New stewards for Yerkes Observatory offer expanded vision

June 29, 2020 6:00 am Leave a comment

Ed Struble, who has been the director of building and grounds at Yerkes Obervatory for nearly 30 years, controls the dome's movable roof panels with an electric control switch at the 1890's-era research facility in Williams Bay, Wis., Wednesday, June 10, 2020. Recently, the University of Chicago transferred ownership of the 123-year-old facility to the Yerkes Future Foundation, a preservation group that plans to restore, refurbish and reopen the research center. (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP)

The round, wooden floor here has been a platform for some of the biggest names in science.

Report: COVID-19 halts clean energy job growth in Wisconsin

June 26, 2020 3:20 pm Leave a comment

The coronavirus pandemic has dimmed Wisconsin's fast-growing green energy industry, costing the state some 11,000 clean energy jobs since the crisis begin in March, according to a report.

Tagged with: coronavirus RENEW Wisconsin solar energy

ACE Mentorship students pitch lakefront development plans

April 30, 2020 4:35 pm Leave a comment

Together — although physically apart — a group of Milwaukee-area students pitched their plans for a new lakefront development as part of a program meant to encourage kids to pursue careers in construction.

Tagged with: ACE Mentorship coronavirus Gilbane Building

Regulators approve $16.8M solar array at Dane County airport

April 30, 2020 2:16 pm Leave a comment

The Wisconsin Public Service Commission on Thursday signed off on Dane County's plan to build a $16.8 million solar array at the Dane County Regional Airport.

Tagged with: Madison Gas and Electric solar solar energy

C.G. Schmidt launches ‘Ask the Builders’ virtual education series

April 29, 2020 2:54 pm Leave a comment

To help provide fresh educational content for Wisconsin students who are learning remotely amid the COVID-19 pandemic, C.G. Schmidt recently launched a virtual education series called “Ask the Builders.”

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EV charging stations to get $10M grant boost

January 30, 2020 10:46 am Leave a comment

The VW Mitigation Program is seeking public input on the spending of $10 million in Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Environmental Mitigation Trust funds for electric vehicle charging station grants, according to an announcement from Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary-Designee Craig Thompson.

Tagged with: electric vehicles WisDOT

Supply crunch for mass timber

January 9, 2020 6:45 pm Leave a comment

In May 2019 Timberland Inc. carpenter Carlos Hernandez guided a cross-laminated timber panel into place for District Office in Southeast Portland. (Josh Kulla/DJC file)

Mass-timber production, barely more than a decade old in North America, is encountering some growing pains.

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Bill undoing 1,000-year ban on green-energy projects in schools advances

January 8, 2020 3:10 pm Leave a comment

Steiner Electric’s Marcus Lisocki (left) and Kyle Cruver install solar panels on the roof of the Ozaukee County Transit Services building in Port Washington recently. A bill that advanced in the Legislature on Wednesday would allow school districts to exceed their state-imposed revenue limits in order to pay for energy-efficient upgrades. (File photo by Kevin Harnack)

Lawmakers on Wednesday advanced a bill that would undo a thousand-year ban on a policy that had allowed school districts to raise money for renewable energy projects without seeking permission from voters.

Tagged with: referendums renewable energy solar energy

Bill would give state tax break to firms that build rural broadband

December 11, 2019 3:25 pm Leave a comment

A bill in the state Legislature aims to prod telecom companies to expand rural broadband in Wisconsin with a tax break on new projects.

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Alliant pledges to develop 1,000 MWs of solar energy by 2023

November 1, 2019 3:24 pm Leave a comment

Decatur Self Storage’s array of solar cells are installed on the flat roof of the building as they capture solar energy and convert it to electrical energy for the storage buildings in Decatur, Ga. Owner Mike Easterwood also returns excess electricity to the Georgia Power Co. electrical grid in exchange for a reduced monthly power rate.

Alliant Energy on Thursday announced plans to develop 1,000 megawatts of solar power in Wisconsin by the end of 2023, a move that comes on the heels of other large solar projects and would represent a major expansion of the state's solar capacity.

Tagged with: Alliant Energy solar energy