A committee wants Brown County to ask the state to pay medical bills for anyone becoming sick because of wind turbines, but we don’t think it’s the county’s place to make such a move.

The human services committee voted last week to seek emergency aid for families near the Shirley Wind Farm in the town of Glenmore, blaming the state for allowing what supervisors said was “irresponsible placement” of wind turbines. Several people testified to the committee that they or their neighbors have experienced conditions such as anxiety, depression and weight loss and fear they have been exposed to a greater cancer risk.

We feel for local residents who believe their health has been compromised by wind turbines. But until the state establishes setback rules and other regulations governing wind turbines, the county’s effort in this case is futile. . . .

If county supervisors want to make recommendations on setback limits or other issues involving wind turbines, they should do that and forward their opinions to the state. But a resolution seeking compensation for medical bills comes with the assumption that the wind turbines caused the problems in Glenmore. That’s a conclusion that hasn’t been determined.

Brown County has been a focus area for wind energy companies in recent years. The landscape is conducive to the placement of turbines because the topography helps produce a steady wind flow. An advocacy group — Brown County Citizens for Responsible Wind Energy — has lobbied for greater setback distances, saying turbines too close to residences and schools pose potential health problems.

The opposition led Illinois-based Invenergy Inc. to withdraw its plans to build a 100-turbine wind farm in the towns of Morrison and Glenmore.

The wind energy industry cites, with good reason, the fact that wind turbines provide a useful and necessary energy source. They also provide financial compensation for land owners who agree to have wind turbines erected on their property.

Still, some opponents say the negatives outweigh the benefits. Some have also claimed the turbines lower property values.

The responsibility for establishing wind energy rules rests with the Public Service Commission. A legislative committee suspended the PSC’s proposed turbine siting rules 11 months ago and instructed the state agency to work on a compromise that would be acceptable to both sides. PSC spokeswoman Kristin Ruesch told the Green Bay Press-Gazette Monday that no such compromise has been reached. She also said she doesn’t think the issue of medical bill payments has been part of the discussions.

We urge the PSC to accelerate the discussions to reach a compromise that will be acceptable to both sides and the state Legislature.

More information
RENEW Wisconsin
Michael Vickerman
608.255.4044
mvickerman@renewwisconsin.org

Small Businesses Request Resumption of Renewable Energy Support

Over 150 small businesses, organizations, schools, and local officials appealed to the Public Service Commission (PSC) to restore full funding for a nationally recognized renewable energy program that reduces the cost of solar, wind, and biomass installations for Wisconsin utility customers.

In an open letter delivered to the PSC yesterday, the signers asked the PSC to “to exercise its oversight authority over Focus on Energy and restore funding, without delay, for renewables at a level consistent with previous years’ allocations.”

The impetus for the open letter arose from RENEW Wisconsin’s Energy Policy Summit held two weeks ago in Madison.  At the summit, the 140 people who participated asked RENEW to make Focus on Energy funding restoration its highest policy priority for 2012.

Focus on Energy suspended its support for customer-sited renewable energy systems last July, when rising demand for renewables outstripped available funds.  The program administrator said that incentives will be resumed later this year, but no firm timeline has been set.

“This problem needs to be fixed as expeditiously as possible before the funding interruption permanently damages Wisconsin’s renewable energy marketplace,” said Michael Vickerman, Executive Director of RENEW Wisconsin, a statewide, nonprofit renewable energy advocacy organization.

“A number of renewable energy installers and contractors are already feeling the effects of the funding hiatus, and the result is less new hiring and potential layoffs down the road.  However, we remain optimistic that once funding is restored renewable energy development will once again become a dynamic economic sector and a source of new jobs here in Wisconsin,” said Vickerman.

An Open Letter to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin
January 30, 2012

In 2002, the State of Wisconsin began offering incentives from Focus on Energy to encourage tangible and significant savings with the implementation of distributed renewable energy systems. By employing a small fraction of the funds available to Focus on Energy for this purpose, the vast majority of customer-sited solar, wind, biogas and biomass projects now operating in Wisconsin received critical financial support. In under 10 years, Focus on Energy succeeded in building an in-state marketplace that supported steady growth of new businesses and jobs in manufacturing, distributing, designing, installing and servicing renewable energy systems. It is no exaggeration to say that the renewable energy program run by Focus on Energy was a nationally recognized as a model for other states to follow.

