MGE Files Rate Changes For 2011

On April 22, 2010 Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) filed an application with the Public Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) to increase electric and natural gas rates for 2011. 

The request increases electric rates 9.4% and natural gas rates 2.0%. If approved, the average residential electric bill will increase $7.51 a month and the typical gas bill will go up by $1.94. The changes are requested effective Jan. 1, 2011.

"This request will pay for environmental improvements and controls that reduce emissions while still generating the electricity our customers need," said Gary J. Wolter, MGE chairman, president and CEO. Specifically, the request includes costs to commission the new, state-of-the-art Elm Road Generating Station in Oak Creek. The increase also will begin to pay for installation of significant new environmental controls at Columbia Energy Center and the early conversion of Blount Generation Station to natural gas. The Blount plant is on schedule to eliminate all coal burning by the end of next year. All of these investments improve the environmental profile of MGE's generating fleet.

According to U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) the average cost of electricity for the State of Wisconsin has increased by over 5.5% from April of '09 to April of '10. The national average for electric rates is at $11.75/kWh and Wisconsin is at $12.54/kWh. Click Here to view the table where this information was gathered. 

Click on the image below to enlarge view.

Clean Energy Builds Slowly, Despite Federal Cash

For the second time in two weeks, President Obama will deliver an economic pep talk at a company that has received Recovery Act funds for electric car batteries. He has recently given similar speeches at companies that create solar panels, wind turbines and biofuel.

The Recovery Act has provided billions of dollars in matching grants for clean energy programs. Despite this massive infusion of federal money, it is unlikely that these technologies will make a dent in Americans' fossil fuel consumption anytime soon.

Clean technologies such as solar and wind power are growing at dramatic rates, says John Denniston of the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. "Seven or eight years ago, the solar industry was tiny," he says. "Today, globally the solar energy market is a $50 billion industry. That surpassed, last year, the size of the global online advertising industry."

But those technologies still make up a minute fraction of Americans' energy use.

"Wind energy is about 1 percent of America's total energy supply," says Daniel Yergin, president of IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates. "Solar is about one-hundredth of 1 percent of our total energy supply."

As James Sweeney, who directs the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center at Stanford University, puts it: "You can talk about large percentages of tiny, small numbers and get a 'gee whiz' factor without making much significance to the U.S. economy."

But that doesn't faze Denniston. "Back in 1980, you could have looked at the number of personal computers in the country and said, if you multiply that tenfold, it wouldn't make a difference. Or in 1985, look at the number of cell phones that were being used."

Solar Powered Plane Makes 24 hour Flight

An experimental solar-powered plane completed its first 24-hour test flight successfully Thursday, proving that the aircraft can collect enough energy from the sun during the day to stay aloft all night.

The team says it has now demonstrated that the single-seat plane can theoretically stay in the air indefinitely, recharging its depleted batteries using 12,000 solar cells and nothing but the rays of the sun during the day.

But while the team says this proves that emissions-free air travel is possible, it doesn't see solar technology replacing conventional jet propulsion any time soon.

Instead, the project's overarching purpose is to test and promote new energy-efficient technologies.

Project co-founder Bertrand Piccard, himself a record-breaking balloonist, said many people had been skeptical that renewable energy could ever be used to take a man into the air and keep him there.

"There is a before and after in terms of what people have to believe and understand about renewable energies," Piccard said, adding that the flight was proof new technologies can help break society's dependence on fossil fuels.

The team will now start to build a second solar plane that will be more efficient and have a larger cockpit to allow for longer flights. That plane should be ready for international flights by 2013, said pilot and co-founder Andre Borschberg.

Renewable Energy: A Central Theme in Politics

One of the most important subjects to our industry and for job creation lies with the politicians who support the voices of our nation. 

The Clean Energy Economy is not new to politics, many politicians have discussed renewable energy as a central theme in their platform. In a recent Opinion Exchange article in the Star Tribune, Gubernatorial Candidate Matt Entenza discussed his desire to continue to find ways to grow the renewable energy industry in Minnesota and create sustainable jobs. Also, in a recent facebook posting we touched on this ongoing topic. Check out this video from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

So in 4 decades we have planned, talked, researched, and pursued alternative energies and solutions to our dependence on foreign oil, and in 4 decades what have we accomplished? We were on the right path, in fact in 1992 the U.S. had 40% of the world's installed Photovoltaic (PV) capacity, the largest share held by any country. By 2007, PV installations in the United States had grown to more than nineteen times the 1992 level, but accounted for only 11% of the world's installed PV capacity. We were the leader, so what happened?

Today, more than ever, we are reminded of the impacts the energy industry has on our pocket books, the environment, and our safety and well being. Maybe the oil spill in the Gulf, the coal mine disaster out East, and the wars we have been fighting for over a decade will finally convince all of us that there has to be a point when it is too much. 

Three Steps To Solar Energy Success

Going solar has many advantages and it can dramatically reduce the amount of energy you use from the utility company. But for the true success of solar energy, people all over the world need to take three basic steps.

Step 1: Conserving energy means:

·         Shut off lights after you use them.

·         Turn your furnace down, and turning it off when not in use.

·         Use a programmable thermostat.

·         Use a barbecue to reduce your summer air conditioning needs.

·         Use power strips and turn them off when the appliance is not in use.

Step 2: Improving your energy efficiency means:

·         Compact fluorescent lighting, which uses 1/5^th of the energy and last 10x longer.

·         Energy wisdom with your refrigerator. Have it open as little as possible. Let hot food cool on its own before you put it in the fridge.

·         Energy smarts with your freezer. Keep your freezer in a cool spot, so it doesn't have to work as hard.

·         Using your microwave. You can save up to 50 percent of your cooking energy costs by using a microwave oven instead of a conventional oven. 

·         Energy Star appliances use up to 50 percent less electricity than older appliances.

Step 3: Deciding on a solar energy system that fits your needs includes:

·         Contact All Energy Solar for your free solar site assessment.

·         Finding the size and cost involved and having a budget to match.

·         Sizing a solar energy system to fit your needs.

Simple changes to how you use energy and reducing your energy needs are the fastest and cheapest way to reduce your monthly energy bill. When you are ready to purchase a solar system it won't need to be as large, saving you even more money. With the rebates and Tax Credits that are available for solar energy, you could save up to 50% on the cost of your system.