, environmental, and financial performance. RMT is part of Alliant Energy Corporation (NYSE:LNT), an $8-billion diversified energy and industrial services company with over 5,000 employees. Our relationship to this world-class organization allows us to offer unique expertise in energy management, as well as a global network of diverse resources.

Western Wind is a vertically integrated renewable energy electrical production company that currently owns over 500 wind turbines with 34.5 MW of rated capacity and a further 131MW of expansion power purchase agreements in the States of California and Arizona. Western Wind further owns additional development assets for both Solar and Wind Energy in California, Arizona, Ontario, Canada and a development team in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Western Wind is in the business of owning and acquiring land sites and technology for the production of electricity from wind and solar energy. Management of Western Wind Energy includes individuals involved in the operations and ownership of utility scale wind energy facilities in California since 1981.

Click here to read the full press release from Western Wind.

Click here to go the Western Wind website.

Click here to go the RMT website.

Debate over Clean Energy Act rests on how far Wisconsin should go on its own (WTN News)

2010-03-02T09:40:00.000-06:00

Wisconsin Technology Council President Tom Still writes "Finding an energy-use “alignment” that better positions Wisconsin for the long run without harming competitiveness now won't be easy, but it will be necessary."

Read the full article at WTN News.

Can Green Technology Propel Economic Development? (Governing.com)

2010-03-02T08:50:00.000-06:00

With states looking to kick-start their economic engines, green technology is increasingly viewed as the piston helping drive it.

Click here to read the full article at Governing.com.

Record Attendance and Special Guests Highlight Feb. 24 Wind Power Happy Hour

2010-02-28T06:50:00.000-06:00

Despite snowy weather, 75 people attended the Wind Power Happy Hour in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin on Wed. Feb. 24th. This marked the highest attendance for our regular happy hours since their inception in July 2009.

Our presenter, Charles Gonzales from ATC, provided a great overview of American Transmission Company's 10 year plan (2009), which identifies an estimated $2.5 billion in work needed to ensure that the transmission grid can reliably meet the electricity needs of people and businesses in communities throughout most of Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

For more in-depth information go to: http://www.atc10yearplan.com/.

To download a copy of the Executive Summary of the 10 year plan, go to http://www.atc10yearplan.com/documents/TYA-09.pdf. (This was the same document that Charles was handing out at the meeting.)

Representatives from three of the most important wind related manufacturing projects in the State of Wisconsin were in attendance, including:

Vestas (see photo above):

Peter Hansen, Vestas Madison-Office
Henrik Lykke Sørensen, Vestas Århus-Office [Demmark]
William Dorner, Vestas Houston-Office
Dr. Ramasamy Anbarasu, Vestas Lübeck-Office [Germany]
Jennifer Green, Vestas Houston-Office
Henrik Vejergang, Vestas Århus-Office [Denmark]
Prof. Thomas Jahns, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Vestas is the world's largest manufacturer of wind turbines and has the wind industry's largest research and development unit. Vestas has research centers in Denmark, Singapore, India and the United Kingdom, and new R&D units are being established in the United States in Houston and Boston. Vestas develops its wind turbines in-house, but also collaborates worldwide with leading universities and adjacent industries in the traditional energy and transport industry. Vestas has entered into a long-term partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering that promises to propel wind-energy research, provide student learning opportunities and give the company a long-term presence in the Madison area.

Ingeteam:

John Meinecke, Service Group Director
Randy McHugh, Electrical Engineering Manager

Ingeteam is a privately held, diversified manufacturer of wind-turbine generators is based in Zamudio, Spain, a suburb of Bilbao. Outside Spain, the company has operations in seven countries, including an office in Mequon, WI. Ingeteam recently announced a Milwaukee area plant that will include about 270 manufacturing jobs. It will be Ingeteam's first North American factory. Ingeteam chose the site because of its proximity to workers, I-94 and Spanish-speaking neighborhoods, as well as Milwaukee's manufacturing heritage. Ingeteam was awarded $1.66 million in clean-tech manufacturing tax credits for the project.

Energy Composites Corporation:

D.J. Johnson, Sales Engineer

Energy Composites' new 535,000 s.f. plant in Wisconsin Rapids will be the most advanced in North America, with the capability of building blades up to 65 meters in length that will supply both onshore and offshore wind farms. The plant will enjoy a maximum range of flexibility in production design, and will provide for an unusually-high level of control over inputs. The plant will employ more than 600 employees, most certified through ECC's blade fabrication curriculum in partnership with Mid-State Technical College. The project will be financed through tax-free bonds provided through the Recovery Zone Facility pool created by the Federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as the Stimulus Bill.

Wisconsin Wind Works Participant Opportunity for 2010 AWEA Windpower Conference (The New North)

2010-02-22T15:09:00.000-06:00

The New North is offering the following package to eligible Wisconsin companies interested in participating in the 2010 AWEA Windpower Conference and Exposition in Dallas, TX on May 23-26th.

