Vickerman responds to anonymous “Greenie”

RENEW’s Executive Director wrote the following response to a post by “Greenie” on a local forum:

Forumite Greenie writes: “The biggest problem with the federal production tax credit for renewable energy is that it only covers wind and solar. In the state of Wisconsin where our wind resource is low, the production tax credit is what’s driving wind developers to put turbines where they don’t belong.”

Inaccuracies abound in that statement. One, the federal production tax credit covers wind and closed-loop biomass and biogas from livestock manure. Two, it does not cover solar. There is a 30% investment tax credit specific to most solar energy systems (not solar pool heaters). Three, the wind resource in Wisconsin is pretty good in certain locations, like along the Niagara Escarpment. At the two recently completed wind projects—Blue Sky Green Field and Forward—capacity factors should average 30%. The same should be true of the two wind projects under construction, Cedar Ridge and Butler Ridge. Fourth, the tax credit is based on output. The greater the amount of kilowatt-hours produced at a particular site, the greater the value of the tax credits. Furthermore, the tax credits are good for 10 years. After that, the turbines on their own, Since they are built to last 25 to 30 years, there had better be a decent resource where they are located, which is the case with every wind turbine operating in Wisconsin

Greenie continues: “They [manure digesters] would take nitrates out of the water, help farmers with their high electrical bills and provide power to the surrounding community. The Crave Brothers who produce excellent cheese on their farm put in a manure digester that not only took care of their $6,000 a month electrical bill, but also supplies electricity to the 126 homes around them. The nitrates no longer go into the ground water. They’re left with very clean compost material which can be used for many things. So why won’t they get any production tax credit money?”

Not only are manure digesters eligible for the federal production tax credit, they are also eligible for State of Wisconsin financial incentives through the Focus on Energy program. A manure-to-methane electric generation system can receive up to $250,000 in financial support from Wisconsin utility ratepayers. Generally, these incentives account for 10% to 25% of the installed cost of these systems, depending on their size.

RENEW Wisconsin strongly supports generating electricity or renewable natural gas from livestock manure. In several rate cases, RENEW argued that the utility should provide a higher buyback rate for manure-to-methane electric generation system. Several utilities have raised their buyback rates, though they still fall short of what is needed to cover installation costs. Having said that, Wisconsin has more livestock biogas generation systems than any other state. And several companies that are active in this market, including Clear Horizons, the company that installed the system at the Crave Brothers farm, are RENEW members,

More from Greenie: “For Wisconsin, industrial scale wind farms will always depend on coal burning power plants to operate.”

This is simply false. As any utility grid operator can confirm, a new wind farm does not need new baseload capacity to back it up. There is an abundant amount of reserve generating capacity in Wisconsin to absorb many new windpower installations.

Greenie again: “The production tax credit makes it so developers turn profit on inefficient and inappropriately sited turbines which are destroying so many Wisconsin communities.”

Name one Wisconsin community that has been “destroyed” by wind turbines.

We Energies, which owns the 88-turbine Blue Sky Green Field installation, is hosting an open house this Saturday. At the open house you’ll have the opportunity to see and hear the turbines with your own sensory apparatus. While you’re in that part of Fond du Lac County, ask the locals for their opinion of the installation. You’ll discover that the project is quite popular with Marshfield and Calumet township residents.

Greenie’s on a roll: “ If you feel like looking deeper into this if you follow the roots of the wind industry, state mandates for renewable energy standards (almost all of it going to WIND) the production tax credit (almost all of it going to wind) and the green credits (Wind again) you’ll end up at ENRON — once one of the biggest wind developers in the country.”

