Doyle launches Clean Energy Jobs initiative

Friday, January 08, 2010

From a news release issued by Governor Jim Doyle:

MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle today was joined by business leaders, labor, legislators and environmental organizations as he launched the Clean Energy Jobs Act, a landmark legislative package to accelerate the state’s green economy and create jobs. New industry-recognized research shows the package will directly create at least 15,000 green jobs in Wisconsin by 2025.

“Addressing climate change is not just an environmental issue, it’s about creating green jobs,” Governor Doyle said.

“The Clean Energy Jobs Act offers new standards to help accelerate Wisconsin’s green economy. I am calling on the Legislature to update renewable portfolio standards to generate 25 percent of our fuel from renewable sources by 2025 and set a realistic goal of a 2 percent annual reduction in energy consumption by 2015.”

The Clean Energy Jobs Act, State Senate Bill 450 and State Assembly Bill 649, implements the recommendations of Governor Doyle’s Global Warming Task Force to address climate change and grow the state’s green economy through several key measures:
• Enhanced renewable portfolio standards – A new 20 percent standard would be set for 2020 and a 25 percent standard would be set for 2025. The current 10 percent standard would be accelerated from 2015 to 2013. By advancing our current renewable portfolio standards, and setting new standards, we will ensure more of our energy dollars stay in the state, creating thousands of jobs for Wisconsin families in fields like construction, manufacturing, and agriculture.
• Enhanced energy efficiency and conservation efforts – Graduated statewide electricity savings goals would be set, leading up to a 2 percent reduction by 2015 and annual reductions thereafter. The cheapest way to lower carbon emissions is through energy conservation. By setting achievable conservation goals, this bill will help reduce energy costs in businesses and homes across the state.

A comprehensive economic assessment of the Clean Energy Jobs Act found that the package would directly create at least 15,000 green jobs in Wisconsin by 2025. More than 1,800 jobs would be created in the first year alone. The assessment also found that between 800 and 1,800 construction jobs would be created each year from 2011-2025, and more than 2,000 manufacturing jobs would be created once the laws are fully implemented.

Michael Vickerman, RENEW Wisconsin’s executive director said:

Wisconsin's existing 10% Renewable Energy Standard has driven significant investment in rural, forestry and agriculture markets by encouraging the construction of large wind, biogas, biomass and solar projects. Increasing the Renewable Energy Standard to 25% in 2025 would continue to generate more of the lucrative payments to landowners and biofuel / biomass providers as well as create more jobs constructing and maintaining the additional projects are built to meet the new standards.

The bills also include three of the proposals backed by the Homegrown Renewable Energy Campaign:

• Renewable Energy Buyback Rates, also called an Advanced Renewable Tariffs, would set utility payments for small renewable energy producers who want to "feed energy" into the electric grid, enabling farmers and rural businesses to help Wisconsin become more energy independent with biopower, wind and solar.
• The Biomass Crop Reserve Program would award contracts to farmers to plant native perennial plants, which the farmer can then sell for bioenergy production, helping to solve the chicken-and-egg problem of jumpstarting the homegrown fuels market.
• A Low-Carbon Fuel Standard would be a market-based approach to promoting the cleanest, low-carbon fuels for Wisconsin, and would put Wisconsin in a position to capture the rapidly-developing clean energy market by using Wisconsin's abundant natural resources like switchgrass.

Statements of support for the legislation came from Customers First!, WPPI Energy, CREWE, Clean Wisconsin, ACRE, MEUW, Sierra Club, and others.

Builder chosen for Dane County’s 1st manure digester

Monday, November 09, 2009

From an article by Matthew DeFour in the Wisconsin State Journal:

Dane County's first community manure digester, the first cooperative project of its kind in Wisconsin, will be built and operated by a Milwaukee-based company that plans to finance most of the project itself.

By letting Clear Horizons, in partnership with SCC Americas, a global developer of greenhouse gas emission reduction projects, operate the Waunakee community digester, the county is avoiding the financial risks and rewards.

"That was important to the farmers (who wanted) a separate company operating the digester," Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk said of the county's decision. "We've chosen this model because Clear Horizons brings significant private dollars."

Clear Horizons plans to privately finance everything except a $3.3 million state earmark. The state included $6.6 million in its latest budget for the Waunakee digester and another being planned near Middleton. The county planned to borrow $1.4 million for the project, but now won't have to spend anything to build the first digester.

