e
2
energy efficiency
Fuel cells come home
AT
IO
space
heating
hot water
storage
ING
1 Fuel cells for residential
use
CTRICITY GENER
IN THIS ISSUE
ELE
High performance lighting: daylit
office building at the Andersen
Corporation.
N
University project investigates using fuel
cells to provide home power
3 WATER collaborative
4 High performance
commercial buildings
5 Hoffman Corporation
tours
6 Events and publications
7 Commentary:
Our industrial challenge
8 Bovine power
ENERGY CENTER
OF WISCONSIN
595 Science Drive
Madison, WI 53711
Phone 608.238.4601
Fax 608.238.8733
[email protected]
www.ecw.org
air inlet
ER
hot water
T
fuel cell
AT
electrical
power
W
e2 wins awards
H E AT
heat exhaust
3
heat
exchanger
natural
gas inlet
HO
reformer
by Eric Nelson
or the last century the main
way to make electricity was
to burn a fuel to make steam,
and use that steam to turn a generator. But in the last decade there
has been increasing interest in
converting fuel directly to electricity with the help of fuel cells.
Like batteries, fuel cells use
chemical reactions; hydrogen
and oxygen combine in the fuel
cell to generate electricity. The
hydrogen is usually made from
natural gas or other fossil fuels.
The main byproducts are heat,
water, and carbon dioxide.
Fuel cells have been used
since the 1960s in the U.S. space
program. They were used on the
Gemini and Apollo missions to
generate electricity. With developments in the technology, fuel
cells are now entering the mainstream. Automotive manufacturers are interested in using the
technology to power electric
cars, and other companies are
F
developing devices to supply
electricity for businesses and
homes.
Benefits examined
The Energy Center of Wisconsin
is evaluating one type of fuel
cell—the solid oxide fuel cell—
for home use. Although most
likely to be applied in the commercial and industrial sectors
first, solid oxide fuel cells also
show promise for home use
because their waste heat can be
used for space heating or water
heating.
In the ECW project, University of Wisconsin mechanical engineering graduate student Rob
Braun, along with professors Sanford Klein and Douglas Reindl,
are studying how to best design
and apply these systems, using
computer models. They’ve identified a number of advantages
and challenges of using fuel cells
in homes.
Summer 2001
Vol 6 No 3
One of these advantages is
efficiency. “A fuel cell is an inherently more efficient process for
generating electricity,” says
Braun. “In a combustion-based
power plant, you’re taking a fuel
and making heat, converting that
heat to mechanical power, and
then converting that to electricity. In a fuel cell you’re making
electricity and heat in one step.”
A computer simulation found
that solid oxide fuel cells can be
more than 80 percent efficient if
the waste heat is used for heating
water. This compares to a combined cycle natural gas power
plant, which is at best about 60
percent efficient.
Another advantage of fuel
cells is that they’re clean. They
emit much less pollution than
combustion processes. And
because fuel cells have few moving parts, they don’t make much
noise. Both the low emissions
and low noise makes them easy
to site, in contrast to large natural gas, coal, or nuclear plants.
Challenges remain
Despite these advantages, there
are drawbacks. Perhaps the
biggest one is cost. Right now a
1-kW solid oxide system costs
about $10,000, while the price of
electricity generated from fossil
fuel-fired plants is about $1,000
per kW. This gap will most likely
shrink, however.
“We think the costs of fuel
cells in mature production can be
competitive with grid costs,”
Braun says. He estimates a 10year payback at mature fuel cell
prices of $2,000 per kW.
Braun’s group has also uncovered a number of issues in using
fuel cells in homes. One issue is
response time in generating electricity. When you flip on a lamp,
continued on page 2
O
n the heels of California’s widely-publicized energy woes, Wisconsin experienced
a summer of record-breaking energy use as
we coped with an unusually hot midwestern summer. Many people
wondered if rolling blackouts were just around the corner in Wisconsin.