There is a simple reason why wind has become the dominant resource among renewable resources—it’s the only one that can produce power in bulk. Let’s compare the scalability of wind with dairy cattle manure. A Vestas V-82 turbine at Blue Sky Green Field has a capacity of 1.65 MW and will average about 4 million kWh/year (probably more), which is 28% of its rated capacity. How many cows does it take to produce the same amount of energy? Biogas producers agree that the energy value of dairy cow manure equates to 0.2 kW. It takes five cows to constitute one kW of generating capacity, 5,000 cows to constitute 1 MW. If you take the manure from one cow and put it into a digester/generation system that operates 90% of the time, it will produce an average of 1,577 kWh/year. Divide four million into that number and you’ll see that it takes 2,536 dairy cows to produce the same amount of energy as one commercial wind turbine. There are perhaps a dozen dairy operations in Wisconsin that have 2,500 cows, as compared with the 88 wind turbines at the 10,000-acre Blue Sky Green Field project, which should produce about 350,000,000 kWh/year. By my calculations, one would need 223,168 dairy cows to produce enough livestock manure to equal the output from Blue Sky Green Field. To put number that in perspective, we’re talking about nearly 20% of the state’s entire population of dairy cows (currently estimated at 1,252,000, according to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board [www.wisdairy.com]), all located in specialized dairy operations where their manure is captured and fed into anaerobic digesters.

How many residential solar electric systems is needed to produce 4,000,000 kWh. About 1,700.

By the way, Enron’s wind division was one of the few divisions in the company that generated a profit, which is why GE bought it after Enron filed for bankruptcy.

Greenie closes with this gem: “Why do lobbying groups like Renew Wisconsin carry the flag for wind and almost nothing else? Where is their money coming from?”

In addition to the wind industry, RENEW Wisconsin advocates on behalf of solar energy (electric and hot water), hydro, biomass, and biogas. We do this in many forums: at the Public Service Commission, at the State Legislature, in schools and at numerous county board and town hall meetings. We count among our members such companies as North American Hydro, H&H Solar, Full Spectrum Solar, GHD, Inc., Pieper Power, Lake Michigan Wind and Sun, and Lake Breeze Dairy. Our 330 members contribute about 20% of our revenues in a typical year. The other 80% of our funding comes from foundation grants and Focus on Energy work.

Allow me to ask a question of you, Greenie: Where do you get your misinformation from?

Michael Vickerman, RENEW Wisconsin

 

Checking in on manure digesters

In front of the Five Star Dairy’s biodigester near Eau Claire, Michael Vickerman holds the digestion’s fiberous residue that can be spread on fields for fetilizer or used for bedding and other products.

From an article by John Oncken in The Capital Times:

Almost 14,000 individual family-owned dairy farms are the foundation for Wisconsin’s $20 billion dairy industry. They are also major recyclers of the raw materials they use, as nearly all of the grain, forage and supplements consumed by a cow to make milk are recycled by the farmer as fertilizer to make crops grow.

In addition to the daily application of manure directly to farm fields, there are 18 manure digesters at work on larger Wisconsin dairy farms with about that many under construction or in advanced planning.

The Statz Brothers dairy in Sun Prairie is nearing completion of a manure digester for their 1,500-cow main dairy. Norm-E-Lane Farm at Chili in Clark County is in the final phases of construction of a digester for their 1,500-cow dairy. Bach Farm in Dorchester as well as Grotegut Dairy and Mapleleaf Dairy, both in Cleveland, have just received U.S. Department of Agriculture Renewable Energy grants and loans to build digesters.

Those dairy farms with digesters are producing solids used for livestock bedding and fertilizer and methane gas that powers generators to make electricity for homes. The cost of a manure digester system is well in the six figure category, most of it borne by the dairy family making for lots of tough decisions.

What about manure digesters for small farms?

Major discussions have been held about building central manure digesters in Dane County. The central challenges are determining who will pay the high cost of building them and figuring how to get the manure from individual farms to the central digester.

There is one, in Chino, Calif., where a dozen dairies pay the electric utility to haul and process their manure. But this is an area where cows are housed in open corrals on dairies located side-by-side, a very short distance from the digester. Wisconsin dairy farms are located farther apart and the cost of hauling manure great distances (it’s mostly water) is currently prohibitive.