$4,000 Participation Fee

- Turnkey Pavilion Presence For 15 Companies
- Large Logo prominently displayed in New North booth (Booth location is in a high traffic location)
- Company Listing in AWEA Exhibitor Show Guide
- 2 Exhibit Hall Passes Included
- Website Links
- Company Listing in Wisconsin Wind Works Supply Chain Directory
- Logo on all Marketing Material
- Pre-show Mailer/Email Options
- Participation in Wisconsin Wind Works Ad in North American WindPower magazine

Corporate Sponsorship

- 1 Exhibit Hall Pass
- Logo on Banner Stand
- Website Links
-Company Listing in Wisconsin Wind Works Supply Chain Directory
- Logo on all Marketing Material
- Pre-show Mailer/Email Options
- Utility Sponsor Ad In North American Windpower magazine

Click here for additional information on the participant opportunity, or contact Beth Sigmund at bsigmund@thenewnorth.com or by calling 920-336-3860.

Click here for information about the 2010 AWEA Windpower Conference and Exposition.

UPDATE: Wind Power Happy Hour - Feb. 24th

2010-02-22T14:27:00.001-06:00

Reminder: Please RSVP to nstechschulte[at]cityofsunprairie.com or call (608) 825-0894 by Monday Feb. 22nd. (Seating is limited to 125, so RSVP early.)

Join us on Wed. Feb. 24th from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. for our next Wind Power Happy Hour at Cannery Grill (315 E. Linnerud Dr.) in Downtown Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.

We will be joined by Mr. Charles Gonzales from American Transmission Company (ATC), who will provide an update on local transmission development projects as well as an overview of where Wisconsin and the Midwest fit in to efforts to update our national transmission network. Presentation will be scheduled for 5:00 p.m.

There will be no charge to register. Refreshments will be available for purchase at the bar.

The following companies and organizations have RSVP'd for this event on Feb. 24th:

Alliant Energy
American Transmission Co. (ATC)
Ayres Associates
Baker Tilly
Carlson Mapping and Analysis
City of Madison
EBI Consulting
Energy Maintenance Service, Inc.
Gialamas Co.
Green Heron Resources LLC
Helwig Carbon Products Inc.
HR Solution Center, LLC
Ingeteam
J.H. Findorff and Son, Inc.
Kraemer Brothers, LLC
Land Service Co.
Michael Best & Friedrich LLP
Michels Corporation
MSA Professional Services, Inc.
Natural Resources Consulting (NRC)
ORCHID International
PBS&J
R.A. Smith National
Realtime Utility Engineers
SnugHouse Energy Audits LLC
Stafford Rosenbaum LLP
Stainless Foundry
University of Wisconsin
Vestas Technology R&D Americas, Inc.
Voltedge, Inc.
Wind Capital Group
Wisconsin DNR
WisLogistics

Green Biz: Wind Energy Blowing Hot & Cold in the State (Wisbusiness.com)

2010-02-19T14:15:00.000-06:00

The wind energy industry has been blowing hot and cold in Wisconsin during the recession, and according to some advocates, has faced negative factors and obstacles that go beyond the economic times. A couple new projects have started. More could be on the way. But, progress in moving to what many feel could be a key sustainable energy source has been slowed somewhat by tight credit, limited venture capital and other financial factors during the overall economic downturn.

Click here to read the full blog post from Gregg Hoffmann at Wisbuisness.com.

Feb. 2010 "InBusiness Magazine" Features Clean Energy Roundtable (IBMadison.com)

2010-02-19T09:19:00.000-06:00

[Blogger's Note: In Business Magazine has served the Greater Madison marketplace for over 30 years. The company's mission is to elevate the community of business in the Greater Madison area.]

Senator Mark Miller says the Cap-and-Trade bill "prepares Wisconsin for a clean-energy economy in the future, and it requires some investment to do that." In fact, there is much beyond Cap-and-Trade to discuss about an emerging energy policy driven by social policy. And, in this region, the question is, "who really is willing to pay, and what are the benefits?"

This discussion is not a rehash of the pending Cap-and-Trade legislation to regulate carbon emissions, though there is reference to it. Rather, the topic is renewable energy — the market for it, our ability here in Wisconsin to be a Midwestern player, and the cost of it. Who will (or should) bear the upfront cost of refitting factories? If it takes an energy company the same amount of jumping through hoops to bring a digester online as a nuclear power plant, what is the market incentive to do it? It is only by bringing experts together at one table, to build on the comments offered by their colleagues, that IB can offer readers such candid roundtables with spirited conversation and insights. You will not be disappointed.

Panelists:

Tim Laughlin, Owner, Wave Wind, LLC

Paul Soglin, Partner, Energies Direct, LLC

Gregory A. Bollom, Assistant VP, Energy Planning, MGE

Keith Reopelle, Program Director, Clean Wisconsin

Todd Stuart, Executive Director, Wisc. Industrial Energy Group

Click here to read the full discussion at IBMadison.com.

2010 Green Energy Summit, Milwaukee, Wi, Mar. 24-27th

2010-02-18T13:42:00.001-06:00

The New Green Economy: Opportunities & Challenges

Wednesday – Friday, March 24 – 26, 2010

Midwest Airlines Center, Milwaukee

With workshops and excursions Saturday, March 27

Each Summit day will focus on a key component of The New Green Economy:

March 24, Green Business Day;
March 25, Green Energy Day;
March 26, Green Career Pathways and Sustainability Day.