Here in Wisconsin, we’ve become accustomed to an affordable, reliable energy infrastructure that’s there when we need it to power our
businesses and homes. Yet the California experience has raised doubts
in our minds—what would we do at work without our computers? If we
work in factories, what if a power interruption stops our manufacturing
process? What if our elderly parents can’t cool their homes during a heat
wave? And if we have power, what price will we pay for it?
At the Energy Center, we think our future is brighter in Wisconsin.
Our state government, utilities, non-profit, and public advocacy groups
are working hard to address the complex issues around reliability. And
Wisconsin has a historical commitment to energy efficiency.
Energy efficiency can make a huge impact on how much power we
need—and how much is available for other homes and businesses during peak usage times. And with rising energy prices, efficiency measures
are having an increased impact on businesses’ bottom lines.
The Energy Center will continue to work with local and national
organizations to analyze, demonstrate, and communicate about how
energy efficiency bolsters the reliability of our energy infrastructure.
The results of this work are more important now than they have ever
been. Energy efficiency is one key way that we can all make a difference.
Marge Anderson
Interim Associate Director
ENERGY MAN
Last episode…
Greenboy’s arch nemesis
Wasteman shoved Greenboy
into a high-voltage transformer!
It seemed all was LOST and
Greenboy was finally defeated!
But…
Little did he know
that a TRANSFORMATION would occur
and Greenboy would become…
2
summer 2001
T
What Fuel Cells Won’t Do
Reliability—we all
make a difference
here has been a lot of news coverage lately about fuel
cells, and for good reason. Fuel cells promise to improve
electricity generation because they are efficient, clean, and
easy to site. However, there are a couple of things that fuel
cells won’t do.
Fuel cells won’t solve the energy problem. Fuel cells
convert hydrogen and oxygen to electricity, but pure hydrogen
is in short supply on planet earth. It has to be made, either by
separating hydrogen and oxygen in water through electrolysis,
or by extracting hydrogen from fossil fuels with a device called
a reformer. Both methods need preexisting energy sources.
Fuel cells are energy conversion devices, not energy sources.
Fuel cells won’t eliminate pollution. At first hydrogen
will be made by “reforming” fossil fuels like natural gas. In the
process, some carbon dioxide is produced, as well as small
amounts of nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide, depending
on the type of fuel cell. Thus, fuel cells are a low-emission—
but not a no-emission—generating technology.
continued from page 1
it needs electricity right away, but
a solid oxide fuel cell may need as
much as 15 to 30 minutes to
come up to full power. (The lag is
due to the time it takes to make
hydrogen and the time it takes for
the fuel cell temperature to stabilize.) One way to deal with this is
to use batteries to store extra electricity. Another possible approach
is to store extra hydrogen to generate electricity quickly.
A second problem is what size
to make the fuel cell. Braun has
found that most houses need as
much as 2 to 3 kW of electricity
at peak times. However, most of
the time a house needs less than
1 kW. Thus, if the fuel cell were
sized for maximum loads, it
might only be producing at half
its capacity, making the fuel cell
needlessly expensive for the
amount of electricity it ordinarily
needs to produce.
Braun says it might be more
sensible to install a smaller fuel
cell and have a hookup to the
electrical grid. In states that
allow net metering, this would
allow people to sell any extra
electricity back to the grid, while
buying electricity from the grid
during peak times.
A third question is how to use
the fuel cell’s waste heat. Because
solid oxide fuel cells operate at
700 to 1000C, the heat from the
fuel cell can be used for space
heating or other tasks. However,
most homes in Wisconsin use
15–20 times as much energy for
heating as they do for electricity,
while the fuel cell produces
about equal amounts of heat and
electricity. What this means is
that a solid oxide fuel cell doesn’t
put out enough heat to heat a
home. The waste heat can be
used for water heating, however.
But is it economical?
“If fuel is expensive, cogeneration makes sense,” Braun says.
“But if fuel is cheap the economics are not as attractive because of
the equipment costs and so forth
to recuperate the heat.” He is
looking at exactly when it makes
sense to install the equipment for
waste heat recovery.
