Acciona Energy North America Dedicates EcoGrove Wind Farm In Illinois

What can we do in Wisconsin to get wind moving forward?

Lena, Ill.-based Acciona Energy North America dedicated its first wind farm in Illinois with a ceremony and luncheon. The company also presented superintendents from Lena-Winslow and Warren school districts each with a $5,000 annual scholarship fund for deserving high school seniors planning to pursue a secondary education leading to a career contributing to sustainability.

The 100.5 MW EcoGrove Wind Farm, located in Stephenson County, Ill., uses 67 Acciona Windpower 1.5 MW wind turbines and is spread across approximately 7,000 rural acres. With the exception of the small footprint made by the 67 turbines, at less than one acre each, land use is dominated by farming, which coexists with the wind energy production, according to the company.

Stephenson County made an investment in the EcoGrove project earlier this year, when 14 taxing districts unanimously approved a tax abatement for the project. This tax abatement, a sales/use tax exemption and other incentives were part of the state of Illinois Enterprise Zone Act for which the EcoGrove project met the criteria.

The wind turbines used at EcoGrove were produced at Acciona's West Branch, Iowa, manufacturing facility. The project itself was constructed by 125 local trades people and numerous local and regional suppliers and service providers. Nine of the 10 service technicians filling the project's newly created jobs are from the local area and include volunteer firefighters, retired military personnel, welders, machinists and a racecar driver.

Construction of the wind farm, including turbine erection, was managed by The Morse Group. The project was acquired by Acciona from EcoEnergy LLC, which continued to serve the project in a development and consultative capacity through the completion of the project.

SOURCE: Acciona Energy

The New North of Wisconsin

In The State of Wisconsin we have a group of Counties north of Fond do Lac working together formed The New North. One of the goals is to bring investments this area via getting more wind working as manufacturing/jobs creating cheep clean power.
This has been very very good for everyone in this area. New jobs investment in manufacturing has brought this to the New North. Good going !
Why can't the rest of the State get this going too?

The Time is now!

Myself I am done waiting for the right person and the right time to move renewable energy forward!
As the GOP has done on the floor of the House Deeds not words are the call!
They are fighting for the American Energy we must join the effort.
The call is out join this fight!

Yes I have been lax in keeping up this blog but that has changed as of now! I will be writing about two very exciting projects that myself and a handful of crew will be moving on.
These two project are just a sample of what is to come

Why not Wisconsin?

From an article by in the Green Bay Press-Gazette:

Wisconsin Public Service Corp. plans to build a wind farm in Minnesota that could help it achieve its renewable energy requirements. WPS said Friday it signed a letter of intent with High Country Energy LLC to acquire a portion of a wind project in Dodge and Olmsted counties, just west of Rochester, Minn.

Wisconsin utilities are required by state law to increase their renewable energy portfolio 2 percentage points by 2010 and to have 10 percent of their electricity supplied from renewable sources by 2015.

The agreement Friday could provide WPS with up to 150 megawatts of wind-generated electricity, about half of the planned park’s capacity.

The Green Bay-based utility is also in negotiations for 99 megawatts of electricity from an Iowa wind farm.

“Assuming Iowa comes to fruition, this would enable us to be nicely prepared for the next step-up in 2015,” said Charles Severance, WPS general manager for renewable resources.

Calumet County board is made up of silly folks

Clean energy advocates expressed frustration over the Calumet County board’s adoption of a 70-day moratorium on issuing permits for wind turbines. The action leaves wind developers wondering whether the County, which has among the best wind resources in the state, is effectively off-limits to commercial-scale projects.

State law requires utilities to get 10 percent of the electricity they sell from renewable sources by 2015, but local restrictions have paralyzed wind developers from moving ahead with project to help meet the goal.

"As far as the wind industry is concerned, countywide limits and delays speak louder than the state’s renewable energy goals,” said Katie Nekola, energy program director for Clean Wisconsin.

“What's the point of state government promoting renewable energy development in Wisconsin when it’s practically impossible to obtain permits for wind turbines?" asked Michael Vickerman, executive director of RENEW Wisconsin, a statewide nonprofit group that promotes renewable energy.

"This marks the third moratorium on wind development adopted by Calumet County 2005. It seems that every time the Board considers changes to its ordinance regulating wind turbines, it moves farther and farther away from resolving the controversy and allowing projects to move ahead. What a morass Calumet County has become!" Vickerman said.

Between the moratorium in Calumet County and a restrictive ordinance in Manitowoc County, four wind projects totaling 200 megawatts (enough to power 60,000 Wisconsin homes) have ground to a halt, Vickerman added.

RENEW and Clean Wisconsin back a proposal being considered by the Governor’s Global Warming Task Force that would allow wind developers to seek approval from the Public Service Commission, the state agency that regulates utilities and large wind projects (over 100 megawatts), instead of local authorities.

“Wisconsin cannot afford to lose clean energy opportunities at a time when our Governor and others in the region have made a commitment to stopping global warming,” said Nekola.

END

Clean Wisconsin, an environmental advocacy organization, protects Wisconsin's clean water and air and advocates for clean energy by being an effective voice in the state legislature and by holding elected officials and corporations accountable. Founded in 1970 as Wisconsin's Environmental Decade, Clean Wisconsin exposes corporate polluters, makes sure existing environmental laws are enforced, and educates citizens and businesses. Phone: 608-251-7020, Fax: 608-251-1655, Email: info@cleanwisconsin.org, Website: www.cleanwisconsin.org.

RENEW Wisconsin is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that acts as a catalyst to advance a sustainable energy future through public policy and private sector initiatives. More information on RENEW’s Web site at www.renewwisconsin.org.

A Wisconsin paper mill steps up to the plate with help from the Goverment to look into Bio-Fuels from by products. Read about it here:
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=712636