It’s a very different picture today. For the first time since 2002, Wisconsin business and residential customers entered the new year without a functioning statewide renewable energy program in place. Focus on Energy said that it intends to resume offering incentives for renewables later this year, but has not set a timeline for restoration of funding or services. Nor is there any information available as to whether the renewable products and services supported in the past will be supported again, and, if so, at what levels. What was a successful engine for advancing small-scale renewables in Wisconsin is now, for frustrated businesses and customers alike, a source of vague assurances and little else.

Unfortunately, the ongoing lack of support and uncertainty is guaranteed to cause layoffs and business cutbacks.  Furthermore, it is contrary to state law, which specifies that Focus on Energy support customer use of renewable energy as well as energy efficiency. Without the products and services to fuel the renewable market, 2012 will usher in a period of contraction that portends significant declines in installations, accelerated job losses, and increased business migration to markets in other states.

In our view, the most economically efficient way to transition Wisconsin to a sustainable energy future is to pair an aggressive conservation and efficiency program with products and services that increase the market drivers for on-site renewable energy production. Both approaches mutually reinforce each other while delivering economic benefits to customers. Adopting energy efficiency enables customers to reduce the size of their renewable energy investments, and on-site renewables allow customers to lower all or part of their energy bills going forward.

We support the conclusions reached by Commissioner Eric Callisto regarding the economic returns to ratepayers and the public generated by Focus on Energy’s programs. As part of a recent proceeding on Focus on Energy, Commissioner Callisto wrote:

Focus programs save energy, help offset the need for new power generation, lower utility bills, create jobs, reduce fossil fuel emissions, and support broad-based economic development in Wisconsin. And in study after study, it is shown that these benefits are produced at a ratio that far exceeds program costs. As the LAB report points out, the benefit-cost ratio for Focus programs is as high as 7.2 to 1, when taking into account economic metrics like job creation and increased business sales. That is more than seven dollars in benefit to Wisconsin for every dollar invested. http://psc.wi.gov/apps35/ERF_view/viewdoc.aspx?docid=158228

The impressive payback from Focus on Energy is sufficient reason for restoring the renewable energy funding that had been a key feature of that program. Given the near certainty of rising electric rates as the price of delivered coal continues to climb, as coal pollution equipment is mandated to meet new regulations, and to pay for new transmission, we cannot afford any more backsliding by not supporting in-state, distributed renewables. The ongoing funding hiatus for renewables is inconsistent with state law. The Commission has a responsibility to fix this problem immediately, before the lack of support for renewables permanently damages Wisconsin’s renewable energy marketplace. We the undersigned call upon the Public Service Commission to exercise its oversight authority over Focus on Energy and restore funding, without delay, for renewables at a level consistent with previous years’ allocations.

Sincerely,

John Ahles
Solar System Owner
Neenah, WI

Jeff Anthony
American Wind Energy Association
Milwaukee, WI

Steve Arndt, Director of Facilities Management
UW-Oshkosh
Oshkosh, WI

Michael Arney
Green Neighbor, Inc.
Wauwatosa, WI

Peter Bakken, Public Policy Coordinator
Wisconsin Council of Churches
Sun Prairie, WI