Looking ahead
Will there be a time in the future
when there will be a fuel cell in
every home? “I don’t think we’ll
be going to Wal-Mart to buy a
fuel cell and put it in our basements,” Braun says. “I think it’s
more likely you’ll be seeing them
powering a group of houses or
apartments. In the next 10 to 15
years we’ll be seeing utilities and
energy service providers purchase fuel cells to provide better
e2
energy efficiency
services to their customers.” In
the meantime, he foresees some
applications in niche markets,
like remote cabins and commercial buildings that need backup
power supplies.
Fuel cells will change the way
we generate electricity, perhaps
moving generation away from
large plants to a more distributed
pattern. Some visionaries foresee
a hydrogen economy, with huge
solar panels in the deserts or
tropics that will use electricity to
make hydrogen directly from
water, and a vast network of
hydrogen pipelines feeding fuel
cells scattered around our neighborhoods. In the not-too-distant
future, fuel cells could populate
our energy landscape.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
about solid oxide fuel
cells contact Craig
Schepp at
608.238.8276 x116,
[email protected].
ECW annual report and
newsletters praised by
professional
organizations
T
he Energy Center of Wisconsin’s e2 annual report
and newsletter is receiving
kudos both from within and outside the organization.
Most recently, the 2000
Annual Report, “The Business
of Collaboration,” won a merit
award in the Bronze Quill
competition of the Madison
Chapter of the International
Association of Business Communicators. These awards recognize
“the most accomplished and
effective communication efforts.”
The 1999 Annual Report,
“2020—Look into the Future,” as
well as all three 1999 issues of the
ECW collaborative
takes on water issues
A
new collaboration hosted
by the Energy Center of
Wisconsin is looking at
water issues in Wisconsin—with
a bent toward energy.
Called the WATER Alliance,
the group’s mission is to guide
water and wastewater industries
toward practices and processes
that save energy. The collaborative includes water and wastewater utilities and operators, the
American Water Works Association Research Foundation, the
Wisconsin Rural Water Association, state organizations, water
consultants, the University of
Wisconsin, and companies like
energy efficiency
e2
Miller Brewing Company that
use a lot of water.
“One of the highest energy
users in any city is water systems,” says WATER cochair
Glenn Moder, of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce. “Even
a 10 percent cut is a big gain.”
Recognizing this, the alliance
is backing ECW research into
energy efficient water technologies. For example, a new Wisconsin Focus on Energy project will
evaluate four membrane filtration technologies at a new water
treatment plant in Green Bay.
Membrane filtration is a water
purification method where water
e2
newsletter,
were lauded this spring. These
publications received an award of
merit from the Society of Technical Communication. According
to reviews of the publication, e2
was singled out for strong writing, production, and layout.
is forced through ultrafine filters—an
energy
intensive
process. The study will test
which of the system designs is
most cost-effective and energyefficient.
The Energy Center helped
found the WATER Alliance, and
facilitates and administers the
collaborative. ECW will develop
training for water and wastewater
utilities and also help develop an
industry roadmap—a strategic
plan that identifies what industry
needs to stay competitive.
The combined experience of
the collaborative will guide these
activities. “We’re relying on their
expertise to tell us what should
be done and how,” says ECW
project manager Craig Schepp.
Lisbeth Kuglitsch, Communication Services manager, called it
“wonderful to be honored with
awards for the work we love to
do. It’s challenging to create publications that educate a diverse
audience about energy efficiency and the role ECW plays
in that world. The ECW’s Communication Services group
undertakes the task of shaping
information about energy efficiency research, current education events and demonstrations
into interesting news and articles
presented in plain English.”
—Teresa Paprock
hit me!
it’s fast!
it’s organized!
it’s hot!
We’ve gotten over
4,000 “hits” since we
launched our new site
less than two months
ago. Stop in and see
what all the hoopla is
about.
ecw.org
factoid
FOR MORE INFORMATION
about the WATER
Alliance, contact Craig
Schepp at
608.238.8276, x116,
[email protected].
—Eric Nelson
IT TAKES 714 POUNDS OF COAL
TO PRODUCE THE ELECTRICITY
NEEDED TO RUN A 100 WATT
LIGHTBULB FOR ONE YEAR.
