Tag Archives: midwest-energy

Midwestern farmers harvesting solar power

by BDRWilliam Posted on January 28, 2014

Midwestern farmers harvesting solar power

By

USDA

It’s not just milk, cereal, and soy that’s being produced on Midwestern farms. Increasingly, farmers in the region are also harvesting their own solar power. That’s according to a report in Midwest Energy News:

Solar installations have been taking off in many areas of the Midwest, but perhaps nowhere more so than in farm country.

“It’s a huge buzz now throughout the agriculture industry,” said Todd Miller, sales director for CB Solar in Ankeny, Iowa.

The Midwest is a conservative place, and today’s conservatives tend to reject renewable energy. So what is it about farms that has the region’s growers so eager to reap power from the sun?

For one, farms tend to use a lot of power, with monthly electric bills sometimes running into the thousands of dollars. They need electricity to run fans, to heat and cool barns for dairy cows, to cool milk and produce, to dry grain and move it around.

Many farms also have barns with roofs that lend themselves to holding up solar panels. And if there’s not a suitable roof, there’s usually plenty of space for a freestanding array.

In addition, farmers are accustomed to thinking long-term and investing in their business. Many of them have maintained the farm in their family for generations, and expect it to continue as a family-owned enterprise that will reap the benefits of investment in solar energy for decades to come.

And they tend to be an independent lot who like the prospect of producing their own power.

It might be time for Midwestern politicians to start listening to their farmers.


Source
In the Midwest, farmers leading the way on solar power, Midwest Energy News

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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Bill would promote bogus wind-turbine syndrome lawsuits in Wisconsin

by Larry Daichea Posted on November 16, 2013

Bill would promote bogus wind-turbine syndrome lawsuits in Wisconsin

By

– Deb –

Wind-turbine syndrome doesn’t exist. Sure, wind turbines can be annoying. But there isn’t a shred of peer-reviewed medical evidence that they can actually make anybody sick.

Yet a new Wisconsin bill scheduled for a hearing next week would make it easier for people living within 1.5 miles of a wind turbine to sue the energy developer for “physical and emotional harm suffered by the plaintiff, including for medical expenses, pain, and suffering.” And to sue for relocation expenses if they want to move away from turbines. And to sue over drops in property values. Never mind that researchers have also ruled out any impacts of wind farms on the value of nearby properties.  

SB 167 wouldn’t just affect new turbines. It could be applied retroactively to sue existing wind farms out of existence.

Needless to say, the bill is just another effort to stamp out the growth of renewable energy in coal-friendly Wisconsin, which is already lagging behind much of the rest of the country in wind power.

The legislation is sponsored by State Sen. Frank Lasee (R), a notorious opponent of wind energy. A hearing into the bill on Wednesday will be overseen by a fellow wind foe, State Sen. Glenn Grothman (R), whose district includes a large wind farm.

“I’ve talked to a dozen people in my area who made a very credible case that their health has been damaged,” Grothman told Midwest Energy News. “Obviously their property values have gone through the floor.”

Well, obviously. I mean, if y’all say so. Let’s resume the outdated approach of building more coal plants and see how that affects property values and public health, shall we?


Source
Wisconsin bill would grant wide latitude to sue wind farms, Midwest Energy News

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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Bill would promote bogus wind-turbine syndrome lawsuits in Wisconsin

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How to power America with renewables on the cheap: Build a shit ton of wind and solar capacity

by kowalski099 Posted on March 28, 2013

How to power America with renewables on the cheap: Build a shit ton of wind and solar capacity

By John Upton

Shutterstock

Wind and solar will do the trick, but we’ll need a whole lot of them.

America could be powered almost entirely with wind turbines and solar systems by 2030 at a cost comparable to what we’re spending for dirty power today, a new study finds. The necessary approach would surprise most people, and it would generate enough economic activity to make any capitalist drool: Build, build, build … and then build some more.

From Midwest Energy News:

The analysis … challenges the common notion that wind and solar power need to be paired with fossil fuel or nuclear generators, so utilities can meet electricity demand when it’s not windy or sunny.

The paper instead proposes building out a “seemingly excessive” amount of wind and solar generation capacity — two to three times the grid’s actual peak load. By spreading that generation across a wide enough geographic area, Rust Belt utilities could get virtually all of their electricity from renewables in 2030, at a cost comparable to today’s prices, it says.

For the study, published in the Journal of Power Sources, researchers used a model to evaluate the cost effectiveness and reliability of tens of billions of combinations of renewable energy generation and storage capacity. They found:

At 2030 technology costs and with excess electricity displacing natural gas, we find that the electric system can be powered 90%–99.9% of hours entirely on renewable electricity, at costs comparable to today’s—but only if we optimize the mix of generation and storage technologies. …

We find that 90% of hours are covered most cost-effectively by a system that generates from renewables 180% the electrical energy needed by load, and 99.9% of hours are covered by generating almost 290% of need. Only [9 to 72 hours] of storage were required to cover 99.9% of hours of load over four years. So much excess generation of renewables is a new idea, but it is not problematic or inefficient, any more than it is problematic to build a thermal power plant requiring fuel input at 250% of the electrical output, as we do today.

The findings support a growing awareness of the potential for renewable energy to power America — and a rejection of doomsayers and fossil fuel executives who say we must keep propping ourselves up with coal, natural gas, and oil.

So keep those wind and solar farms coming, America. And throw in a few batteries too.

John Upton is a science aficionado and green news junkie who

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How to power America with renewables on the cheap: Build a shit ton of wind and solar capacity

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Marktown, Ind., a historic town shivering in BP’s dark shadow

by greenenergy4 Posted on January 31, 2013

Marktown, Ind., a historic town shivering in BP’s dark shadow

By Philip Bump

This is the historic neighborhood of Marktown, near East Chicago, Ind. It’s a historic area, built a century ago to accommodate workers at a nearby steel plant, dubbed one of the “Seven Wonders of Northwest Indiana.”

Now zoom out.

Marktown is like that house in Up, surrounded on all sides by newer, uglier buildings — in this case, industry. Scroll to the northwest a little and you’ll see Marktown’s greatest threat: the BP Whiting oil refinery. Midwest Energy News tells the story:

About a quarter of the pastel, stucco Marktown homes are now vacant and crumbling. There is a general appearance of abandonment and decay. But on the evening of Jan. 23 the Marktown community center was bustling, packed with residents confused and alarmed about the news circulating over the past few days. …

Kim Rodriguez, a 54-year-old lifelong resident, had called the meeting to try to save the neighborhood.

That’s because BP officials recently acknowledged they are looking to buy up and raze Marktown homes.

chicagogeek

The state of Indiana has recognized the neighborhood as a historic area. But that doesn’t matter.

In 1975 Marktown — which is officially part of the city of East Chicago, while the refinery is in adjacent Whiting — was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. That means federal resources cannot be used for redeveloping or destroying structures.

But the historic designation offers no such protection against private development or demolition by an entity like BP.

Dean said that, “BP respects the historical designation of the Marktown Community and is exploring preliminary possibilities related to the historic designation,” though he also said that “once acquired, the property would be razed.”

The full story (go read it!) is distressing and sad, outlining an encroachment of wealth and industry on history and community. And then, everything else aside, there’s why BP wants the property. The company wants to displace families and destroy historic homes because it wants a place to stage equipment.

And it needs more parking.

And it wants some green space.

Source

As Chicago-area refinery grows, historic town fears for its future, Midwest Energy News

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

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