Solar for Good’s Most Critical Year

Solar for Good’s Most Critical Year

by | Jul 9, 2026 | Community, Solar for Good

Picture a school that stops sending thousands of dollars a year to the utility and instead sends it to its classrooms. Picture a food pantry that keeps the lights on for less and puts the savings back into feeding families. That is what solar does for a nonprofit or a school, and right now we have a short window to make it happen for as many of them as we can.

The next two rounds of Solar for Good, this fall and next spring, are the most important we have ever run. Here’s why.

The Deadline, and Why It’s Here

In 2025, a new federal law called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act changed the rules for solar.

For years, the federal government has helped tax-exempt groups like schools, churches, libraries, and nonprofits pay for solar. Because these groups do not owe federal taxes, they receive this help as a direct cash payment, called direct pay. It is worth up to 30 percent of the cost of the solar project. That payment has made solar possible for many groups that could never have afforded it on their own.

That help still exists. But the new law added a hard deadline, and the key date was July 4, 2026.

Now that the date has passed, any project that starts now has to be built and connected to the utility by the end of 2027 to receive the direct pay payment. Miss that date, and the project loses up to 30 percent of its potential federal funding.

Solar will not become impossible after that. But for many schools and nonprofits, the return on investment will take longer, and a project that pencils out easily today may be much harder to justify without that federal payment. That is why this year is so critical. For any school or nonprofit that has been on the fence, or that has always wanted to go solar someday, this is the year to make a move.

Why Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 Are the Window

Solar projects take time, and for many of these groups, the process is even longer than people expect. Before a nonprofit or school can even start taking bids, it often has to get the project approved by more than one board or governing body. Then it has to raise the money, run the bidding process, select a contractor, secure utility approval, build the project, and connect it to the grid. All of that has to happen before the end of 2027.

Because these projects take so much time to complete, the groups we fund this fall and next spring are the last ones who can realistically start early enough to finish before the deadline. For every school and nonprofit in our communities, this is their last clear shot at that federal payment. Our job at RENEW Wisconsin is to help as many of them through that door as we can before it shuts.

What Solar Actually Means for These Groups

This is not about panels on a roof. It is about what the savings make possible.

For a school, solar means less money going to the power company every month and more money going back into the classroom, back into teachers, back into the students. For a nonprofit, it means more money going back into the mission they care about, whether that is feeding families, sheltering neighbors, or serving their community.

The savings last for decades. A solar array pays a school or nonprofit back year after year, and every one of those dollars stays right here in Wisconsin doing good.

Solar for Good is a RENEW Wisconsin program that gives grants to nonprofits and schools across the state to help them afford solar. Every dollar we raise goes toward helping more of them build their projects.

Here’s the Ask

The more we raise this year, the more schools and nonprofits we can fund. And the more we fund now, the more of them can get built and connected before the end of 2027, while the federal payment is still on the table.

Here is what makes Solar for Good special. Every dollar we raise goes toward building a project, and these funds are not a one-time gift. Every year the solar array is up and running, it saves that school or nonprofit money on their energy bills, money that goes right back into classrooms, staff, and community programs. Those savings add up year after year, far beyond the original grant amount. It is truly a gift that keeps on giving.

If you were ever going to give to Solar for Good, this is the year it matters most.

RENEW accepts all kinds of gifts. Along with cash, checks, and credit card donations, we can also accept gifts of stock and qualified distributions from retirement accounts like Roth IRAs. If you have questions about any of these, reach out to us. We are always happy to work with you to find the right way to give, so we can get as many great solar projects approved and built during these next two critical rounds.

This is a short window, and the clock is ticking. Let’s make the most of it together.

Give To Solar for Good
Wisconsin’s Climate Youth is an Energy Wakeup Call for Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s Climate Youth is an Energy Wakeup Call for Wisconsin

by | Jul 8, 2026 | RENEW Wisconsin, Renewables

Across the country, youth impacted by climate change have sued state governments on the theory that inaction in the face of the climate crisis violates their fundamental constitutional rights.

In one highly publicized case, Held v. State, 16 kids sued the State of Montana over environmental laws that shielded companies developing fossil fuel projects, forbidding the state from reviewing the full impacts of the projects’ greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The youth litigants won a decisive court victory, striking down that provision of the Montana Environmental Policy Act and securing a declaration of their constitutional right to a “stable climate system.”