[SOURCE: WWW.HOWSTUFFWORKS.COM]
summer 2001
3
factors in life-cycle costs, environmental impacts, and human
factors. The resulting indoor
environment is comfortable and
the building uses less energy, has
less environmental impact, and is
economical to operate and maintain. Each component is integrated with other components, such
as daylighting and HVAC.
ECW offers programs
by Teresa Paprock
Building
science
evolves
From caves
to modern
commercial
buildings, the
quest for comfort
continues
4
summer 2001
O
nce upon a time,
people made animal skin outfits
in the shelter of
caves. The caves
kept them out of the snow in the
winter and out of the rain in the
summer, and gave them a place
to hide from hungry sabertooth
tigers.
We’ve raised our standards
since then. Today, people prefer
to work in attractive buildings
mechanically heated and cooled,
illuminated by electric lights, and
tightly sealed to prevent nasty
weather from getting in (and
expensive energy from leaking
out). Ironically, much of what
we’ve done to improve on the
cave has resulted in some of the
very same problems—thermal
discomfort, stale air, and low
light quality.
Enter the high-performance
building, which promises to revolutionize the way we work. A
high-performance building is a
holistic approach to design that
The Daylighting Collaborative,
part of the Energy Center of Wisconsin, is dedicated to promoting
daylighting, an important component of high-performance
buildings. The Daylighting Collaborative was instrumental in
the design of the new Hoffman
Corporation headquarters in
Appleton, a prime example of a
high-performance building. With
funding from Wisconsin Focus
on Energy (WFOE), the Energy
Center of Wisconsin is measuring
the building’s performance.
Daylighting fits the high-performance philosophy because it
focuses on superior performance
of lighting in a building. It minimizes glare, provides a uniform
quality of lighting, and reduces
cooling system requirements.
This integrated approach pro-
vides superior energy performance (that can be 1⁄3 to 1⁄2 the
typical wattage).
ECW promotes high
performance
In addition to the Daylighting
Collaborative, ECW is involved
in a number of projects promoting high performance buildings.
ECW offers training in building
commissioning—the practice of
having the design and construction teams work collaboratively
to test equipment and systems so
the finished building is as high
performance as possible.
Commissioning can be done
on existing buildings as well as
new ones. It lowers the number
of problems by allowing fewer
system degradations over time.
When problems (like thermal
discomfort and poor ventilation)
are prevented, performance is
enhanced.
ECW is also the administrator
of Wisconsin Geothermal Partners for Schools, which promotes
education for decision-makers
about geothermal heat pump
technology. The new Fond du
Lac high school is one of the
largest school buildings in the
United States that is using a
information abounds on
High Performance Buildings
The Energy Center of Wisconsin’s Information Clearinghouse
(www.ecw.org) is a great place to start looking for information on
high performance commercial buildings. Using the “search”
function, type in “High Performance Buildings” and you’ll have a
long list of projects, classes, and articles available to you.
Some other web-based information sources:
The LEED Green Building Rating System. A national program of
the US Green Building Council. www.usgbc.org/programs/leed.htm
The Wisconsin Green Building Alliance. Facilitates and
promotes the development and use of ecologically sustainable
building materials and practices. www.wgba.org
The Daylighting Collaborative. Started by utilities and the State
of Wisconsin to incorporate daylighting into mainstream design
and construction. www.daylighting.org
United States Department of Energy. Provides a roadmap for
high-performance buildings.
www.eren.doe.gov/buildings/commercial_roadmap
e2
energy efficiency
ground-source heat pump system, a type of system that can
yield high performance.
Heat pumps can provide more
energy efficient heating, and are
usually more energy efficient for
cooling. They can also heat and
cool a space simultaneously
(when the seasons are changing
and one part of the building may
be too cold or too hot).
In addition, ECW is working
to educate architects and planners about how to create highperformance buildings. With
WFOE funding, ECW coordinated “Building Expectations 2001,”
a two-day conference on the
topic, held this spring in Green
Bay, Wisconsin.