 

Solar Valley grows under cloudy German skies

RENEW Wisconsin supports and the Governor’s Global Warming Task Force has before it the concept of fixed above-market prices (called feed-in tariffs) for electricity produced from renewable resources, as described in an article by Mark Landler in The New York Times:

THALHEIM, Germany — This sad stretch of eastern Germany, with its deserted coal mines and corroded factories, epitomizes post-industrial gloom. It is a place where even the clouds rarely seem to part.

Yet the sun was shining here the other day — and nowhere more brightly than at Q-Cells, a German company that surpassed Sharp last year to become the world’s largest maker of photovoltaic solar cells. Q-Cells is the main tenant among a flowering cluster of solar start-ups here in an area known as Solar Valley.

Thanks to its aggressive push into renewable energies, cloud-wreathed Germany has become an unlikely leader in the race to harness the sun’s energy. It has by far the largest market for photovoltaic systems, which convert sunlight into electricity, with roughly half of the world’s total installations. And it is the third-largest producer of solar cells and modules, after China and Japan. . . .

At the heart of the debate is the Renewable Energy Sources Act. It requires power companies to buy all the alternative energy produced by these systems, at a fixed above-market price, for 20 years.

This mechanism, known as a feed-in tariff, gives entrepreneurs a powerful incentive to install solar panels. With a locked-in customer base for their electricity, they can earn a reliable return on their investment. It has worked: homeowners rushed to clamp solar panels on their roofs and farmers planted them in fields where sheep once grazed.

The amount of electricity generated by these installations rose 60 percent in 2007 compared with 2006, faster than any other renewable energy (solar still generates just 0.6 percent of Germany’s total electricity, compared with 6.4 percent for wind). . . .

 

State to start issuing energy grants, loans

From an article by Rick Barrett in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Businesses and researchers may soon apply for state grants and loans aimed at developing renewable energy, Gov. Jim Doyle said Tuesday.The state expects to award about $15 million per year for 10 years from the newly created Wisconsin Energy Independence Fund, Doyle said at a news conference at Johnson Controls Inc.The money will be used to support research and development of renewable fuels and encourage businesses to adopt new technologies that save energy and use renewable energy.

Typical grants are expected to range from $100,000 to $500,000. Matching funds of at least 50% of total project costs must come from other sources, according to the state Department of Commerce.

Doyle laid out a long-term strategy that he hopes will make Wisconsin a leader in renewable energy. He repeated his call for the state to generate 25% of its electricity and motor fuels from renewable resources by 2025.

 

Manure-to-energy system has environmental benefits

From an article by Kristopher Wenn in the Manitowoc Herald Republican:

MANITOWOC — What comes out of cows can be toxic to the environment, but it also can be put to use, said Steve Dvorak on Thursday.

Dvorak is the owner of D&D Equipment and developer and manufacturer of manure digesters, which use anaerobic digestion to turn manure into energy and other byproducts such as cow bedding and fertilizer. Anaerobic digestion is the biodegradation of organic materials by bacteria in the absence of oxygen.

“We have a unique energy source,” Dvorak said at the League of Women Voters presentation. “It solves of a lot of problems from odor to how to manage manure. But it’s not the panacea of all (problems).”

Manure digesters work much like a cow’s stomach except that it processes its organic material for about 22 days, Dvorak said.

The digesters turn manure into a biogas that is burned to produce energy.

The energy potential from the manure generated by a cow and processed by a manure digester equates to about 6½ kilowatt hours per day, Dvorak said. Under that calculation, it would take about three cows to power an average home in Manitowoc County.

 

We Energies seeks proposals for 200 MW and biomethane

Renewable Energy Generation Facilities
We Energies requests proposals for up to 200 megawatts of renewable energy generation, including wind, biomass, hydroelectric and solar energy. Proposals must be for the sale of a renewable energy facility to We Energies. Facilities proposed under this RFP must be in service by Jan. 1, 2011. Successful proposals will be cost effective and will minimize transmission and/or distribution system impacts. Proposals received by 2 p.m., Friday, Nov. 30, 2007, will be evaluated for a short list of qualified projects selected for subsequent in-depth evaluation. More information

Injection of Biomethane into We Energies Natural Gas Distribution System
We Energies requests proposals for purchase and injection of biomethane supplies meeting We Energies’ quality standard into the We Energies natural gas distribution system in Wisconsin. To qualify, biomethane must be produced using anaerobic digestion technology. Landfill gas projects will not be considered under this request for proposals. Facilities proposed under this RFP must be in service by Jan 1, 2010.