Special Keynote Sessions and Forums

The Evolving Legislative Context: Federal and State
Green Business Strategies for the Midwest
The Role of Water in the New Green Economy
Our Carbon Footprint: Why We Must Reduce It
Green Energy Strategies for the Midwest
Green Energy Initiatives and Development
Symposium: Job Creation and Education for the New Green Economy – The Color of Hope is Green!
Sustainability: The Future is Green

The 2010 Green Energy Summit includes plenary sessions featuring keynote speakers and forums; topical and poster sessions; workshops and excursions; and exhibits for industry, education and jobs!

Click here to register or for more information.

"Focus on Midwest Energy'' Conference Set (WisPolitics.com)

2010-02-18T13:13:00.000-06:00

March 8 Madison Conference features Cong. Baldwin, Ryan as Keynoters

For Immediate Release Contact: Jim Greer, 608-237-6296 or greer@wispolitics.com

MADISON, Wis. - Congress-members Tammy Baldwin and Paul Ryan along with key legislators and PSC Chair Eric Callisto will highlight the third annual "Focus on Midwest Energy" conference on Monday, March 8 at the Madison Club, WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com announced.

The event will assemble key business, government and research representatives to explore federal and state energy legislation and issues ranging from nuclear energy to transmission to alternative fuels and conservation.

The half-day forum will include two panel discussions -- on federal and state climate change legislation and on changing business practices in a sustainable world. The confirmed keynote speakers:

-- Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, is a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, one of the key federal committees handling energy legislation. She has represented Wisconsin's 2nd Congressional District since being elected in 1998.

-- Congressman Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, is the ranking member of the House Budget Committee and a national leader in House policy issues. He has represented Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District since being elected in 1998. He's also s a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over tax policy, Social Security, health care and trade laws. He is also author of the "Roadmap for America's Future: 2.0", for more information go to: http://www.americanroadmap.org/

Other conference participants include: Eric Callisto, Chair of the Wisconsin Public Service Commission; Mary Schlaefer, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corp.; Todd Stuart, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Industrial Energy Group; Art Barnard, President of GKA Research; State Senator Mary Lazich; State Senator Mark Miller; State Representative Mark Gottlieb; State Representative Spencer Black; and other experts. The event is open to the public.

Individual tickets cost $50 if purchased by March 1; tickets after that cost $75 each. Tables are available for purchase on a first-come, first-served basis at a cost of $600. Student discounts also will be available. The ticket price includes food.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER: http://www.esurveycentral.com/TakeSurvey.asp?SurveyID=7J0ln3438n9MG

Initial sponsors for this event include American Transmission Company, Xcel Energy, Orion Energy Systems, Alliant Energy, We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service.

Additional sponsorships are available, for more information contact Jim Greer at 608-237-6296 or greer@wispolitics.com. WisPolitics.com and WisBusiness.com are independent, non-partisan news services based in Madison. Go to http://www.wispolitics.com/ and http://www.wisbusiness.com/ for more on the services.

EVENT DETAILS

Date: Monday, March 8, 2010

Location: The Madison Club, located in downtown Madison.

Format: Half-day, with keynote speakers plus breakout panel session.

AGENDA:REGISTRATION/BREAKFAST BEGINS: 8 am

Breakfast/Welcome Keynote: Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin: 8:30 - 9:10 am

Panel 1: State and Federal Climate Change Legislation: 9:15 - 10:10 am

Rep. Black

Sen. Miller

Rep. Gottlieb

Sen. Lazich

Morning Keynote: Gubernatorial Candidates - 10:15 - 10:55 am (invited)

Panel 2: Changing Business Practices in a Sustainable World 11 - 11:55 am

Mary Schlaefer - WECC

Todd Stuart - WIEG

Eric Callisto - Wisconsin PSC Chairman

Art Barnard - GKA Research

Lunch begins NOON

Lunch Program: Congressman Paul Ryan - 12:15 pm - 12:55 pm

EVENT ENDS AROUND 1 PM

Counting the Cost: Global Warming Legislation and the Region's Economy (Event)

2010-02-16T15:12:00.000-06:00

This event is being hosted by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce.

Date: Thursday Feb. 25th, 7:30 a.m to 9:00 a.m.

Location: University Club - Grand Ballroom, 924 E Wells St., Milwaukee, WI 53202 USA

Cost: $25 - MMAC Member; $40 - Non-Member, Cancellations must be received 3 business days prior to the event. No refunds will be given after that time. Substitutions are accepted at any time.

For Additional Information:

http://www.mmac.org/display/router.asp?docid=488&event=1256&startDate=02/25/10

Event Description:

Lawmakers are currently considering legislation to implement the recommendations of Governor Doyle's Global Warming Task Force. This bill is without a doubt the most broad and comprehensive piece of energy policy ever taken up by the state, impacting everything from individual energy conservation measures to mandated changes in the sources, uses and mix of electric power in economic broad. There is no debate that this bill, if passed, would dramatically reshape the future of Wisconsin's economy, but there is considerable debate over whether that change will place our region at an economic advantage or disadvantage.

A panel of energy policy experts will discuss the details and possible ramifications of this critical legislation.