Rating systems categorize
buildings
What makes a building officially
“high performance?” A number
of objective rating methods make
it possible to categorize buildings
and verify they have achieved a
level of energy efficiency greater
than standard building codes
require. The Leadership in Ener-
gy and Environmental Design
(LEED) System, the most comprehensive of these, is a national
rating system that evaluates a
commercial building’s compliance with 26 or more points; a
building receives points for
everything from use of renewable
energy to recycled content to
thermal comfort.
In addition, the well-known
ENERGY STAR® labeling system
focuses on energy performance.
Consumers will find the ENERGY
STAR on washing machines, computers, and other appliances, as
well as on homes, and a similar
program is now being developed
for commercial buildings.
It took thousands of years for
mankind to go from caves to
huts to our present workplaces.
Unlike caves, high-performance
buildings are designed to meet
specific needs. And unlike most
modern buildings, high-performance buildings use a minimum
of energy but provide maximum
health and safety. They provide a
win-win answer to the problems
of high energy costs, unhealthy
interior environments, and negative impacts on the earth.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
about highperformance buildings
contact Dan York at
608.238.8276 x142,
[email protected].
Want to know more
about wind power?
It’s a
breeze.
“Wisconsin Winds: The story
of wind power in Wisconsin”
is a CD-ROM documentary
covering the generation of utility-scale wind
power in Wisconsin, the history of wind power, and more.
The CD includes QuickTime 4.1 and is adaptable to both Windows®‚
and Macintosh®. All for only $15.
To order, simply send an e-mail to [email protected],
or call 608.238.8276 x223.
Guided tours of Hoffman Corporation
to shed light on sustainable design
Y
ou can learn a great deal
about sustainable buildings by reading books and
articles on the topic. But there’s
nothing like a personal encounter
with the real thing.
Now the Hoffman Corporation, an architectural, engineering
and construction management
energy efficiency
e2
firm, is offering guided tours of its
new corporate headquarters, so
architects and engineers can see
new techniques up close. The
tours are coordinated by the
Energy Center of Wisconsin on
behalf of Wisconsin Focus on
Energy. Those who take a onehour tour will also earn one AIA
*The term Cool Daylighting, and the
design techniques associated with it,
were developed in 1995 by Steven
Ternoey, AIA, IES, of LightForms:
Daylighting, Lighting, Energy and
Training Consultants of Santa Barbara,
CA 805.560.6055,
www.cooldaylighting.com.
Health, Safety and Welfare Learning Unit.
The headquarters, located in
Appleton, Wisconsin, is a prototype of a sustainable building.
Built mostly of recycled materials,
using a minimum of power, and
lit largely by natural light, Hoffman Corporation is a comfort-
able, attractive, and highly functional commercial building.
The building makes use of
good daylighting design, and
almost half of its lighting
requirements are met through
natural light. The reduction of
electric lighting will not only
save $22,000 a year on electricity, but also provides employees
with a more pleasant working
environment.
Tom Cox, director of sustainable design services for Hoffman
Corporation, says he thinks
there’s a lot of value in the tours.
“Other industry leaders will be
able to see the practical application of these concepts and make
the leap to do it even better next
time,” he said.
Those interested in taking the tour
can register by calling the
Daylighting Collaborative at
1.800.864.6254.
—Teresa Paprock
summer 2001
5
keep learning
Selected
Library Holdings
The following materials are available
at the ECW library. For more information call 608.238.8276 x126,
[email protected].
Learn more about events, publications, and library holdings at www.ecw.org
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS & CONFERENCES
The Energy Center offers its own education programs and sponsors those given by other organizations
AgSTAR Handbook: A Manual for
Developing Biogas Systems at Commercial Farms in the United States
(1997) / by K.F. Roos and M.A.
Moser. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air & Radiation,
Washington, DC. Access # 6110
The Contribution of Energy Efficiency to the Reliability of the U.S.
Electric System (2000) / by N.
Raynolds and R. Cowart. Alliance
to Save Energy, Washington, DC.