Proposals will be received and reviewed in two separate phases. In Phase 1, We Energies seeks information on the biomethane volume to be provided by the proposer at the given injection point in the We Energies gas distribution system. Proposals for Phase 1 must be submitted to We Energies by 2 p.m., Nov. 30, 2007. Information submitted during Phase 1 will enable We Energies to determine if the biomethane volume proposed can be accommodated in the We Energies gas distribution system. We Energies intends to respond to all proposers as to the feasibility of their Phase 1 proposal by Dec. 21, 2007.

Proposers whose Phase 1 proposals are reviewed favorably by We Energies will be asked to submit a more detailed Phase 2 proposal, including firm pricing. Phase 2 proposals must be received by We Energies no later than 2 p.m., Jan. 18, 2008, and will be evaluated for a short list of qualified projects selected for subsequent in-depth evaluation. More information

 

Biodigesters and small wind systems need higher buyback reates

In testimony offered during the Wisconsin Public Service Commission’s proceedings on a rate request from Madison Gas and Electric, RENEW Wiscosin gave testimony in support of higher rates for the electricity a utility buys from biodigesters and small wind systems.

In the testimony, RENEW’s executive director Michael Vickerman said:

What these market sectors need instead are tariffs that are uniform across utility boundaries and are fixed at their production costs for a specified period of time. To make that wish a reality, we would urge the Commission to open a generic docket for the purpose of setting uniform tariffs that will stimulate the installation renewable energy systems presently being supported through the Focus on Energy renewable energy program.

 

Midwest Ag Energy Network Summit, February 5-6, 2008

From the Midwest Ag Energy Network:

Next Generation Ag Energy: Policies to Advance Regional Growth
Monona Terrace Community and
Convention Center
Madison, WI

Join other Midwestern ag leaders at the 2nd Annual Midwest Ag Energy Network Summit to learn how to maximize the ability of agricultural producers and local communities to retain the wealth generated by the convergence of renewable energy and agriculture.

Next Generation Ag Energy: Policies to Advance Regional Growth is an opportunity to network and become aware of how farm policy and various Midwest regional networks are propelling Midwest agriculture forward as the prime driver in the next generation of ag energy.

For additional information, call Amanda Bilek at 651-645-6159, x5.

 

Manure for energy

The study committee Web site has good information and links about handling manure, including energy-generating options:

The Community Manure Feasibility Study Committee (formerly known as the Manure Management Study Committee) is working to have one or more feasibility studies prepared on alternatives for livestock manure management in Dane County that will:

- Allow the livestock industry to continue to survive in Dane County
- Protect water quality
- Protect open space

The feasibility study or studies will look at various technologies, nutrient management, economics and financing conditions,the ability to meet environmental and bio-security requirements, ownership and management options, and other relevant issues.

 

House Farm Bill Boosts Clean Energy Investments

From a press release issued by the Environmnetal Law and Policy Center:

The House Farm Bill [passed July 27] improves existing energy programs and creates several new programs. Key programs include:

The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) - expands and improves the Farm Bill’s successful Renewable Energy/Energy Efficiency incentives for locally-owned wind power, energy efficiency, solar energy, and other clean energy projects.

Biorefinery expansion - critical to jumpstart advanced biofuels production.

Biomass Research and Development - new research investments for advanced crop-based fuel and power expansion.

Biomass energy reserve - will catalyze sustainable development of energy crops to help meet our nation’s fuel needs and reduce reliance on imported oil.

However, some key programs remain completely unfunded or underfunded. For example the Section 9005 energy technical assistance program, which could save farmers over a billion dollars in energy costs, is completely unfunded. Other programs, such as REAP, require more funding to realize their potential for the country.