PANELISTS:

Roy Thilly, President and CEO of WPPI Energy Co-Chair of the Governor's Task Force on Global Warming

Todd Stuart, Executive Director, Wisconsin Industrial Energy Group Member of the Governor's Task force on Global Warming

Paul Bachman, Director of Research, Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University Author of the WPRI analysis of the impacts of the Task Force recommendations

State Senator Jeff Plale, Co-Author of SB 450 and Co-Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Clean Energy

To register, contact:

DEBRA JORDAN

(414) 287.4127

djordan@mmac.org

Ingeteam Will Build Plant in Milwaukee (JSOnline.com)

2010-02-15T15:03:00.000-06:00

Ingeteam, a Spanish manufacturer of wind-turbine generators, will locate its new factory in the Menomonee Valley, Gale Klappa, co-chairman of the Milwaukee 7 economic development coalition, announced Monday.

The plant will create about 270 jobs, said Julia Taylor, president of the Greater Milwaukee Committee.

Click here for the full article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

UPDATED 2/16/10: Click here for the full article outlining the jobs to be created as well as public assistance to be provided from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Resources and Opinions on the Wisconsin Clean Energy Jobs Act (Various)

2010-02-14T11:28:00.000-06:00

[Blogger's Note: The following links are being provided to assist interested readers to make their own judgements on the potential impacts of Clean Energy legislation on employment in Wisconsin:]

AB 649
http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2009/data/AB-649.pdf

SB 450
http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2009/data/SB-450.pdf

Wisconsin's Strategy for Reducing Global Warming - Report of the Global Warming Task Force (July 24, 2008)
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/environmentprotect/gtfgw/documents/Final_Report.pdf

Hamilton Consulting Watch: Governor's Task Force on Global Warming - Omnibus Enabling Legislation
http://hamiltonconsultingregwatch.com/energy-and-climate/wisconsin-initiatives/omnibus-enabling-legislation

Clean Energy Wisconsin: Governor Doyle's Plan for Energy Independence (Spring 2008)
http://cleanenergy.wi.gov/

Economic Assessment of the Clean Energy Jobs Act - Wisconsin Office of Energy Independence
http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/docview.asp?docid=18757

RENEW Wisconsin FAQ on the Clean Energy Jobs Act
http://www.renewwisconsin.org/policy/CEJA/CleanEnergyJobsFAQ.htm

Wisconsin Policy Research Institute - Economics of Climate Change Proposals in Wisconsin (November 2009)
http://www.wpri.org/Reports/Volume22/Vol22No7/Vol22No7.pdf

Letter from Multiple Business Groups Expressing Concerns on Global Warming Legislation (Dec. 3, 2009)
http://www.hamiltonconsultingregwatch.com/documents/regulatory/climate/09dec03_task-force-letter.pdf

Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce Global Warming Briefing Center
http://www.wmc.org/governmentaffairs/display.cfm?ID=2241

Testimony from Wisconsin Industrial Energy Group (WIEG) (Feb. 2, 2010)
http://www.hamiltonconsultingregwatch.com/documents/regulatory/climate/10feb02_wieg-global-warming-testimony.pdf

WMC Submits Petition Against Doyle's Clean Energy Jobs Act (2/18/10 BizTimes Daily)
http://www.biztimes.com/daily/2010/2/18/#wmc-delivers-petition-against-doyles-clean-energy-jobs-act (Includes link to petitioners signing the letter)

American Innovation: Manufacturing Low Carbon Technologies in the Midwest (The Climate Group - Jan. 28th, 2010)
http://www.theclimategroup.org/_assets/files/American-Innovation.pdf

Center for Climate Studies: Macroeconomic Study of Wisconsin's Clean Energy Jobs
Act
http://www.climatestrategies.us/template.cfm?FrontID=6032

Next Wind Power Happy Hour - Wed. Feb. 24th, 2010

2010-02-11T07:56:00.000-06:00

Please join us on Wed. Feb. 24th from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. for our next Wind Power Happy Hour at Cannery Grill (315 E. Linnerud Dr.) in Downtown Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.

We will be joined by Mr. Charles Gonzales from American Transmission Company (ATC), who will provide an update on local transmission development projects as well as an overview of where Wisconsin and the Midwest fit in to efforts to update our national transmission network. Presentation will be scheduled for 5:00 p.m.

There will be no charge to register. Refreshments will be available for purchase at the bar.

Please RSVP to nstechschulte@cityofsunprairie.com or call (608) 825-0894 by Monday Feb. 22nd. (Seating is limited to 125, so RSVP early.)

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle signs Recovery Zone Bond Bill in Wisconsin Rapids (Wisconsin Rapid Tribune)

2010-02-05T11:55:00.000-06:00

(Press Release from Governor's Office)

Governor Jim Doyle today signed into law Senate Bill 440, which allows the state to maximize federal bonds to help fund projects that will create hundreds of jobs in Wisconsin. The Governor signed the bill at Energy Composites, a wind blade manufacturing plant in Wisconsin Rapids that could benefit from the measure.

The federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allows certain local units of government to issue Recovery Zone Facility bonds for private sector economic development projects. Wisconsin received $238 million in bonding authority to be divided among 63 counties, plus the cities of Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay. Under the Recovery Act, most counties did not receive a large enough share of the funding to effectively provide assistance to businesses that need it. These bonds must be issued by January 1, 2011.