Access # 7888
Daylighting: Why Are Buildings So
Important? Introduction to Basic
Lighting Terminology (Video, 2000)
/ by D. Aitken. Energy Center of
Wisconsin (ECW), Madison, WI.
Access # 7804
Energy and Environmental Profile of
the U.S. Metalcasting Industry
(1999) / by Energetics, Inc. U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE),
Washington, DC. Access # 7311
Fuel Cell Handbook CD (Fourth
Edition, 1998) / by the Federal
Energy Technology Center (FETC).
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE),
Washington, DC. Access # 7475
GreenSpec Binder: EBN Product
Directory (2001) / E Build, Inc.,
Brattleboro, VT. Access # 7318
New York Energy $mart Second
Year Report: Public Benefit Programs Funded by System Benefits
Charge (2000) / New York State
Energy Research and Development
Authority (NYSERDA), Albany, NY.
Access # 8013
summer 2001
= funded by
U.S. Department of Energy
Learn about low and no-cost daylighting techniques for new schools
and office buildings.
Contact: Erin Freund, 608.238.8276
Learn how meters, data loggers, and
other energy diagnostic tools can
help you complete energy efficiency
projects in commercial buildings.
Wisconsin Focus on Energy offers a
no-charge lending library of these
tools.
This roundtable features Wisconsin
companies who successfully implemented energy and environmental
programs that positively impacted
their bottom line.
x117, [email protected]
September/October
WFOE
Weathering the Energy Storm
Madison, Milwaukee, Stevens Point
This half-day training outlines what
decisions you need to make in order
to minimize energy costs while
remaining competitive in the changing energy marketplace.
Contact: Sharon Hanrahan,
[email protected]
WFOE
October
Building Operators Certification
Green Bay, WI
This program aims to improve energy and resource efficiency in commercial buildings and show how
preventive maintenance practices
reduce energy consumption and
costs. This training is a series of
seven classes, which meet once a
month.
Contact: Erin Freund, 608.238.8276
x117, [email protected]
October 17, 2001
The Greening of the Built
Environment IV: Transforming
the Market in the 21st Century
Olympia Resort, Oconomowoc, WI
Contact: Connie Lindholm, Wisconsin
Building Alliance, 414.224.9422
6
DOE
October 24, 2001 DOE WFOE
6th Annual Governor’s Business
Roundtable on Energy and the
Environment
Waukesha, WI
608.238.8276 x146,
Evaluation of Membrane Technologies for Granular Media Filter
Rehabilitation (2001) / by G.
Crozes, T. Seacord, and V. Roquebert. Carollo Engineers, Boise, ID.
Access # 7974
= funded by
Wisconsin Focus on Energy
September
WFOE
Energy Rx: An Introduction to
Measurement and Diagnostic
Tools
Northeastern Wisconsin
Contact: Erin Freund, 608.238.8276
Electric System Reliability and the
Critical Role of Energy Efficiency
(2000) / by S. Nadel. American
Council for an Energy-Efficient
Economy (ACEEE), Washington,
DC. Access # 7819
WFOE
October/November
Daylighting Goes Mainstream:
How to Daylight Every Office
and School
Madison, WI
Contact: Sharon Hanrahan,
608.238.8276 x146,
[email protected]
To learn more about current ECW
learning opportunities, visit…
www.ecw.org/ecw/trainings.jsp
x117, [email protected]
November
WFOE
Wisconsin ENERGY STAR® Homes
Presents: Cure for the Common
Callback
Madison, Milwaukee, Wausau
This one-day training event will educate residential building professionals
on fundamental building science.
Participants will learn to build
healthy, safe, durable, more energy
efficient homes that have fewer costly
callbacks.
Contact: Sharon Hanrahan,
608.238.8276 x146,
[email protected]
RECENT ENERGY CENTER PUBLICATIONS
Download these free publications at www.ecw.org/ecw/products.jsp
Report: Assessing Combined
Cooling, Heating and Power
Systems in Northeast Wisconsin
Assesses the commercial application
of internal combustion engines, gas
turbines, phosphoric acid fuel cells,
molten carbonate fuel cells, and
microturbines. Examines hospitals,
hotels, office buildings, retail stores,
and high schools and considers economics, source energy reduction,
and greenhouse gas emissions.
