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Dear Editor;
Does Dodgeville have a renewable energy planning process? If so what is it? Is there a will to develop Dodgeville as a renewable energy town? Several buildings already have rooftop solar electric panels and a municipal micro-grid seems possible with many more solar electric panels, some storage and a few wind turbines out some distance from the town on farm land. At least there could be some solar access incentive for new construction of house roof structure shapes for installing solar electric panels at some time. A suggestion is to organize a plan to involve university student projects to study micro-grids for Dodgeville.
But what are the alternatives for fossil-gas used for heating? Heat-pump systems providing heat and cooling with electricity are developing, and is another way to avoid fossil-gas burners in each house with solar electric systems of rooftop solar electric panels and a renewable electricity micro-grid. Mineral Point had a district heating system c1930s heating buildings on High Street. A renewable energy heating system for Dodgeville size towns is already in use as solar district heating grids developed for many towns in northern Europe. Hot water-steam insulated pipes deliver heat for hot water and heating to each house from: buildings with solar thermal collectors, solar heat-panel farms, heat storage, and bio-fuel boilers. Hot water steam pipes would replace fossil-gas pipes to burners in each building. Solar district heating would be a major change to existing residential blocks dependent on fossil-gas burners, and perhaps a new solar district heating model development of houses could be tried.
Is Dodgeville ready for renewable energy town planning?
Joel H. Goodman
Dodgeville