More recently, the Montana plaintiffs are back in court in 2026 seeking to reinforce their win and ensure Montana’s energy and environmental policy actually complies with the established right to a stable climate.

Wisconsin’s Youth Climate Case

Here in Wisconsin, the nonprofit legal advocacy group Our Children’s Trust teamed up with Midwest Environmental Advocates (MEA) to sue the state’s Public Service Commission (PSC) and the state legislature in 2025 in Dunn v. Wisconsin Public Service Commission.

In their complaint, the young plaintiffs — ranging from age 8 to 17 at the time the case was filed — challenged aspects of Wisconsin energy law that allow utilities to continue building fossil-fuel infrastructure despite the climate crisis.

The youth plaintiffs hail from a wide range of backgrounds, but they all share one tragic bond: climate change is making their lives measurably worse.

The climate crisis has forced some of their families to move, rendered many Wisconsin rivers and lakes degraded and unfit for swimming, fishing, and boating, robbed them of opportunities to engage in cultural activities like tapping maple trees for maple syrup, exposed them to a heightened risk of Lyme disease, exacerbated health issues like asthma, and led to a decline in their mental health.

Driven by these cultural, health, and economic impacts, many of these kids and young adults have dedicated themselves to climate education and activism.

But they can’t do it alone — they will need help from engaged Wisconsinites to push our legislators and courts to consider the true costs of continuing to develop more fossil fuel infrastructure when renewable energy alternatives are readily available.

The Youths’ Argument

In court, plaintiffs argued that the law prohibiting the PSC from considering the impacts of air pollution in issuing Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCNs) to large energy projects is unconstitutional, allowing the continued development of fossil fuel projects without considering their full costs to society.

Second, the youth argued that Wisconsin’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) is unconstitutional, effectively putting a ceiling on the PSC’s ability to push utilities to supply more renewable energy.

In 2005, Wisconsin amended Act 9, setting an initial goal of 10 percent renewable energy by 2015. That goal was first met back in 2013, two years ahead of schedule. Since then, the PSC has been unable to require more renewable energy to support our statewide climate goal, or even accurately track the renewable energy portfolio of Wisconsin’s utilities. This shortcoming has led Wisconsin to fall behind in the adoption of renewable energy.

Without the ability to mandate that utilities develop more renewable energy, Wisconsin will struggle to meet the long-range 2050 goal of 100% carbon-free energy set by Governor Evers.

The plaintiffs argue that these maladies in Wisconsin law are violating their foundational rights to life and liberty, which rest on a stable climate system.

They also argue that the defendant’s inadequate response to climate change was violating Wisconsin’s Public Trust Doctrine and depriving plaintiffs of the ability to use and enjoy Wisconsin’s bountiful water resources: our many public rivers and lakes. Sadly, Wisconsin’s public waterways are increasingly degraded by extreme heat and algal blooms closely linked to climate change.

The Lower Court’s Ruling

Despite a load of evidence, the plaintiffs’ case was dismissed by the court. While the judge sympathized with the youth, acknowledging that the plaintiffs showed clear harm from climate change, they decided that this case is not fit for resolution in a courtroom.

Instead, the court said the plaintiffs’ cause is an energy policy issue that would be better addressed in the state legislature.

However, the plaintiffs are appealing that decision and fighting to bring awareness to the human impacts of the climate crisis, and to push Wisconsin to take meaningful action to mitigate climate change and protect the future of all Wisconsinites.

The High Cost of Fossil Fuels

The natural gas plants that Wisconsin utilities and power producers are currently building and proposing will operate for 30 or more years, producing a wide range of serious, negative environmental health impacts for Wisconsinites.

Natural gas and coal plants struggle to compete with solar and wind power on costs, and that’s not including the often-ignored economic and health costs of fossil fuel projects, which include dirtier air, a slew of health risks, and early death.

In 2025, WE Energies received PSC approval for two massive natural gas plants, Oak Creek and the Paris Generation Project.

While some have touted natural gas as a cleaner “bridge” fuel, analysis conducted by Healthy Climate Wisconsin and the Union of Concerned Scientists predicts that the plants will cost more than $5 billion in health impacts from particulate, sulfur, and other forms of toxic pollution over their three-decade lifespan, with impacts in Wisconsin and neighboring states like Michigan.

These new plants will particularly harm people with existing heart or respiratory issues, as well as communities that have already borne the hefty costs of fossil fuel development.

