Renewable Energy Sales Tax Exemption in Jeopardy

Renewable energy equipment was to be exempted from sales tax in Wisconsin beginning next month - but due to budget cutting proposals the exemption is slated for a two-year delay - unless Governor Doyle vetos the proposal.

Below is the text of a letter hand-delivered to Governor Doyle's office today by RENEW Wisconsin to encourage him to veto the delay. You can help too by going to the Governor's website http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/contact.asp?locid=19 and asking him to support renewable energy in Wisconsin by vetoing the delay proposal. (I am also including the email I sent him just a few minutes ago.

June 26, 2009

Governor James E. Doyle

115 East, State Capitol
P.O. Box 7863
Madison, Wisconsin 53707

Dear Governor Doyle:

RENEW Wisconsin and its members across the state respectfully request a veto of the budget bill provision that would delay the effective date of the sales and use tax exemption for equipment powered by or used in the generation of wind and solar energy and manure digesters from July 1, 2009, until July 1, 2011.

Though the sales tax exemption might seem of little economic importance to a planned installation, the amount could significantly change a project’s economic feasibility, depending on installation size. For instance, the sales tax on a 50 kilowatt wind turbine that costs $250,000 would come to at least $12,500. That would add several years to the project’s payback.

This year Wisconsin businesses and homeowners have planned and bid on renewable energy systems based on system costs that include the sales tax exemption. Some would-be system owners have delayed their installation in anticipation of the sales tax exemption. Repealing this exemption on such short notice will result in project cancellations and delays.

Customer-owned wind and solar systems will contribute toward the renewable energy needed to achieve a 25% target by 2025. Please keep us moving toward the target by vetoing the delayed effective date for the sales tax exemption.

Thank you for your consideration.

Respectfully,

Michael Vickerman

Executive Director

RENEW Wisconsin

Dear Governor Doyle,

I am writing to respectfully request that you support renewable energy by vetoing the proposed delay in sales tax exemption for renewable energy systems in Wisconsin.

Our energy future is uncertain. I know you have to juggle many things as you make the decisions that sculpt our future. But please consider this: At present almost our entire infrastructure - from the way we get around to the heat for our homes to the very food on our table - is heavily dependent on fossil fuel.

What will happen when the oil stops flowing?

And when will that be?

Nobody knows.

But I do know this - no one will suffer if we've prepared for the worst way earlier than we need to.

But if that day comes before we think it will - and it very well might - then I hate to imagine the consequences.

Privately owned renewable energy systems can make a significant contribution towards a safer future for the citizens of Wisconsin. But it's a big commitment. Every incentive helps bring more clean energy systems online.

At the Renewable Energy Fair last weekend in Custer I had the privilege of speaking to a great number of people. Invariably those from outside Wisconsin remarked about how progressive and forward-thinking our state is in terms of its support for renewables.

Mr. Doyle, please uphold Wisconsin's tradition of forward-thinking renewable energy policy and veto the delayed effective date for sales tax exemption on renewable energy.

Thank you,

Anne Michelsen

In case you missed it...

Check out Dan's mug gracing the cover of the June 11-18th City Pages! He was introduced as the first certified solar hot water system installer in Marathon County in an article about this year's Energy Fair.

Renewable Energy Fair a Success!

We haven't heard the numbers yet, but attendance at this year's Midwest Renewable Energy Fair was expected to blow away last year's record-breaking 22,500+ total. If the degree of hoarseness in our voices by the end of the 3-day event was any indication, it surely did!

The weather was nearly perfect, and interest in all things renewable was high. Many people I talked to were attending the Fair for the first time. If that was you, right on! Glad you made it!

Manning the booth was a lot less exhausting than I thought it would be. It was exhilarating to talk to so many people who really care about making a difference, and to meet and reconnect with others in the renewable energy field. We're already looking forward to next year!

Focus on Energy Full Service Solar Thermal Installer!

We're good to go - as of May 28th Marathon Renewable Energy has been listed on the Focus on Energy Solar Thermal Full Service Installer list.

This means that we are eligible to submit pre-approval forms to Focus on Energy for review by their solar thermal staff. Ultimately, it means that our customers will receive rewards checks when installations are completed and pass the performance test.

Success

We filled Al Henrick's solar loop on Saturday night. Night is best to prevent steam from forming. The big delay was running the electric power to the pumps from a remote PV panel. Today was the first sunny day after filling and the system worked flawlessly. By the time I left around 1:30, standard time not daylight time, the tank was around 120 degrees F. The coldest water off the bottom of the tank was 114 degrees, and the heat exchanger was returning 124 degree water to the center of the tank. This was a cold start since the system had never run before, and the starting temperature was around 55-58 degrees.

It was interesting to listen to the pumps slow down and speed up as clouds reduced the output of the PV panel and then moved away. I worked on the insulation for a little while, and the tank rose from 84 degrees when I arrived around 11:00 standard time to the 114 degrees I mentioned earlier by the time I left. The storage tank holds 105 gallons, so this is a substantial rise in temperature. All we need to do now is finish up insulating the elbows and other fittings, and then install jacketing on the exterior insulation to protect it from UV rays and we are DONE!

Dan Michelsen

Just got back from attending the Energy Center of Wisconsin's Better Buildings Better Business Conference Wisconsin Dells.

Boy was that place buzzing with great ideas! Just a quick wander through the trade show area was enough to make your head spin - and the gears inside that head start spinning with possibilities. To list just a few resource-saving innovations:

* The Green Switch, a brand-new device that saves you having to individually unplug or turn off all your power strips, appliances and lights when not in use in your most power-hungry rooms

* Structural Insulated Panels - basically big styrofoam sheets sandwiched between pressboard, which eliminate the need for studs. They're supposed to result in leak-free constuction and result in a 50% more efficient building. It's available in 4 thicknesses with R values from R-18 to R-40.

* The Solatube, a high-tech skylight that effectively brings daylight into hard-to-reach places

* Rain catchment and greywater recycling systems; super-efficient windows; a souped-up Prius (a plug-in hybrid equipped with lithium-ion batteries such as you'll find in the newest power tools; it's a fleet car owned by WPPI Energy; financing options for homeowners considering energy-efficient upgrades (more on this in future posts); and a whole lot more.

By the way, the Kalahari resort, where the conference took place, is home to Wisconsin's largest solar thermal installation. We figure this impressive project is saving the Kalahari about $15,000 per year in water heating expenses. (The picture above shows just a few of the 104 panels in the installation.)

Better Buildings Conference

The Energy Center University's Better Buildings Conference kicks off this Wednesday evening, March 4 at the Kalahari Resort with a welcome reception from 4-7 PM.

I'll be missing the reception, but plan to dig in to the rest of the conference on Thursday and Friday.

The conference features practical, skills-based workshops and presentations on green building topics by nationally-recognized home building professionals. Presenters on the hot water front include Niels Wolter, Bobbi Fey and Kari Heinrich from Focus on Energy, Dan's mentor Bob Ramlow from the Artha Sustainable Living Center LLC, Kurt Koepp from Hot Water Products, and others.

There will also be plenty of great information on other topics, ranging from zero-energy buildings to retrofitting older homes.

I'm looking forward to soaking it all up and meeting others in Wisconsin's sustainable building community!