Rich Bannen, Owner
Prairie Solar Power & Light
Prairie du Chien, WI

Bruce Barker, President
Chippewa Valley Technical College
Eau Claire, WI

Barb Basaj
SunSpe, LLC
Milwaukee, WI

David Behnke-Seper
First Affirmative Financial Network
Chili, WI

Rick Bergman
Aquilo Wind Development
Glendale, WI

Oscar Bloch
Arboretum Co-Housing
Madison, WI

Hans Jr. and Katie Breitenmoser
Breitenmoser Family Farms
Merrill, WI

Thomas Brown, Architect
Stevens Point, WI

Brent Brucker, General Manager
Helios Solar Works
Milwaukee, WI

Justin Castleman
Castleman & Sons Plumbing
Franklin, WI

Chris Collins, Marketing Director
H&H Solar Energy Services
Madison, WI

Becky Comeau
Southwest Community Biofuels
LaFarge, WI

Lisa Conley, President
Town and Country RC&D
Jefferson, WI

Lisa Daniels, Executive Director
Windustry
Minneapolis, MN

Mark Dawson
Sand Creek Solar
Amherst, WI

Susan De Vos
Madison Area Bus Advocates
Madison, WI

Tom DeBates, Owner
Habi-Tek
Geneva, IL

Michael Dearing, Owner
Driftless Solar
Spring Green, WI

Trang Donovan
Unlimited Renewable Energies
Prairie du Sac, WI

Thomas Duffy, President
Commercial Air, Inc.
Madison, WI

Jeff Ehlers, President
Renewegy LLC
Oshkosh, WI

Jim Erdman
Solar Electric and Small Wind Certified Site Assessor
Menomonie, WI

James Erickson, Owner
Antech Properties
Janesville, WI

Brian Evans, Production Manager
Associated Housewrights
Madison, WI

Jerry Eyler, Executive Dean
Fox Valley Technical College
Appleton, WI

Randy Faller, Owner
Kettle View Renewable Energy
Random Lake, WI

Jay Farnsworth, Teacher
Waunakee School District
Waunakee, WI

Pete Flesch, Chair,
Crawford County Board of Supervisors
Prairie du Chien, WI

Scott Freier
Freiers Electric and Heating
Ellsworth, WI

Greg Fritsch, CEO
Clean Energy North America
Glendale, WI

Jim Funk, Owner
Energize LLC
Winneconne, WI

Mark Furst
Grading Spaces LLC
Fort Atkinson, WI

Rex Gillespie
Wisconsin Solar Energy Industries
Madison, WI

David Goepfert, President
Thermal Design, Inc.
Stoughton, WI

Grant Grinstead
Northern Biogas
Fond du Lac, WI

David Hansen, Owner
Lake Country Energy
Oconomowoc, WI

Daniel Harkins, Manager
Trantow Properties LLC
Stoughton, WI

Ryan Harkins, Project Manager
Synergy Renewable Systems LLC
Stoughton, WI

Michael Harvey
Able Electric Co.
River Falls, WI

Mark Heffernan, President
CBT Wear Parts, Inc.
Bio-Products Engineering Corp.

Richland Center, WI
Charlie Higley, Executive Director
Citizens Utility Board
Madison, WI

John Hippensteel, President
Lake Michigan Wind and Sun
Sturgeon Bay, WI

Lou Host-Jablonski, Architect
Design Coalition
Madison, WI

John Imes, Executive Director
Wisconsin Environmental Initiative
Madison, WI

Greg Jahnke, Manager, Renewable Energy
Pieper Electric
Milwaukee, WI

Micah James, General Manager
Energycraft Synergy Systems, LLC
Stoughton, WI

Jennifer Jenkins, Executive Director
Distributed Wind Energy Association
Flagstaff, AZ

Brad Johnson, Director, Business Development
Green Sky Energetics
Manitowoc, WI

James Jozwiak
Black Magic Organics
Spencer, WI

Andrea Kaminski
League of Women Voters Wisconsin Education Network
Madison, WI

Roger Kanitz
ECOS – Fox Valley
Menasha, WI

James Kerbel
Photovoltaic Systems LLC
Amherst, WI

Duane Kexel
Duane Kexel Consulting
Madison, WI

Chris Klein
Town of Dayton
Waupaca, WI

Joe Klein
Applied Plastics
Oak Creek, WI

Mark Klein
Gimme Shelter Construction
Amherst, WI

Richard Klemme, Dean and Director
UW Extension – Cooperative Extension
Madison, WI

Randy Knox
Solar PV System Owner
Whitewater, WI

Jeff Knutson, Owner
A-A Exteriors, com
Waupaca, WI

Kurt Koepp, Manager
Hot Water Products
Milwaukee, WI

Fritz Kreiss
Community Green Energy LLC, Lake Geneva, WI
Eco-Vision Sustainable Learning Center, Inc., Lake Geneva, WI

Green Leaf Inn LLC, Delavan, WI
Larry Krom, Principal
L&S Technical Associates
Spring Green, WI

Christopher LaForge, Owner
Great Northern Solar
Port Wing, WI

Alicia Leinberger, Marketing and Development Manager
Seventh Generation Energy Systems
Madison, WI

Jesse Lerner
Sustain Dane
Madison, WI

Doug Lindsey
Lakeshore Technical College – Energy Education Center
Cleveland, WI

Timothy Linn, Partner/Builder
Edge Grain LLC
Milwaukee, WI

Vicki Lipinski, Marketing and Sales Coordinator
Procorp Enterprises
Milwaukee, WI