Overall, Wisconsinites will be less healthy as a result of these natural gas projects, in addition to the broader impact on climate change from burning methane — a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide.

The roughly $2 billion WE Energies is spending developing the Oak Creek and Paris projects could have been used to build large-scale solar or wind farms that would have provided clean, reliable energy.

Wisconsin’s Clean Energy Future

With the technology we have available, there is no need for more outdated, dirty fossil fuel infrastructure in Wisconsin.

RENEW Wisconsin is fighting to put solar and wind on level ground with fossil fuels — because solar and wind power prevail when they are given a fair chance to compete in the energy market.

A brighter and attainable Wisconsin energy future powered by renewable energy would produce reliable power, create jobs, and lessen air pollution, leading to a healthier and wealthier Badger State.

A combination of rooftop, community solar, large-scale solar, energy conservation, smart demand reduction programs, and battery storage can meet all of Wisconsin’s energy needs, even with the projected increase in energy demand from data centers.

That is the future RENEW Wisconsin is fighting for.

Brian Wagenaar, a Twin Cities native, is one of RENEW’s 2026 summer law clerks. He is currently a student at the University of Wisconsin Law School and starts his second year in the program this fall. Prior to his time at UW’s Law School, Brian earned his bachelor’s in environmental policy from UW-Green Bay.

RENEW Wisconsin Summit Panel: A Timely Conversation on Siting

RENEW Wisconsin Summit Panel: A Timely Conversation on Siting

by | Jun 26, 2026 | Community, RENEW Wisconsin, Renewables

Communities across Wisconsin continue to grapple with how renewable energy projects get sited and permitted. At our 2026 RENEW Wisconsin Summit RENEW Wisconsin hosted a panel that brought together expert voices on state and local siting and permitting authority. The conversation is worth a revisit, as the industry continues to navigate this important topic.

Eric Callisto, a former Chair of the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) and private-sector renewable energy attorney, made a clear case for why state-level oversight of large projects matters: projects that serve the regional grid are matters of statewide concern, and an independent expert agency is better positioned to evaluate energy projects than individual town boards. He was candid that without that independent oversight, the “NIMBY element” would prevent many worthy projects from being built.

Orrie Walsvik, an associate attorney at Michael Best, walked through what he called the “inverted pyramid” of clean energy regulation, from baseline zoning to the case-by-case requirements of § 66.0401 to the PSC’s comprehensive authority over 100+ Megawatt projects. His core point: local governments have been delegated administrative authority to help Wisconsin implement its renewable energy policy, not the legislative authority to decide whether that policy is welcome in their jurisdiction.

Isaac Uitenbroek, a zoning administrator with direct experience drafting and implementing solar regulations, provided an honest window into what local government staff navigate: constituent pressure, tight timelines, and the balancing act of building ordinances that meet legal requirements while giving elected officials a process they can use to address community concerns. He advised developers and applicants to communicate early, communicate often, and leave no information vacuum. His perspective reflected real experience with what happens when communities feel blindsided.

David Jakubiak, Senior Vice President of Aileron and expert on renewable energy communications, reinforced that community engagement is not a compliance checkbox but a prerequisite for project success. He pushed back on drone footage, cookie-cutter community meetings, and out-of-state project representatives and witnesses. David made the practical case for finding local champions and showing people what renewable energy actually looks like from the road, not from the sky.

The common thread of the panel discussion and audience question was a recognition that Wisconsin is navigating a genuine policy contest, one requiring developers, lawyers, and local governments to work together to find a workable path that recognizes community concerns and appreciates the local benefits of renewable energy development.

RENEW Wisconsin’s 2026 Clean Energy Honor Roll

RENEW Wisconsin’s 2026 Clean Energy Honor Roll

by | Jun 22, 2026 | Community, Events, RENEW Wisconsin, Renewables

RENEW Wisconsin selected 5 projects for this year’s Honor Roll. These projects and the organizations involved in them demonstrate leadership, ambition, and climate awareness in their design and use of clean energy.

Winding Rivers Solar Library Program

Middleton-Cross Plains School District

Sheboygan Lakefront Solar Roof

Eland Door County Solar Group Buy

Menasha Maplewood Middle & Intermediate School

Action Alert: Submit Comments in Support of Dawn Break Solar

Action Alert: Submit Comments in Support of Dawn Break Solar

by | Jun 8, 2026 | Action Alert, Advocacy, Renewables, Solar

Public comments are open now through June 11 for Dawn Break Solar, a 180 Megawatt (MW) solar project paired with a 180 MW battery energy storage system. If approved, the solar project will be located in Waushara County and is planned for completion in 2029. Projects like this have a wide range of local and statewide benefits. Show your support for this project and tell the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) why you support the approval of a vital solar project in Wisconsin!

