Sunday, August 17, 2014

WI Utilities At War With Solar Customers

Wrong messages about fossil fuel conservation, cleaner air and up-to-date thinking?

Add state utilities plans to sock it to solar and other customers to the State of Wisconsin's disinterest in renewable elegy production.

So many of the state's official actions these days under Wrong-Way Walker - - from promoting concealed and open gun carry, to defunding local transit and killing inter-city Amtrak to trivializing women's health concerns to dismissing long-standing environmental principles - - tell young people, students, graduates, urban professionals and possible returnees from out-of-state:

Don't bother coming or staying: we're a backwater now.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I spoke with an individual who works for the wind tower manufacturer in Manitowoc. He said the orders for wind towers are strong especially from Iowa. Unfortunately, he stated that only 6 of their towers exist in Wisconsin near Denmark. The wind turbines near Fondulac are of the old variety and were sited long before Walker killed renewable energy in Wisconsin. What a shame that we have a manufacture right here in the state producing a resource that we all could profit from but our governor would rather his campaign donors benefit rather than the people of Wisconsin.

Anonymous said...

I attended the MG&E Stockholders meeting recently as I am a stockholder. The CEO said that they have about 300 people feeding solar energy into the grid. As one of those people, and as a stock holder, I am shocked by the idea that we are somehow harming the company. We are making it possible for the company to delay or even eliminate the need for new power plants. The only reason for this must be that MG&E is under pressure from the coal, oil and gas companies that provide the bulk of their fuel for energy generation. In other words, if they don't get rid of the solar, they don't get the fuel then will need this winter. These energy companies should expose the fuel companies instead of allowing them to manipulate the market.

Anonymous said...

@3:13

You figured it out.

Loss of revenue and competition have nothing to do with the very small percentage of renewables. It's all about a decrease in electrical usage thanks to LED tv's, compact flourescent and LED lighting, higher efficiency appliances, and better energy management.

We're using less energy but they still have fixed costs to upgrade and maintain infrastructure. So, you can generate all the electricty you want at home, but you'll never be without that safety net of power from the line to your house.

Now add cap and trade costs.

The same thing is happening to state and federal revenues for the taxes paid on the usage, specificly for gasoline. The less we purchase, the higher the taxes.

Unfortunately, this is going to fuel the fire on inflation, and the $10 per hour McDonald employees are the biggest losers.

Anonymous said...

Until the Koch brothers and other 1%er have complete ownership and control of alternative energy sources they will fight it's development and usage. They 'own' the non-renewable sources now. They want to squeeze every penny out of this holding before they let go.