203-1 (www.ecw.org/ecw/product
detail.jsp?productId=159)
Report: Demonstration of Airlift
Pump and Lignocellulosics in
Recirculation Aquaculture
Systems
Discusses the performance of a pilot
system that used plant-based filters
and airlift pumps (which provides
aeration and recirculation in one
unit) for aquaculture fish tanks. The
pilot system used nearly 80 percent
less energy than a conventional system.
205-1 (www.ecw.org/ecw/product
detail.jsp?productId=326)
Report: The Energy Services
Partnership: An evaluation of a
coordinated low-income services
program
Evaluation focuses on a computer
system used by the Energy Services
Partnership to provide referrals and
share application information among
participating agencies. The Energy
Services Partnership coordinated a
low-income energy services program
in La Crosse County, Wisconsin.
204-1 (www.ecw.org/ecw/product
detail.jsp?productId=325)
Report: Strategic Assessment of
Renewable Energy in
Northeastern Wisconsin: An
analysis for the Wisconsin Focus
on Energy program
Condensed report estimates to what
extent renewable energy could displace the use of fossil fuels in the 23county Wisconsin Focus on Energy
area, based on various carbon tax
scenarios. Considers electricity,
transportation, and thermal energy.
206-R (www.ecw.org/ecw/product
detail.jsp?productId=344)
e2
energy efficiency
commentary
Our industrial challenge
I
industry within four years. That’s
n February 2001, I took my
disturbing, especially for steelfirst trip to Washington D.C. I
making states. Low product
had two goals: attend the U.S.
prices, excess supply, and foreign
Department of Energy’s 4th
competition (some
Industrial Energy
said supported by
Efficiency Sympounfair trade pracsium, and explore
tices and large govthe monuments and
ernment subsidies)
museums. With a
“Forward, as we
were blamed. Then
career in energy effisay, to meet our
the paper industry
ciency and an interindustrial
spoke: “We’re next
est in history, it
in line to disappear
seemed like the perchallenge.”
from the U.S.” Imagfect trip.
ine Wisconsin without a paper
Nearly 1,300 people attended
industry. The $12 billion plus
the symposium to talk about
dollars in products shipped each
industry needs and issues. What
year only begins to measure the
does industry need to stay comimpact on our state economy.
petitive? Here is what I heard:
What can we do? Industry
1. Reliable, low-cost energy
leaders felt that politicians need2. Reduced environmental comed to take action on industry
pliance costs
needs, while industry recognized
3. Labor that is well trained on
the need to create products of
the latest manufacturing
higher value, using innovative
approaches
(and hard to copy) manufactur4. Innovative manufacturing
ing techniques. For example, we
employing advanced process
were told that Nokia dominates
technologies
worldwide production of a criti5. Better enforcement of trade
cal cell phone component
laws
because they improved their
U.S. steel producers gave an
process yield to 90 percent, comominous warning—without help,
pared with 10 percent for rivals.
the U.S. will lose its steel making
The resulting energy savings and
waste reduction must be substantial, lowering energy and environmental compliance costs.
Fortunately, we learned that
there are many innovative process
improvements that allow industry to improve its competitive
position while reducing energy
costs and emissions. Many of
these process improvements have
quick paybacks or dramatic
implications. Imagine an emission-free paper industry, using
sustainable biomass to supply all
of its raw materials and generate
120 percent of its energy needs.
It’s not a dream—it’s the topic of
serious discussion and active
research.
Many at the symposium felt
that the innovations in process
research are not getting into U.S.
industry at the rate we need to
stay
competitive.