Under SB 440, any county or city that does not use its original bond allocation in a timely manner has its share re-entered into a statewide pool. The Department of Commerce will then administer that pool to provide needed financing to help companies like Energy Composites move forward projects to expand and create jobs.

“Thanks to President Obama and Congressman Obey, the Recovery Act has given us this powerful tool to create new jobs here in Wisconsin, especially in the emerging clean energy economy,” Governor Doyle said. “By pooling these resources together, we will make sure we take full advantage of this opportunity and move forward job-creating projects across the state.”

Energy Composites is looking to break ground on a 535,000 square foot wind blade manufacturing plant next month, a project that will create more than 600 good-paying clean energy jobs for the Wisconsin Rapids area. The signing of SB 440 will allow the company to request bonds from Commerce to help move the project forward.

Governor Doyle thanked Senator Lassa, Representatives Molepske and Schneider, and Democratic leaders in the Assembly and Senate for their work on the bill.

“My number one priority this year is helping our businesses create jobs and giving our workers the opportunities to get those jobs,” Governor Doyle said. “This bill is just one more example of the steps we’re taking to help our businesses create jobs and position Wisconsin to be a leader in the clean energy economy.”

Governor Doyle has created some of the strongest economic development tools in the country to help companies expand in Wisconsin and create thousands of new jobs. The Governor has also worked hard to improve the state’s tax ranking, and today Wisconsin ranks 30th in business taxes – well below the national average.

To further build the state’s economy and create jobs, the Governor has called for the passage of the Clean Energy Jobs Act, which will create 15,000 jobs in the emerging clean energy economy, and the passage of the CORE Jobs Act, which builds on the Governor’s Accelerate Wisconsin plan by providing millions more in tax credits for angel and venture capital investments. The Governor is also creating the Wisconsin Green to Gold Fund to help manufacturers reduce energy costs, improve their bottom line, and create and retain jobs.

Source: Wisconsin Rapids Tribune

Report Identifies Opportunities to Retrain Wisconsin Workers for Green Careers (COWS)

2010-02-05T11:48:00.001-06:00

COWS (Center on Wisconsin Strategy) and the Apollo Alliance today released a joint report that identifies components of Wisconsin’s workforce development infrastructure that can be better integrated and scaled up to support the state’s emerging green economy.

The report, "Mapping Green Career Pathways: Job Training Opportunities and Infrastructure in Wisconsin," recommends strengthening Wisconsin’s existing training infrastructure to build workers’ skills for green-collar jobs. Many of these jobs will be in construction and manufacturing, sectors currently in decline but projected to account for the majority of new jobs in clean energy industries. The new study also charts existing training programs - apprenticeship, technical college and community-based pathways - that represent key elements of a greener workforce development system. According to the report, while many of these elements thrive in Wisconsin, gaps between them must be minimized if the state is to build green career pathways that effectively serve Wisconsin workers and employers.

Click here to read Read Mapping Green Career Pathways.

Wind Power Has Another Banner Year (NY Times)

2010-02-02T10:15:00.000-06:00

Despite a crippling recession and tight credit markets, the American wind power industry grew at a blistering pace in 2009, adding 39 percent more capacity. The country is close to the point where 2 percent of its electricity will come from wind turbines.

The American Wind Energy Association, in its annual report to be released on Tuesday, said the amount of capacity added last year, 9,900 megawatts, was the largest on record, and was 18 percent above the capacity added in 2008, also a banner year.

Click here for the full article in the New York Times.

Wisconsin Wind Energy Seminar Recap

2010-01-30T09:13:00.000-06:00

A big thank you to everyone who attended the Wisconsin Wind Energy Seminar at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Madison. The event ended up with just under 200 attendees from all over Wisconsin.

Click here to complete the seminar evaluation!

This event was held to kickoff 2010 for the Wind Power Happy Hour Networking group based in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. These are monthly meetings that run from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Cannery Grill in Downtown Sun Prairie. The purpose is primarily networking, but also features a speaker on a topic of relevance to the wind energy sector.

Special thanks as well to our sponsors:

Major sponsors - Milsoft Utility Solutions, WPPI Energy, Natural Resources Consulting

Supporting sponsors - IEEE Madison Section, Vestas, imc Dataworks

Participating sponsors - JFNew, Stafford Rosenbaum, Realtime Utility Engineers

The lineup of presenters was intended to cover a wide variety of interests and perspectives on the current and future status of wind in Wisconsin. The presenters and their topics were as follows:

Mayor Joe Chase, City of Sun Prairie, welcomed the attendees to the "Greater Sun Prairie area."

Mr. Zach Brandon, Wisconsin Department of Commerce set the tone for the event by highlighting the State's newest programs to attract new wind business to Wisconsin as well as how to help our existing companies to better position themselves to be part of the supply chain.

Mr. Jeff Anthony, American Wind Energy Association, provided a great overview of national trends and how they could impact Wisconsin. On a national level, the development of wind energy resources continues although not as aggressively in 2009 as in 2008. Most signs seem to indicate that 2010 will see a resurgance in new generation. Siting of major manufacturing facilities varies by the manufacturer, and many are locating as close to the central U.S because of the availability of wind. Although Wisconsin is seeing activity in both the manufacturing side as well as the R&D side. The ongoing problem with getting an effective and efficient transmission system also remains an issue that needs to be dealt with.

