Latest news with #MikeHooper
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US state launches first-of-its-kind energy system with stunning capabilities: 'Historic'
US state launches first-of-its-kind energy system with stunning capabilities: 'Historic' In a bright move for the planet, Wisconsin just launched a solar-powered battery system that's changing how the state stores and uses energy. The system is part of the Paris Solar-Battery Park in Kenosha County, which is south of Milwaukee. As reported by Energy Storage News, the park includes a 200-megawatt solar farm that began operating in December 2024. While that solar farm has been supplying clean energy during the day, the newly added 110-megawatt battery storage system (BESS) allows stored solar power to be used at night, during cloudy weather, or when energy demand spikes. The batteries can power about 130,000 homes for up to four hours, while the solar farm generates enough electricity to supply around 55,000 homes annually, per Energy Storage News. Energy experts hope the project will help make Wisconsin's power grid more stable and less reliant on dirty energy, and the system marks a major step forward for the state's transition to renewable power. "Bringing Wisconsin's first large-scale battery storage project online is historic and continues our commitment to provide customers reliable and affordable energy," said the president of project partner We Energies, Mike Hooper. "Our 'all of the above' power generation approach means customers can count on the energy they need, no matter the weather or the time of day." Recent data shows that 79% of the nation's power still comes from dirty energy sources that pump carbon and other pollutants into the air. Switching to solar avoids dirty energy, which helps combat rising global temperatures, improves air quality, and safeguards essential ecosystems. Wisconsin's new BESS is a major step in making clean energy more reliable and accessible to state residents. By capturing and storing solar power during the day, it helps ensure renewable energy is available when people need it most — even after the sun goes down. Battery storage also helps balance the grid and prevent blackouts during high demand, making renewable energy a more dependable part of the power system. Do you have a backup power source in your home? Yes — a portable generator Yes — a full-on generator I use solar panels No — I don't Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. And residents are already seeing the benefits of this clean energy system on their electric bills. We Energies highlights that the Paris Solar-Battery Park is eligible for federal tax credits, which provide savings to customers. However, the Trump administration recently rolled back clean energy incentives that could impact these savings in upcoming years. Aside from these in-jeopardy credits, no-cost solar energy generated by solar farms has been proven to reduce electric bills by 5 to 20% on average. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
We Energies to burn coal in Oak Creek for another year due to 'high energy demand'
The coal will be burning at the We Energies plant in Oak Creek a year longer than expected. The company announced June 25 it will extend the operating life of two coal units at the Oak Creek Power Plant 'to meet high energy demand periods through the end of 2026,' a news release from the company said. The plant was scheduled to retire at the end of 2025. Madison-based nonprofit Clean Wisconsin took issue with the announcement, putting out a statement June 26 that said the move 'saddles customers with at least another year of expensive, less reliable coal.' We Energies received approval May 22 from the Wisconsin Public Service Commission for a $1.5 billion plan to build natural gas plants in both Oak Creek and the Town of Paris in Kenosha County. We Energies said the plants were needed to supplement solar and wind power generation and help cover growing electricity demands. The Town of Paris plant project has already been delayed about a year because the PSC decided it must be built on an alternative site in the town. The decision to delay retiring the Oak Creek coal units ― which were put into service in the 1960s ― is based on two factors, We Energies said: Tightened energy supply requirements in the Midwest power market. The need to serve customers with safe, reliable, and affordable energy. Mike Hooper, president of We Energies, said reliability is at the forefront of everything the company does. 'Just this month, national grid experts raised the alarm of elevated risks of power supply shortages and price spikes due to plant closures and increasing energy demand in the Upper Midwest,' Hooper said in the release. 'We will continue to evaluate the future of the plant based on capacity needs, available generation and what is financially prudent.' Clean Wisconsin Energy and Air Manager Ciaran Gallagher called the company's claims of elevated power supply shortages in the Midwest overblown. She said this decision is harmful and a 'shortsighted, profit-driven approach" to energy production and planning. 'We Energies has once again failed to plan for the future, failed to appropriately invest in cheaper clean energy sources, and failed to keep costs down for Wisconsinites,' Gallagher said in the Clean Wisconsin release. 'We Energies is going back on promises it made to communities long burdened by toxic air emissions from that plant.' Contact Erik S. Hanley at Like his Facebook page, The Redheadliner, and follow him on X @Redheadliner. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: We Energies to burn coal at Oak Creek a year longer than expected
