PV’s levelized cost drops to 11.5 cents per kWh with incentives
An analysis by Don Wichert, Director, Renewable Energy Services, Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation (WECC): 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 [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Renewable energy summit leader lauds Xcel’s new incentives
For immediate release More information Michael Vickerman mvickerman@renewwisconsin.org 608.255.4044 The economics of small-scale renewable energy in western Wisconsin will brighten in January when Xcel Energy’s new rates take effect for homeowners and businesses. In a recent rate case decision, the Public Service Commission (PSC) approved Xcel’s proposal to strengthen its support for renewable energy in [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )Rep. Barca: Wind energy holds the key to rapid Wisconsin job growth
A news release issued by State Rep. Peter Barca (D-Kenosha): Last year Wisconsin made great progress on wind energy and there was bipartisan enthusiasm for advancements in this cutting-edge industry. A wind energy bill was approved last session with a two-thirds majority in both houses – including the leaders of both parties. Organizations such as [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Solar energy makes gains, but policy puts future in question
From an article by in the La Crosse Tribune: When the sun shines, Al Schultz makes money. Specifically, the 32 photovoltaic panels on his roof turn the sun’s rays into electricity that powers his home in Ebner Coulee. If he doesn’t need the power, he sells it to Xcel Energy. “There is a certain peace [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Twenty-four governors, not including Walker, ask Obama to extend tax credits for wind project investments
From a news release on the Web site of the American Wind Energy Association: Iowa, Aug. 24—A coalition of 24 governors from both major parties and each region of the country has asked the administration to take a series of steps to provide a more favorable business climate for the development of wind energy, starting [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )RENEW Opposes Bill to Weaken State Renewable Energy Standard
At a September 6 hearing of the Assembly Energy and Utilities Committee, Michael Vickerman testifies against AB146, a bill that would extend into perpetuity the shelf life of an unused renewable energy credit. Vickerman’s testimony explains how this seemingly innocuous change to Wisconsin’s renewable energy standard would allow utilities to put off the day when [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )State’s political climate endangers forward-thinking energy policies
From a commentary on Left Business Brain by Tom Breuer: Prehistoric life forms may have been contributors to our current fossil fuel-based economy, but prehistoric thinking has no place in our modern deliberations about energy policy. That’s why a blog post published last week by RENEW Wisconsin Executive Director Michael Vickerman is so alarming. In [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )National Study Vindicates Wisconsin’s Clean Energy Policies
Immediate release July 18, 2011 More information Michael Vickerman Executive Director 608.255.4044 mvickerman@renewwisconsin.org National Study Vindicates Wisconsin’s Clean Energy Policies Nearly a decade of forward-looking strategies propelled investments in Wisconsin’s clean jobs economy above other Midwest states, according to an economic study issued by The Brookings Institution, a nonpartisan public policy organization in Washington, D.C. [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Wisconsin’s Widening War on Renewable Energy
Dramatic Slowdown in Market Activity Anticipated By Michael Vickerman July 11, 2011 What started out as an opening salvo from the Walker Administration to shackle large-scale wind projects has in six months turned into a systematic campaign to dismantle the state policies that support renewable energy development. Joining the executive and legislative branches in pursuing [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 3 so far )Energy programs get Walker ax
From an article by Mike Ivey in The Capital Times: If you like burning fossil fuels – hey, aren’t those Koch brothers in the pipeline business? – then you’ll love Gov. Walker’s proposed budget. The 1,345-pager takes a whack at scores of environmental efforts, from nixing the state Office of Energy Independence to actually encouraging [...]
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