Mr. Michael Vickerman, RENEW Wisconsin presented some detailed statistics on wind energy in Wisconsin as well as some highlights of recent siting legislation. Wisconsin lags behind on the number of megawatts produced compared to most Midwestern states. Michael referred to the ease of developing new generation in Iowa on several occasions, a fact that was reinforced by our utility presenters later in they day. Passage of new siting legislation should have a positive impact on Wisconsin's ability to build more generation. The recent PSC ruling on the Glacier Hills project provides some insight as to where they are going with the rules they are working on.

Mr. Mitch Bradt, P.E., University of Wisconsin gave an excellent presentation on the components of a wind farm that was both very detailed but understandable to attendees with non-technical backgrounds. This discussion helped highlight the component parts required for turbines, as well as the different types of technologies being deployed to improve efficiencies and return on investment.

Four major utilities, Andy Kellen (WPPI Energy), Greg Bollom (MGE), David Engels (Alliant Energy) and Andy Hesselbach (WE Energies) all participated in a short panel to talk about the renewable component in their portfolio, and where wind fits in both now and in the future. All four have made considerable strides to meet and exceed renewable energy standards ahead of schedule. Many of the purchase agreements and ownership stakes in recent wind projects have been in Iowa, but they continue to invest in and evaluate opporutnities in Wisconsin as well.

In one of the more anticipated presentations of the aftenoon, Dr. Steven Fredette from Vestas and Dr. Thomas Jahns from UW Madison highlighted their R&D partnership and the establishment of a Vestas office in Madison less than a year ago. Most of Vestas' production in location in Colorado, but they are establishing key R&D offices in areas where research universities can assist their research efforts here in the U.S. Vestas is one of the largest manufacturer of wind turbines in the world, and the fact that they are expanding here in Wisconsin is a welcome development.

Tim Laughlin from Wave Wind provided a short overview of their EcoDane project in the Town of Springfield in Dane County, where they will be owning and installing turbines from Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI). Wave Wind is a locally based company with transportation, installation and maintenance facilities in Texas and Wisconsin. Their partnership with HHI represents a great opportunity for Wisconsin as successful projects are completed, more investment from Wave Wind and HHI is sure to follow.

Lastly, UW-Madison (Mitch Bradt, P.E.), UW Milwaukee (Dr. Adel Nasiri) and UW Platteville (Dr. Mesut Muslu and Dr. Michael Dalecki) all provided a short overview of their programs targeting the development of future engineers for the wind industry. All three programs are positioned to provide the workforce needed to foster additional expansion of the wind energy here in Wisconsin.

Attendance to the networking portion of the event, the Wind Power Happy Hour, was well attended as well.

The outcomes from this event were clear:

1) Southern Wisconsin (especially the private sector here) wants and needs to keep having discussions on how to facilitate the expansion of the wind energy sector and its supply chain.

2) Our local utilities are committed to renewable energy, especially wind power, whether motivated by a renewable energy standard or demands from their customers.

3) There have been some incredible investments in wind power by the private sector in the last couple of years, despite economic conditions. Even more notable is that this investment is being done by companies ranging from some of the largest manufacturers in the world all the way down to small one and two person firms.

4) The University of Wisconsin system is one of the top resources for training a Wisconsin workforce for employment growth in the wind energy sector.

5) The State of Wisconsin continues to position itself to be a significant player in the R&D sector as well as the manufacturing supply chain for wind energy.

The next meeting topic and speaker for the Wind Power Happy Hour will be announced soon. Check this blog post for updated information.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Location Change for Wisconsin Wind Energy Seminar

2010-01-25T16:44:00.000-06:00

Due to the high number of registrants (200), we have moved the location of this event to:

Crowne Plaza Hotel
4402 E. Washington Ave.
Madison, WI 53704
(877) 454-5025
http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/1/en/hotel/msnet

If anyone registered on someone else's behalf, please be sure to pass along the new location.

Finally, to help offset the cost, we are seeking anyone who might be interested in sponsoring the Wind Power Happy Hour portion of this event. Please contact Neil at (608) 825-0894 or nstechschulte@cityofsunprairie.com ASAP if you would be interested.

Any questions, please feel free to contact me. See you at the Crowne Plaza in Madison on Thursday, Jan. 28th.

Wisconsin Opens Decade's First New Climate Efforts (New York Times)

2010-01-21T14:40:00.000-06:00

[Blogger's Note: Wisconsin's debate on renewable energy and job creation has made the national news scene. Here's to hoping that we end up with something that does in fact increase our use of renewable energy, reduces our emissions, and CREATES jobs. Time will tell.]

Wisconsin lawmakers are leaping into a barbed debate on emissionless electricity, making it perhaps the first state to launch a major climate initiative in a new year that promises to be shaped by swirling politics, rugged economics and question marks in Congress.

Click here to read the full article in the New York Times.