You can use some of the listed benefits below to help you craft your message.

Dawn Break Solar isn’t just about the clean energy it will produce. The 180 MW facility in Waushara County has many benefits:

Economic Growth: Dawn Break Solar is expected to create construction jobs, as well as several long-term local jobs for operations and maintenance. Landowners will also benefit from consistent lease payments during the 35-year lifespan of the project.

Community Benefits: Once in service, Dawn Break Solar will contribute more than $31.5 million in utility-aid payments. Local governments will receive $900,000 annually, with $510,000 for Waushara County and $390,000 for the Towns of Oasis, Plainfield, Deerfield, and Hancock.

Emissions Reductions: Dawn Break Solar will reduce emissions from energy production by about 600 million pounds of CO2 in the first year of operations. In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, this is the equivalent of taking more than 59,100 vehicles off the road for a full year. Additionally, non-GHG emissions reductions will result in health, economic, and environmental benefits. Wisconsin can expect more than $1.3 million in economic benefits associated with public health improvements in Dawn Break Solar’s first year of operations alone.

Submit your comments today and tell the PSC you support the approval of Dawn Break Solar. Feel free to use some of the bullet points above to craft your own unique message.

TAKE ACTION
Celebrating the Power of the Sun

Celebrating the Power of the Sun

by | Jun 2, 2026 | Community, RENEW Wisconsin, Solar, Solar for Good

All the Good We’re Doing, Together

In the nonprofit world, we spend a lot of our time planning how we will continue to fund our mission—similar to how many people spend much of their time planning how they will make ends meet.

In some cases, for those who can’t make ends meet on their own, there are nonprofits to help. They feed, house, educate, and even protect us. Through RENEW’s Solar for Good program, we have the unique opportunity to help other nonprofits, as well as schools and houses of worship.

The formula is fairly simple—we make it easier for these organizations to access solar power, reducing their energy bills and, in turn, their operating budgets. The hope is that this help allows each and every one of them to spend more of their money and time where it matters: their mission.

Ultimately, every panel that goes up on a food pantry or affordable housing development means one more person who gets to reap the benefits of renewable energy.

Hunger Task Force

In 2025, Hunger Task Force completed a 465-panel array on their new headquarters in Milwaukee. Solar for Good helped the project come to fruition with a $48,237 grant, which covered about 13% of the project cost. Thanks to a wide mix of grants, donations, and government funding, Hunger Task Force covered most of the costs of this project.

Based on projected energy savings of $29,160 per year, Hunger Task Force will pay back its out-of-pocket expenses through avoided energy costs. Each year after that, another nearly $30,000 can go toward providing healthy food to those in need in and around Milwaukee. For every dollar spent on this project, Hunger Task Force will see $1.79 come back to it over the expected life of a typical solar array.

The dollars and cents are a huge motivating factor, but for a nonprofit focused on healthy meals and stewardship, we see additional benefits that are well aligned with the core mission of Hunger Task Force. By reducing emissions, this array helps lower air pollution and mitigate the effects of climate change, both of which lead to better health outcomes for our communities.

Learn more about Hunger Task Force’s Mission to end hunger in Milwaukee and Wisconsin.

West Central Wisconsin Community Action Agency

In 2023, the West Central Wisconsin Community Action Agency (West CAP) completed a 29-kilowatt solar array at one of their low-income housing projects to reduce energy bills for families. Solar for Good provided 27 panels through our grant program, about a third of the panels needed for the array. At the time of its completion, it was projected that the array would fully meet the energy needs of the families who would live in the low-income housing project.

Since 1965, West Cap has worked to promote the self-sufficiency of low-income families in the rural communities of west central Wisconsin. Solar panel technology has become a relatively new tool in efforts like this, as it can be used to completely or nearly eliminate energy bills for families that need a hand making life more affordable.

As Peter H. Kilde, former West CAP Executive Director, put it, “Through our poverty-fighting programs, we want to help prepare families for a world less dependent on fossil-fueled energy. This funding will not only allow us to reduce carbon emissions and help our planet, but it will also ease the energy burden for low-income families so they can afford their housing for the long term.”