Clear Horizons general manager Dan Nemke said construction is expected to cost about $11 million. After designs are finalized and a site is selected on one of three participating farms, the company expects to break ground in the spring and begin processing manure by the fall.

A manure digester is essentially a mini power plant that uses bacteria to convert cow manure into mostly methane gas, a fiber material and a liquid fertilizer. The methane is burned to generate electricity and the fiber can be used as cow bedding.

The Waunakee digester is expected to generate $2 million worth of electricity every year, and Clear Horizons plans to sell the fiber material.

Dane County's 400 dairy farms and 50,000 dairy cows - a $700 million industry - produce more than 2 billion pounds of manure each year. Much of that is spread on fields in the winter and the resulting runoff into creeks and rivers has killed thousands of fish in the past.

RENEW's spring newsletter now online

Thursday, May 14, 2009

The spring edition of RENEW's newsletter includes the following articles:

Legislature to Tackle Wind Permitting
The Importance of Doing the Math
Stimulus Package 101
Policy Drives Solar Hot Water Market
PSC Investigates Renewable Tariffs
Open Letter from RENEW President
Calendar

Doyle supports two community anaerobic digesters in Dane County

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

From a news release issued by Governor Jim Doyle:

MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle today announced support for two community anaerobic digesters that will aid in efforts to clean Lake Mendota and increase production of renewable energy. Governor Doyle was joined at today’s event by Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, a leader in regional efforts to clean the area’s lakes and achieve energy independence. Governor Doyle is proposing $6.6 million in his capital budget to help fund the project.

“By providing support for these community anaerobic digesters, not only will we help clean our lakes, but will move forward on a clean energy future that will create jobs for hardworking Wisconsin families, protect our environment, and improve our security,” Governor Doyle said. “I’m pleased to work with County Executive Falk
on this important initiative to ensure a cleaner and brighter future for our state for generations to come.”

“The Governor’s support of Dane County’s 'Cow Power Project' means green jobs, green energy, and blue lakes for our citizens to enjoy,” County Executive Kathleen Falk said. “We appreciate the opportunity to partner with the state to strengthen Dane County’s dairy industry.”

In 2007, Governor Doyle provided $1.5 million through the Focus on Energy Initiative to dairy farms wanting to install anaerobic digesters, helping make Wisconsin a national leader in individual farms using digesters to eliminate manure. Today’s announcement builds on this success, implementing it at the regional level.
Governor Doyle is working with County Executive Falk to create two community digesters in northern Dane County, one in Waunakee and one in Middleton. Their environmental and fiscal benefits include:

+ Increasing dairy farms’ ability to expand by providing a mechanism to effectively and efficiently manage manure;
+ Creating jobs for hardworking Wisconsin families to construct the digesters, run the digesters, and meet increased demand resulting from farms expanding operations;
+ Eliminating an estimated 8,000 to 20,000 pounds of phosphorous per year per community digester from the Lake Mendota watershed;
+ Reducing 12,000 tons of greenhouse gases each year per community digester;
+ And generating $900,000 in annual revenue from renewable energy that will be produced by each digester.

News coverage in The Capital Times.

Dane County sets long agenda for energy & sustainability

Monday, December 15, 2008

Dane County Supervisor Brett Hulsey summarized the Dane County Energy Independence and Sustainability Initiatives from the recently adopted county budget:

• Goals: 10% by 2010 (10X10) and 25% by 2025 (25X25) Plan

Reduce/replace current energy use by at least 10% by 2010 with energy efficiency improvements and renewable resources

Reduce/replace current energy use by at least 25% by 2025 with energy efficiency improvements and renewable resources

• Energy Independence and Sustainability Projects (Executive Recommended Budget)

1. Manure Digester Project ($1,370,000 - Land and Water Resources)
- Implementation of feasibility study and business plan

2. City-County Building Solar Energy Project ($187,300 - Administration)
- Installation of solar hot water system to provide 75% of daily hot water

3. Bike/Pedestrian Trails ($292,500 – Land and Water Resources)
- Lower Yahara River
- North Mendota
- Rockdale to Cambridge

4. Zoo Energy Efficiency Projects ($100,000 – Zoo)
- Zoo Administration Building energy efficiency improvements

5. Gas Extraction System ($250,000 – Solid Waste)
- Rodefeld landfill gas to energy recovery system

6. Bio-Reactor Retrofit ($500,000 – Solid Waste)
- Application of bio-reactor technology to increase facility life creating potential additional revenue of $5,000,000

7. Transfer Station ($4,000,000 – Solid Waste)
- Transfer out construction and demolition material to slow down filling rate and control landfilling price

8. Electric Utility and Hybrid Vehicles ($52,000 – Land and Water Resources)
- Purchase of two electric utility vehicles and hybrid SUV

• Energy and Independence and Sustainability Projects (Budget Amendments)

1. Badger Prairie Health Care Center Renewable Energy Project ($1,750,000)
- Funding to implement a geothermal heating and cooling system, install solar hot water system and construct “green” roof.