Making a Connection: Wind Transmission Grid Weakens West of Wisconsin (Daily Reporter)

2010-01-21T14:14:00.000-06:00

The multimillion-dollar construction projects to get the blades spinning won’t mean much if there’s no way to transmit wind farm electricity.

So far in Wisconsin, transmission has been less of a problem than local approvals and harnessing the wind, but that could change as the state reaches farther west for renewable energy.

“There are huge resources of wind west of Wisconsin,” said Charlie Higley, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin.

Transmitting those resources to Wisconsin and throughout the region is a challenge, he said, as the electric grid is not as expanded in those areas.he wind, but that could change as the state reaches farther west for renewable energy.

Click here to read the full article at The Daily Reporter.

Wave Wind's Jeff Wilkinson Featured on WisBusiness.com

2010-01-21T14:08:00.000-06:00

Sun Prairie-based Wave Wind is bouncing back from a slow 2009. With a downturn in the economy, the wind energy development, construction and maintenance firm laid off nearly three-quarters of its staff, dropping from 85 in 2008 to the mid-20s in 2009. But with employee numbers now up to nearly 50, and the announcement that the company is joining with Hyundai Heavy Industries to build a six-turbine wind farm northwest of Madison farm this year, things are looking up. Each one of the 1.65 megawatt turbines planned for the project will stand nearly 300 feet tall, with individual blades stretching 140 feet. They can cost nearly $3 million each. Most are built in Denmark, Spain, China and Korea, though some are made in the U.S.

Wave Wind officials said they may also partner with Korea-based Hyundai – an industrial giant with annual sales of $15 billion – on as many as 15 other wind-energy projects.

Click here to read the full article at WisBusiness.com.

WisBusiness audio: Interview with Wave Wind's Jeff Wilkinson

Update: Wisconsin Wind Energy Seminar Nearly at Capacity

2010-01-19T08:47:00.000-06:00

Anyone still interested in attending our half-day Wisconsin Wind Energy Seminar on Thursday Jan. 28th from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Cannery Grill in Downtown Sun Prairie is encouraged to register as soon as possible. We're going to have a full room, so sign up if you haven't already via email at nstechschulte@cityofsunprairie.com or phone at (608) 825-0894.

Our agenda has been finalized. We are very excited to confirm both Dr. Thomas Jahns from the University of Wisconsin and Mr. Steve Fredette from Vestas, who will participate in our "Partnerships" panel and talk about their current collaboration efforts.

We currently have almost 120 attendees representing more than 80 companies, utilities, universities and municipalities. Our current list:

ABB Inc.
Alliant Energy
Arimon Technologies Inc.
Autonomous Mind Consulting
AWEA
Bachmann Construction
Caulkins Engineering
City of Madison Office of Business Resources
City of Sun Prairie
City of Waterloo, Wisconsin Community Development Authority
Clean Wisconsin
Cullen Weston Pines & Bach LLP
Custom Windows and Doors
Energy Composites Corporation
Energy Law Wisconsin
FESCO Direct
First American Title Insurance Company
Gerdau Ameristeel
Gialamas Co.
Green Heron Resources LLC
Helwig Carbon Products, Inc.
Herzing University
Heston Wind
HR Solution Center, LLC
JFNew Wisconsin
Kapur and Associates
Kniphel Electric
Land Service Company
MGE
Michael Best & Friedrich LLP
MSA Professional Services, Inc.
Oberdorf Heating & Cooling
Office of the Secretary WI Dept. of Commerce
Oneida Total Intergrated Enterprises (OTIE)
OpenProcess, Inc.
Orchid International
Palmer Johnson Power Systems
Plandesign LLC
Port of Milwaukee
Proforma Idea Center
Public Service Commission of Wisconsin
RENEW Wisconsin
Renewegy
Ruekert Mielke
Rynova LLC
SCA Tissue
Seventh Generation Energy Systems
SoftSwitching Technologies
Stainless Foundry
Standard Imaging
Tech Electric
Texas Instruments
Trachte, Inc.
UW Business, Environment & Social Responsibility Program
UW Electrical and Computer Engineering Dept.
UW Madison
UW Madison/IEEE Madison Section
UW Milwaukee
UW Milwaukee Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
UW Platteville
UW Whitewater
UW-Madison Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering
UW-Milwaukee Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering
Vestas
Vestas Technology R&D, US
Wave Wind LLC
WE Energies
WES Engineering
Westphal & Co., Inc.
Winds of Change, LLC
WIRED Wisconsin
WIS Logistics, Inc.
Wisconsin Department of Commerce
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics Consortium
Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WMEP)
WMEP
WPPI Energy
Xcel Energy

Another Local Company in the Wind Energy Supply Chain: Dane Manufacturing (Wisconsin State Journal)

2010-01-17T06:13:00.000-06:00

[Blogger's Note: This article is focusing on how Dane Manufacturing has handled the recession, but of course I noticed the wind components comment right away. Sounds like a great example of a local company diverisifying their products and customers to become a part of the wind energy supply chain.]

Troy Berg began to realize late in 2007 that the economy was about to tank, and he pondered his options. Berg already owned Dane Manufacturing, a 92-year-old precision metal fabrication and stamping business he purchased in 2001. It had been enjoying double-digit revenue growth. But Berg reasoned that growth was threatened by a worsening economy, and he made a bold decision — to buy a second company, a Rockford-based manufacturer valued mainly for its clientele.