Jeanne Lisse
Madison Computer Works
Madison, WI

Mark Lydon
Artisan Energy LLC
Marshall, WI

Randy Mader
Faith Technologies
Sun Prairie, WI

Tom Martin, CEO
Convergence Energy
Lake Geneva, WI

Neil Matthes
Duck Creek Engineering, Inc.
Helenville, WI

Nick Matthes
Midwest Photovoltaics, Inc.
Milwaukee, WI

Heather McCombs
Wisconsin Green Building Alliance
Milwaukee, WI

Natalie McIntire
enMac Energy Consulting
Viroqua, WI

Christine Merritt, Ph.D
TAPCO – Traffic and Parking Control, Inc.
Brown Deer, WI

Eric Meyer
Werner Electric Wisconsin
Neenah, WI

Jesse Michalski
Eland Electric Corporation
Green Bay, WI

Randy Moberg
Werner Electric Minnesota
Cottage Grove, MN

Gerd Muehllehner
Retgen Solar LLC
North Freedom, WI

Ingrid Nahm
Appleton Solar
Appleton, WI

Dan Nemke
US Biogas LLC
Mequon, WI

Andy Olsen
Environmental Law & Policy Center
Madison, WI

Jim Olson
E3Coalition
Viroqua, WI

Burke O’Neal, Director
Full Spectrum Solar
Madison, WI

Robert H. Owen, Jr.
Consulting Engineer/Meteorologist
Middleton, WI

Hon. Joe Parisi
Dane County Executive
Madison, WI

George Penn
Global Energy Options
Madison, WI

Katie Peterman, Manager, Cooperative Affairs
Organic Valley Family of Farms
LaFarge, WI

Ted Petith
Greenlink Projects, LLC
Madison, WI

Greg Phillips
American Power, Inc. Electrical Contractors
Janesville, WI

Eric Pipkin
Pipkin Electric, Inc.
Sparta, WI

John Price
Access Solar LLC
Waukesha, WI

Chris Quandt, Senior Project Manager
Bachmann Construction
Madison, WI

Bob Ramlow
Artha Sustainable Energy Center
Amherst, WI

Alex Rein
Verona, WI

Kurt Reinhold
Solar Connections LLC
Madison, WI

Ed Ritger
Ritger Law Office
Random Lake, WI

Cathy Robinson
Chippewa Valley Alternative Energy
Chippewa Falls, WI

Rik Rosenlund
Midwest Solar Power
Madison, WI

Mick Sagrillo
Sagrillo Power & Light
Forestville, WI

Kris Schmid
Legacy Solar LLC
Frederic, WI

Brian Schwaller
EcoManity LLC, Owner
The Sustainable Living Group, President
Elkhart Lake, WI

Al Schulz, Owner/CEO
Safe Work
La Crosse, WI

Jeff Seidl, President
I-Quip
Seymour, WI

Roy Settgas, Owner
Sunrise Energy Services
Washburn, WI

Carl Siegrist
Carl Siegrist Consulting
Whitefish Bay, WI

Wes Slaymaker
WES Engineering
Madison, WI

Chuck Smith, President
Current Electric Company
Brookfield, WI

Judy Spring
Sustain Sauk County
Baraboo, WI

Zeus Stark, Owner
Next Step Energy LLC
Eau Claire, WI

Doug Stingle, Development Director
Midwest Renewable Energy Association
Custer, WI

Josh Stolzenburg
North Wind Renewable Energy, LLC
Stevens Point, WI

Amy Taivalkoski, Principal
ALT Energy
Sussex, WI

Craig Tarr, President
Energy Concepts
Hudson, WI

Dave Tebo, Administrator
Town of Greenville
Greenville, WI

Neale Thompson
Janesville Home and Solar
Janesville, WI

Todd Timmerman
Timmerman’s Talents LLC
Platteville, WI

Melissa Van Ornum
DVO, Inc.
Chilton, WI

Michael Vickerman, Policy Director
RENEW Wisconsin
Madison, WI

Jerry Viste
Door County Environmental Council
Sturgeon Bay, WI

Larry Walker
Walker Energy Systems
Madison, WI

Ray Walter, Ph.D, President
MyEnergy, LLC
Pewaukee, WI

Michael Ward
E & W Heating and Air Conditioning
Middleton, WI

David Washebek, President/CEO
Lemberg Electric Company
Brookfield, WI

Frank Weeks
D H Solar
Prairie du Chien, WI

Robert Weier, Vice President
ELEXCO, Inc.
Seymour, WI

Laura West
West Winds Renewable Resources, LLC
Plover, WI

Sr. Janet Weyker, Director
Eco-Justice Center
Racine, WI

Terry Wiggins
Earth Justice Ministry of the First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI

Sally Wiley
Gaea’s Farm
Walworth, WI

Tom Wilson
HOME REMEDIES Residential Energy Services, Viroqua, WI
Northern Thunder, Eau Claire, WI

Dona Wininsky
American Lung Association in Wisconsin
Milwaukee, WI

Dean Wolff
Milwaukee Solar
Milwaukee, WI

Niels Wolter, Owner
Madison Solar Consulting
Madison, WI

Mark Yeager
Sun & Daughters Solar, LLC
Rhinelander, WI

Jim Yockey, CEO
Seventh Generation Systems Integration
Madison, WI

John Young
Resource Solar
Madison, WI

Bruce Zahn,
Architect
Milwaukee, WI

Michael Zander, CEO
Biogas Direct
Sauk City, WI

Ed Zinthefer, President
Arch Electric, LLC
Plymouth, WI

- END -

Wall Street and CEO culture in America is out of touch, arrogant, condescending, and those are probably their good qualities. Recent examples run the gamut, from snooty finance employees sipping champagne while mocking Wall Street protesters to a sign posted in the Chicago Mercantile Exchange proudly stating “we are the 1%.” It’s clear that our titans of industry are in dire need of an attitude adjustment.

One of the worst offenders is the energy industry. Case in point, the CEO for the Colorado Oil & Gas Association reportedly said of fracking opponents: “These nuts make up about 90 percent of our population, so we can’t really call them nuts any more. They’re the mainstream.”

Lyle Hopkins is an energy and security analyst at the nonprofit and nonpartisan Civil Society Institute. He is also a former intelligence officer for the U.S. Air Force and led a 150-person watch center providing threat warning information to national leadership. He has a masters degree in Environmental Management and Sustainability from Harvard. This column was provided by the American Forum, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, educational organization.

In spring 2011, Gov. Scott Walker and legislative leaders significantly cut funding to Focus on Energy, the energy efficiency program that helps residents and businesses lower energy bills. A recent legislative audit demonstrates that the benefits of Focus on Energy more than double the program’s costs, and legislators should quickly restore lost funding in order to maximize the program’s cost-saving potential.

Focus on Energy was created in 2001 to help homeowners and businesses reduce energy costs. More than 2 million Wisconsin residents and businesses have participated in the program.

The statewide program helps keep energy bills affordable for all Wisconsinites by reducing energy use and preventing the need to build expensive new power plants and transmission lines that we all pay for with increased electricity bills.

In addition, Focus on Energy helps reduce the amount of money we spend to fuel our power plants. Wisconsin spends $12.5 billion every year on imported electricity and dirty, out-of-state fossil fuels. Much of that is spent on coal, oil and natural gas to generate electricity and heat our homes. Investing in energy efficiency is the No. 1 way we can reduce that and keep money circulating within our own economy.

The audit released by the bipartisan Legislative Audit Bureau confirms that Focus on Energy successfully lowers energy bills and provides environmental and economic benefits that far outweigh program costs. For every $1 invested, residents and businesses save more than $2 on energy bills, according to the audit. This helped save more than $264 million on energy bills in 2010 alone. Since its inception, Focus on Energy has helped residents and businesses save more than $2 billion. . . .

Keith Reopelle is senior policy director at Clean Wisconsin, the state’s largest environmental advocacy organization. Contact him at kreopelle@cleanwisconsin.org. Charlie Higley is executive director of the Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin. Contact him at higley@wiscub.org.

My recent (simplified) levelized cost analysis for commercial PV, at $5,252 a kW installed in WI, over 25 years and with a 5% loan (no shading, no maintenance, no output degradation), is 13.8 cents per kWh as shown on the slide below. This includes a 56% reduction in the installed price due to the ITC and depreciation. With the previously available $600 a kW Focus base incentive, the levelized cost drops to 11.5 cents per kWh.

MADISON, Wis. – Can local governments work together with citizen action groups to effectively transition America away from reliance on fossil fuels? The answer in Wisconsin and Colorado seems to be yes.

