New Grant Program to Encourage Renewable Energy Use

Wisconsin Ag Connection

Wisconsin businesses, local governments and homeowners can take advantage of renewable energy technologies thanks to a new grant program. On Wednesday, Governor Jim Doyle launched the Promoting Our Wisconsin Energy Resources, or POWER program, which will use $225,000 in funds to help facilitate the use of renewable energy sources such as wind, hydro and biomass.

"Wisconsin is leading the way in energy independence," Doyle said. "Our state has overhauled our energy policy to make a major new commitment to renewable fuels, our entrepreneurs are continually developing innovative ways to produce energy."

Doyle says the POWER Initiative is the next step to keep the momentum going, and continue to expand the state's use of renewable fuels.

The program is broken down as follows:

** Wind - $75,000 in grants will be focused on wind energy, and will be targeted at activities such as developing a wind GIS map of Wisconsin to identify where wind power is feasible, reaching out to rural electric cooperatives and consumers, and certifying small wind turbines for residential use.

** Biomass - $75,000 in grants will be focused on biomass, and targeted at activities to develop markets for biomass products by connecting owners of biomass resources with companies that are using biomass as an energy source. It is anticipated that this funding will assist in developing a commodity exchange for wood materials.

** Hydro - $75,000 in grants will focused on hydro, and targeted at ten small hydro dam feasibility studies. As energy prices go up, local governments are looking more to their dams to generate electricity.

The initiative is part of a broad effort to make Wisconsin the nation's leader in energy independence. Last week, Doyle signed into law the Energy Efficiency and Renewables Act, which requires ten percent of the state's electricity be from renewable sources by 2015.