Berg, 44, merged the new operation, including its customer list, some equipment and three employees, into Dane Manufacturing over the first three months of 2008, and the extra sales helped the company build more of a buffer for 2009, when the recession hit manufacturers hard.

Dane Manufacturing now employs 35 workers and handles contract manufacturing of products including parts for wind turbines and refrigerators, door kick plates and hydraulic tank assemblies.

Click here for the full article in the Wisconsin State Journal.

UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee to Collaborate (Madison.com)

2010-01-17T05:43:00.000-06:00

[Blogger's note: Now THIS is what I'm talking about! Hopefully our speakers on Jan. 28th can talk about this and how it might affect wind energy research for our region!]

An intercampus program is designed to foster cooperation and attract more grant money.

Looking for a bigger piece of the grant pie, UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee will mingle research ideas that support cooperation and promote partnerships among faculty, chancellors of the state’s two doctoral-research universities announced Saturday.

With $300,000 in seed money donated by the two schools’ foundations, campuswide efforts — no longer limited to specific departments — will search for “collaborative research projects” to attract federal and foundation funds.

The Intercampus Research Incentive Grants Program identifies such “key areas” as physical sciences, engineering, humanities, the arts and social sciences, which covers just about everything

Click here for the full article online with the Wisconsin State Journal.

SC Johnson Continues to Push the Winds of Change (Press Release)

2010-01-13T15:50:00.000-06:00

SC Johnson has launched a wind energy pilot program at their Racine headquarters campus with the installation of three new wind turbines. Already known for its use of renewable energy at their manufacturing facilities around the world, this new pilot program is expected to help the company further reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) usage and raise awareness that renewable energy is not just for factories, but also office buildings in urban settings. The company also expects to gather useful information from the program that will help further its quest to continue to develop more sustainable solutions.

Click here to read the full press release from SC Johnson.

PSC Approves Wind Farm in Columbia County (madison.com)

2010-01-11T21:34:00.000-06:00

The state Public Service Commission on Monday gave verbal approval to Wisconsin Electric Power Co.'s request to construct a new wind electric generation facility in Columbia County at a cost of between $335 million and $435 million.

The Glacier Hills Wind Park, with 90 wind units, is planned for the towns of Randolph and Scott in the northeast part of Columbia County. It will be the largest wind farm in Wisconsin, said PSC chairman Eric Callisto.

Construction is expected to begin this year with completion set for late 2011.

Click here for the full article in the Wisconsin State Journal.

Ameican Wind Energy Association (AWEA) Statement on Federal Manufacturing Tax Credit Announcment (AWEA.org)

2010-01-11T10:43:00.000-06:00

"AWEA welcomes the Administration's announcement of $2.3 billion in tax credits for clean energy manufacturing and President Obama's call to Congress to provide an additional $5 billion in such credits. The U.S. wind energy industry appreciates the speed with which the Administration is providing this support. These tax credits will be critical in sustaining manufacturing activity in the current economic downturn. However, in order to maximize the renewable energy jobs expected as a result of these tax incentives, and to build up a strong renewable energy manufacturing base in the U.S., these companies need a more certain market to sell into. The industry is still vulnerable to the impacts of on-again off-again tax credit policies. A Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) with strong, aggressive near-term targets is the best way to provide the certainty needed for companies to expand domestic wind manufacturing."

Source: http://www.awea.org/newsroom/releases/01-08-10_AWEA_Statement_on_Manufacturing_Tax_Credit_Announcements.html

Manufacturers get $36 million in clean-tech incentives (JSOnline.com)

2010-01-08T20:34:00.000-06:00

Eight Wisconsin companies snared almost $36 million in clean-technology manufacturing tax credits on Friday, part of $2.3 billion announced nationwide.

The big winners were ZBB Energy Corp. of Menomonee Falls and Waukesha Electric Systems in Waukesha. ZBB was awarded $14.9 million in tax credits, and Waukesha Electric was awarded $12.4 million.

Two Milwaukee projects were also awarded tax credits, including Ingeteam Inc. to manufacture wind turbine generators as well as power converter and control systems for the wind and solar industry. Ingeteam was awarded $1.66 million in tax credits.

Ingeteam is based in Spain, where city and state economic development leaders visited last fall to woo a Spanish maker of wind power components to invest in Milwaukee. Milwaukee has been in the running with one other city for that investment.

Click here to read the full article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Click here for more information on Ingeteam.

Business Groups Line Up Against Doyle’s Energy Bill (BizTimes Daily)

2010-01-07T15:49:00.000-06:00

[Blogger's Note: There has to be a way to encourage responsible energy usage AND create more manufacturing jobs in this sector for Wisconsin. Lets keep working at it this everybody...]

A Clean Energy Jobs Bill proposed by Gov. Jim Doyle would result in 43,000 lost jobs in Wisconsin, according to a recent economic study. Doyle has proposed the bill to make the state more efficient and energy-independent.

However, 23-three business groups signed on to a letter to legislators recently, expressing concerns that the legislation (AB 649 will raise energy prices and kill even more manufacturing jobs.

Click here to read the full article at BizTimes.com.