Members of Wisconsin’s renewable energy industry convened in Madison for the RENEW Wisconsin Energy Policy Summit last week. The diverse crowd of renewable energy manufacturers, installers, state utilities, environmental advocacy groups, university representatives, and government officials, including Dane County Executive Joe Parisi and Madison Mayor Paul Soglin, came together to focus their efforts on retaking the initiative in the fight for a more sustainable energy future for Wisconsin.

Members heard from keynote speaker Leslie Glustrom, a biochemist who belongs to a similar organization in Boulder, Colo. – a group that recently led a successful ballot initiative to authorize creation of a municipal utility in that city.

Don Wichert, founder of RENEW and former chief of energy resources with the Wisconsin Department of Administration and current director of renewable energy services at the Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation created the advocacy group more than 20 years ago to address government officials about clean energy development in the state.

Wichert said Wisconsin spends nearly $6 billion per year on imported coal, petroleum, and natural gas. “As a renewable energy advocacy group composed of concerned citizens, clean energy businesses, environmental organizations, and government employees, RENEW Wisconsin seeks to change the way people think about and consume energy through a combination of advocacy, education, and creative partnerships with state and local governments, businesses, utilities, and citizen groups,” Wichert said.

Michael Vickerman, long-time executive director of RENEW, expressed optimism that, “despite current rollbacks of renewable energy policies, including the suspension of clean energy incentives and a weakening of state laws that leverage utility-purchased renewable energy, there is still a network of supportive local officials throughout the state.” He challenged advocates to resist acquiescing to the current political situation, and instead, use the sum influence of the clean energy industry, including non-profits and concerned citizens, to drum up support for clean energy development. Vickerman provided three guiding principles as a springboard to start discussion on how to retake the initiative.

First, reframe the message by presenting the industry’s true potential as a group of highly-motivated, dynamic organizations with a unifying business plan that will generate green jobs. Second, assert the fact that renewable energy is something intensely desired by businesses and citizens, because it gives customers more options, businesses increased market appeal, and a surefire pathway to more local jobs. And finally, pursue community-owned renewable projects that will keep energy production local and redirect investment into the area economy.

Leslie Glustrom
US Coal Supply Constraints: The “Sweet Imperative” that Will Help Drive the Repowering of the United States for the 21st Century

Mick Sagrillo
How To Frame The Debate or Tips and Tricks from Karl Rove

Prepared for Policy Summit – January 13, 2012

Topic Area: Expanding Market Access

Authorizing Renewable Energy Sales from Third Parties to Host Customers
BACKGROUND: There are many households and businesses around the state that desire to host a renewable energy system, but can’t afford the up-front costs associated with these installations. More than two dozen states expressly allow such customers to contract with third parties to install a renewable energy system and sell the output from that equipment, be it electricity or heat, to the system hosts. In those states, that allow such arrangements, a system host simply purchases the electricity or heat from the installation, often at a lower cost than what would be provided by the utility. Read more.

Aggregating REC’s from Local Installations
BACKGROUND: Along with the energy they produce, renewable system owners can also sell the attributes associated with their output to a different entity than the one acquiring the energy. These secondary markets can accommodate a wide range of renewable energy producers, from nationally prominent wind developers to residential owners of PV systems. In Wisconsin, utility-run “green pricing programs’, which are voluntary in nature, funnel customer dollars to support renewable energy installations that would not otherwise ave been constructed, due to their higher cost. In fact, several Wisconsin utilities were, until recently, active aggregators of solar electricity generated by their customers, acquiring their attributes through special buyback rates. But with the discontinuation of these solar initiatives, renewable energy producers must look to other entities to aggregate their REC’s and market them effectively. Read more.

Topic Area: Economics of Renewable Energy

The Renewable Energy Incentives Puzzle
PROBLEM: Incentives for renewable energy systems have been substantially removed from Wisconsin’s marketplace. The majority of utility advanced renewable tariffs (ARTs) are fully subscribed and We Energies’ $6 million/year renewable energy development program is now shut down. Moreover, Focus on Energy has removed incentives for renewables from current program offerings, nearly all within the last 12 to 24 months. As one might easily imagine, the market for customer-driven renewable energy systems is contracting without incentives, which are needed to overcome a utility market structure that discounts the value of local, renewable generation. Indeed, it should be noted that traditional sources of energy thrive with their own hidden incentives, which are not accounted for in the comparison of costs comparing renewable energy to traditional energy sources. The outcome is a highly skewed marketplace that favors traditional energy sources and market actors. Read more.

