Wisconsin Wind Information Resource

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Updates

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Land-Based Wind Energy Guidelines. Released March 23, 2012. Link to Guidelines website.
• Study: Strategic Health Impact Assessment on Wind Energy Development in Oregon
• Study: Massachusetts Wind Turbine Health Impact Study
• Study: Using echolocation monitoring to model bat occupancy and inform mitigations at wind energy facilities.
• Wisconsin Wind Project Permitting Matrix (by county and municipality)
• Assessing Bird and Bat Mortality at the Forward Energy Center, Final Report
• Glacier Hills Wind Center Project Page
• Revenues to Local Economy
• Windpower Capacity by Township and County
• Montfort Marks 10 year Anniversary
• WISCONSIN TOWNS ASSOCIATION CONVENTION, 10-25-11 Presentation of legal perspective: "Wind Turbine Siting and Related Issues"
  

 

 

	"Catching Wind" Newsletter Published Bi-Monthly
April 2012 Siting rule survives challenge, takes effect
January 2012 Wind Siting Deadlock Likely to Go to the Wire
June 2011 State’s Hostility Toward Renewables Escalates
Spring 2011 Siting Rule Suspension Rocks Wind Industry
February 2011 Walker, Legislature Open Fire on Siting Rule
September 2010 Stringent Siting Rule Heads to Legislature
May 2010 PSC Sets Hearings for Turbine Siting Rules
February 2010 PSC Gives Go-Ahead to Glacier
December 2009 Decision Nears on Glacier Hills Wind Park
October 2009 Wind Permitting Bill Becomes Law of the Land

Mission Statement:

The Wisconsin Wind Information Center is the central resource devoted to informing the public and policy makers on wind projects over 100 kilowatts in Wisconsin.  The facts, policies, and histories of large scale wind projects will serve to describe the paths taken towards greater social acceptance of large-scale wind energy in the state.

Credits:

This project is undertaken by RENEW Wisconsin and funded by a grant from the United States Department of Energy. 

Small Wind:

Please follow the Small Wind Toolbox link below for a comprehensive guide to establishing small wind projects in Wisconsin.

 

 

Snapshot - Midwest Windpower Development Activity
December 2011

 

State	Operating capacity (in MW)	Being Built (in MW)
IA	3738	792
IL	2438	563
MN	2681	61
IN	1339	--
WI	631	5
MO	459	--
MI	185	318
OH	113	309

Source: American Wind Energy Association, RENEW

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wisconsin Wind Information Center

Update:   Wind Siting Rules Take Effect in Wisconsin

Effective March 16, 2012, new wind energy systems in Wisconsin are subject to a statewide rule (PSC 128) promulgated by the Public Service Commission. PSC 128, which establishes standards for local government review of wind energy systems, was suspended by the Legislature on March 1st, 2011, the very day it was to have taken effect. From its effective date forward, local governments may not impose standards or restrictions on the placement and use of wind energy systems that are stricter than what is set forth in the siting rule. PSC 128 became operative when the Wisconsin Legislature adjourned without taking any final action on bills to repeal the rule outright.  See http://psc.wi.gov/renewables/windSitingRules.htm.

The contents of PSC 128 have not changed at all since the agency finalized the rule back in December 2010.  A rule once suspended cannot be suspended again by a future Legislature. The rule is available for public inspection at  http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/code/admin_code/psc/128.pdf.

A future Legislature may repeal an agency rule, either in whole are in part. However, such an undertaking would be considerably more challenging than a rule suspension, which requires only a simple majority vote of the Joint Committee for the Review of Administrative Rules. The next legislative session will convene in January 2013.

 

  See ongoing public information and background documents on Wisconsin Wind Siting Rule development Page (PSC Docket 1-AC-231)

Wisconsin Wind Farm Productivity Comparable to Iowa’s

Read More . . .

2010 Net Production by Wind Generation Installations

*All of the wind projects listed contribute to the utilities’ required supply of renewable energy a specified under 2005 Act 141.

Suspended or Cancelled Windpower
 Projects in Wisconsin

(as of October 28, 2011)

Town (County)	Developer	MW	Turbine type	Status	Name
Stockbridge/ Brothertown (Calumet)	Midwest Wind Energy	98	Unspecified	Project suspended March 2011	Stony Brook
Glenmore, Holland, Morrison, Wrightstown (Brown)	Invenergy, LLC	150	GE 1.5 MW (100 turbines)	Project cancelled March 2011	Ledge Wind
Green Lake	Alliant Energy	100 - 150	Unspecified	Project cancelled May 2011	N/A
Chilton, Rantoul (Calumet)	Acciona Wind Energy USA	50 - 75	Acciona 1.5 MW	Project cancelled September 2011	EcoMet
Hazel Green, Smelser, Paris (Grant)	Wind Capital Group	98	Unspecified	Project on hold	White Oak
Mishicot, Two Creeks, Two Rivers (Manitowoc)	Element Power	160	GE 1.6 MW	Project on hold	Tisch Mills
Mishicot (Manitowoc)	Emerging Energies	17.5	Nordex 2.5 MW	Project on hold	Beautiful Hill

 

Windpower Projects in Wisconsin
Under Construction

(as of December 2011)

Developer	Utility	MW	Turbine type	Permit	PPA	Name/In-service date
CROPP/Western Technical College/ Gundersen Lutheran	Upper Midwest Public Power Association	5	Clipper 2.5 MW (2 turbines)	Yes, permit approved 6/2/10	Yes	Cashton Greens Wind Farm – 2Q 2012

 

Wisconsin Wind Farms

For more information and map of installations 1998-2011 see overview

#	County	Wind Project Name/Owner	Start Date	No. of Turbines	MW
1	Columbia	"Glacier Hills" Project Details	December 2011	90	162
2	Brown	"Shirley Wind" DEGS Wind I, LLC, a subsidiary of Duke Energy Corporation	February 2011	8	20
3	Dodge	"Butler Ridge" NextEra Energy	January 2009	36	54
4	Fond du Lac	"Cedar Ridge" Project Details WI Power & Light	December 2008	41	68
5	Fond du Lac	"Blue Sky Green Field"   We Energies	May 2008	88	145
6	Dodge/Fond du Lac	"Forward" Invenergy	May 2008	86	129
7	Iowa	"Montfort" Next Era Resources	2001	20	30
8	Kewaunee	"Rosiere" Madison Gas & Electric	1999	17	11.2
9	Kewaunee	"Lincoln" WI Public Service	1999	14	9.2
10	Fond du Lac	"Byron" We Energies	1999	2	1.3
11	Brown	"Glenmore" WI Public Service	1998	2	1.2
				404	631

Latest Wind Energy News -

 

 

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