Speakers
advised supporting process
advances through public-private
partnerships that research, develop, and deliver innovative technologies to industry. Supporting
technology transfer is a priority
for the industrial group at the
Energy Center of Wisconsin.
members
Rice Lake Utilities
Alliant Energy*
Superior Water, Light and Power
Madison Gas & Electric Company*
Wisconsin Electric – Wisconsin Gas*
Manitowoc Public Utilities
Wisconsin Public Power Incorporated
Marshfield Electric and Water Department
Wisconsin Public Service Corporation*
My history tour came after the
symposium. With that as perspective, I saw that the nations on this
continent were built first from
natural resources, and then grew
from the hard work and innovation of their industries. Wars were
fought to maintain industries and
the way of life they helped make
possible. The U.S. now appears to
be letting that process drift into
reverse, apathetically shedding
industry with little challenge.
Only now, we have too many people to support from natural
resources alone; we also need to
keep a manufacturing base.
In Wisconsin, we can maintain this manufacturing base by
supporting innovations that will
build competitive, energy efficient, and clean industries that
coexist comfortably with the land
and people around us. We can’t
go backwards. Forward, as we
say, to meet our industrial challenge. We’ll save energy in the
process.
Kevin Grabner
Project Manager
Thanks
Xcel Energy*
supporting our mission
Member organizations
participants
Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin*
Stora Enso North America
provide some of the
Badger Safe Energy Alliance
University of Wisconsin Extension
Center’s financial support.
Citizens’ Utility Board
National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People
Representatives from both
Community Builders
National Center for Appropriate Technology*
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
member and participant
Conserv Products, Inc.†
Northern Thunder
Wisconsin Community Action Program Association
organizations serve on
Cooperative Educational Service Agency 5
Opportunities Industrialization Center of Greater
Milwaukee
Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade
committees and on the
Department of Administration’s Division of Energy
Plumbing & Mechanical Contractors Association*†
Board of Directors.
Earth Energy Systems
PRO-TEL, Inc.†
Kohler Company†
Public Service Commission of Wisconsin*
*Representative serves on the Board of Directors
L&S Associates
RENEW Wisconsin
†Trade ally representative
energy efficiency
e2
University of Wisconsin-Madison*
Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce
summer 2001
7
Tindale Farms
makes use of methane
How many cows does it take to turn on a lightbulb?
It’s not as crazy a question as it
sounds. Cows are the plentiful
providers of a potentially powerful source of energy: manure. For
decades in Europe, manure has
been turned into power using
manure digesters that speed up
ENERGY CENTER
OF WISCONSIN
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Madison, WI 53711
Address Service Requested
The Energy Center of Wisconsin is
a private nonprofit organization
dedicated to promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy in
Wisconsin. Articles may be reprinted upon request. Send comments,
questions, and address corrections
to the Editor at the address above,
send e-mail to [email protected], or
call 608.238.8276 x140.
© 2001 ECW. All rights reserved.
Editor: Eric Nelson
Designer: Cherie Williams
the decomposition process of
waste and form methane gas,
which is used in the production
of electricity. Here in the United
States, manure digesters are a
brand new addition to the energy
scene. In Wisconsin, the first
manure digester has just
been put to work at the
Tinedale Farms in Wrightstown.
Tindale Farms celebrated
the grand opening of its
manure-to-energy facility
in June; attendees included
Wisconsin Governor Scott
McCallum and Agriculture
Secretary Jim Harsdorf, as well
as other state officials, farmers,
consultants, and energy efficiency experts.
Farm owner Carl Theunis has
two 375-kW Waukesha-brand
generators that provide power he
sells back to Wisconsin ElectricWisconsin Gas. The generators
produce enough electricity to
power about 250 homes.
This system has several advantages: it is a source of “green”
power and it collects and provides a use for methane, which is
not only odoriferous but 20 times
more potent a greenhouse gas
than carbon dioxide. (When you
drive through the country and
smell cow manure, you’re
smelling a wasted energy
resource.) The process also
destroys pathogens such as E coli,
salmonella, and cryptosporium,
which can be found in manure,
and provides solid byproducts
that can be used for fertilizer.
Wisconsin Focus on Energy is
funding the project.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
about manure
digesters contact Craig
Schepp at
608.238.8276 x116,
[email protected].
—Teresa Paprock
Nonprofit Org.
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