Press for Advanced Renewable Tariffs
PROBLEM: Worldwide, Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) are widely credited for expanding distributed renewable energy development to a greater extent than other tax or financial incentives. FITs, known in Wisconsin as Advanced Renewable Tariffs (ARTs), have been approved in the last few years by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) and have been implemented by electric providers as part of their renewable energy acquisition strategies. Apart from net energy billing, the use of ARTs has also been a major income driver for many customer-sited distributed renewable projects in Wisconsin. Read more.

Topic Area: Regulatory Environment of Renewable Energy

Uniform Wind Permitting Rules and PSC 128
PROBLEM: Under current law, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) reviews proposed wind energy installations only if they exceed 100 megawatts (MW). All other proposals are reviewed by the responsible local permitting authority. For developers of such proposals, the local permitting landscape resembles a minefield. In some cases, the local permitting process has resulted in moratoria or excessively stringent ordinances that make wind development impossible within that jurisdiction. In the vast majority of instances, these restrictions go well beyond the scope of review allowed under Wisconsin Statute 66.0401, which limits municipal review of wind energy systems matters involving public health and safety. Onerous restrictions have even been placed on small wind systems, despite the modest nature of their impacts. Read more.

Improved Net Energy Billing Policy
DEFINITION: Net energy billing (or net metering) is an arrangement that allows utility customers to install and operate renewable generating systems for their own use, and receive full retail value for electricity not consumed on site (up to 100% of their internal usage). Read more.

Topic Area: Towards Community Energy

Community-Owned Energy Generation and Distribution
PROBLEM: From its earliest roots, utility services have been organized by citizens interested in controlling their own access to energy. Initially, many of these utilities relied on local sources of renewable energy (hydro) for their energy. Over time, however, all utilities outgrew their renewable roots and invested heavily in large-scale generation of fossil fuels. Their preference for fossil fuels continues to this day; three new coal plants have been added in the last 10 years. Meanwhile, increasing numbers of citizen-customers now question the economic and environmental sustainability of these investments. They are taking matters into their hands by investing in on-site renewable generation and/or purchasing renewable electricity from their local providers. Read more.

Repairing Wisconsin’s RPS to Benefit Local Renewables
BACKGROUND: Wisconsin’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requires electric providers to source, by 2015, 10% of the electricity they sell from qualified renewable energy resources. The law allows these providers to (1) build and own the generation sources themselves; (2) acquire renewable electricity from other generators; and (3) acquire renewable energy credits (the attributes, not the electricity) that meet certain requirements in the law. Wisconsin’s investor-owned utilities have demonstrated a pronounced preference to own the generation used to comply with the RPS. Read more.

More information:
RENEW Wisconsin
Michael Vickerman
608.255.4044
mvickerman@renewwisconsin.org

Issue Briefs Released for RENEW’s Energy Policy Summit

To sharpen participant discussions at RENEW’s Energy Policy Summit on January 13 in Madison, RENEW Wisconsin issued several policy backgrounders addressing specific barriers to renewable energy development in Wisconsin, while outlining potential strategies for overcoming them.

“While these barriers are significant, they can be overcome with the right combination of well-thought-out policies and an engaged citizenry,” said Michael Vickerman, Executive Director of RENEW Wisconsin, a statewide, nonprofit renewable energy advocacy organization.

The issue briefs address specific facets within four broad categories that will be addressed in separate breakout discussions: expanding market access; economics of renewable energy production; regulatory environment; and, community-based energy.

In addition to familiar policies such as net energy billing, the breakout sessions will focus on market-based initiatives such as renewable energy credit aggregation and third-party contracting of renewable generation.

“In these breakout sessions, we will dive into various policies and practices and select those that belong in a viable renewable energy road map for 2012 and beyond,” Vickerman said.

“To build a truly sustainable energy future, we must come together as a team to decide upon and pursue the most intelligent policy options, taking into account today’s political and economic realities.”

The issue briefs and registration information on RENEW’s Energy Policy Summit can be found on the event website: RENEW Energy Policy Summit. The registration period will end at the close of business on Tuesday, January 10.

 - END -

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.

Leslie Glustrom is the featured speaker at RENEW’s Energy Policy Summit, January 13, Madison. Read the report that she mentions about 11 minutes into the interview.

Get details and register for the Summit at the Summit Web page.