2. Green Energy/Green Jobs Project Fund ($100,000)
- Funding for departments to implement energy efficiency, alternative energy,
and sustainability initiatives recommended by feasibility studies to increase the county’s energy independence, save tax dollars and reduce pollution.

a. Energy Efficiency Feasibility Study
Inventory energy uses, assess the operating performance and energy efficiency of county facilities and identify potential cost-savings and areas for improvement.
b. Create Energy Independence and Sustainability subcommittee (Public
Works and Transportation Committee) comprised of supervisors,
department heads, Wisconsin Focus on Energy staff and staffed by the Recycling Manager
c. Grant Funding Applications -- Feasibility, Audit and Strategic Planning
i. Apply for Wisconsin Energy Independent Community Partnership grant available through the Wisconsin Office of Energy Independence
ii. Apply for Wisconsin Focus on Energy funds available through the Schools and Local Government and Renewable Energy programs

3. Energy Independence & Sustainability Plan Training & Development ($10,000)
Initial decision-making framework will utilize the Natural Step, ICLEI and other appropriate criteria.

4. Airport Alternative Energy Purchase ($18,691)
Purchase an additional 22.4% of its electricity from alternative energy sources.

5. Renewable Energy and Alternative Fuels Feasibility Study ($35,000)
Assess the feasibility of wind, biomass (including switch grass, waste wood, and lake weeds), alternative fuels and solar energy sources, and develop a strategic action plan for implementation.

6. (Non-budget item) Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory and Reduction Plan
($2,750: ICLEI membership - Solid Waste Recycling Fund/Public Education)
Conduct GHG emission inventory, set targets, evaluate strategies and develop action plan to reduce emissions.

Biosolids: A case of waste not, want not?

Thursday, December 13, 2007

From an article by Deb Fitzgerald posted on WISinfo.com:

Bus tours carry people to Forestville from far flung places like Argentina and Brazil so visitors may witness the successful business practices of S&S Ag Enterprises, LLC.

Owned by Adrian and Kay Schmidt, in partnership with their son and daughter-in-law, Randy and Dena, the limited liability corporation is the largest heifer-raising farm in Wisconsin.

The custom operation is like a bovine daycare for 13 different dairy farms in northeast Wisconsin, boarding some 4,000 heifers, or young females that haven’t calved yet. . . .

The Schmidts’ heifers don’t produce calves or milk, but they do produce 14 million gallons of dung per year, which eventually fertilizes the Schmidts’ 5,000 acres of corn, wheat, alfalfa and soybeans.

With a $250,000 seed grant from Focus on Energy, the Schmidts will, beginning next year, first feed all that organic waste to a $1.8 million anaerobic digester that’s built into the ground like a 210-foot long, 72-foot wide, 166-foot deep septic tank.

By next fall, the busloads of visitors will have another reason to tour the southern Door County operation: a renewable energy system that’s connected to the utility grid, converting heifer waste into enough electricity to power 400 homes.

Cow manure for furniture and flooring

Thursday, March 22, 2007

From an Associated Press article by David N. Goodman as it appeared in the York Dispatch (York County, Pennsylvania):

Under pressure from regulators and the public, more large livestock operations are installing expensive manure treatment systems known as anaerobic digesters.

The digesters use heat to deodorize and sterilize manure, while capturing and using the methane gas it produces to generate electricity. The systems also separate phosphorus-laden liquid fertilizer from semisolid plant residue.

The solids have some known uses, including animal bedding and potting soil, and agricultural scientists would like to find more.

"We really need to think outside the box on what uses for manure are," said Wendy Powers, a professor of agriculture at Michigan State University.

Scientists at Michigan State in East Lansing and at the USDA's Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wis., are conducting tests on various types of fiberboard made with the "digester solids."

'Better than wood': As with the wood-based original, the manure-based product is made by combining fibers with a chemical resin, then subjecting the mixture to heat and pressure.

So far, fiberboard made with digester solids seems to match or beat the quality of wood-based products.

"It appears that the fibers interlock with each other better than wood," said Charles Gould at Michigan State's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.