Learn more about West CAP’s mission to take action against poverty.

Sauk Prairie School District

In 2025, the Sauk Prairie School District completed its second of two solar arrays for a total of 350-kilowatts of power. Their goal was to reduce their energy costs and, therefore, their overall operating budget. The savings will be placed in a fund to replace the roofs of each building across the district, as well as the solar panels. Solar for Schools, now part of Solar for Good, donated 179 panels, just over 20% of the total project.

It’s expected that the array at the elementary school will produce half of the building’s energy needs. As of July 2025, the smaller installation at the high school had already saved the district $15,000 in energy bills, just 10 months into operation.

The project serves as an educational tool for students and the community, with real-time data on energy generation and savings available online.

Learn more about the Sauk Prairie School District’s arrays.

Looking Ahead

As we see electricity bills rise and fossil fuel resources impacted by global conflict, the power of a solar array is becoming greater each day. And though this work has already touched so many, there are even more organizations out there that have yet to realize the benefits of this energy source.

To keep this work moving forward, we need people like you to support this effort. Together, we can help the nonprofits and schools of Wisconsin manage their energy bills so that they can focus their resources and time on what matters most: helping our communities.

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The MadiSUN 2026 Group Buy Is Here

The MadiSUN 2026 Group Buy Is Here

by | May 27, 2026 | MadiSUN, RENEW Wisconsin

We are kicking off the MadiSUN 2026 Group Buy, and this year we have three great local installers on board. Arch Solar, Full Spectrum Solar, and Midwest Solar Power all have locations right here in Madison, and all three are reputable, pre-vetted installers.

Here is how it works. Fill out the I’m Interested form linked below, and the installers will reach out to connect with you directly.

The benefit of joining the Group Buy is simple. Because you are signing up through the program, you get a lower rate than what is offered outside of it. You also get the peace of mind of knowing your installer has already been vetted, so you are working with someone reliable from day one.

With energy prices where they are right now, this is a good time to take a look at solar for your home.

Ready to get started? Fill out the I’m Interested form, and we will take it from there.

I'M INTERESTED
When the Plug Is Already In the Wall

When the Plug Is Already In the Wall

by | May 26, 2026 | RENEW Wisconsin, Transmission

Why surplus interconnection could be one of Wisconsin’s most practical clean energy tools

In Portage, Wisconsin, there is a set of wires that has been carrying electricity for decades. 

They connect a coal-fired power plant called Columbia Energy Center to the regional grid. Those wires run to a substation, and that substation connects to transmission lines that carry power to homes and businesses across the state.

Columbia is scheduled to retire. But those wires are not going anywhere.

That is the idea behind surplus interconnection, and it is one of the more practical and underappreciated tools in the clean energy transition.

How It Works

When a power plant connects to the electric grid, utility engineers size everything for that plant’s full output. The wires, the transformers, the substation, all of it. That infrastructure does not disappear when a plant retires, isn’t running, or scales back. The available capacity is still there, even if nothing is using it.

Surplus interconnection lets a new clean energy project plug into that existing connection instead of building a new one from scratch.

Think of it like a parking lot at a stadium that only fills up on game days. Most of the time, those spaces sit empty. Surplus interconnection lets new projects use that empty space, instead of paving a brand new lot somewhere else.

There is one important rule. You cannot park more cars in the lot than it was built to hold. The total electricity moving across the connection point cannot exceed what the original plant was approved to put on the system.

This is technology-neutral. Solar, wind, storage, existing fossil fuel plants, or any combination of them can share an existing interconnection, as long as the total output stays within the approved limit. It is about reusing the connection, not about choosing one technology over another.

Where the Opportunities Are

Retiring coal plants are a natural place to start. Columbia is a clear example of this principle. Alliant Energy is building a long-duration battery right next to the existing coal facility, on the same site, using the same grid connection. The Public Service Commission approved the project in 2025, construction begins this year, and once it is online, it will be able to discharge clean power for hours at a stretch.

Peaker plants tell a similar story. These are gas-fired facilities that utilities run only during periods of peak demand, often hot summer afternoons when air conditioners are running across the state. A peaker might only operate a few hundred hours a year, which means its grid connection sits idle most of the time. Co-locating solar, wind, or storage at a peaker means putting that connection to work the rest of the year. The peaker stays in place as backup for the rare hours when it is genuinely needed.

The same logic applies to existing renewables. A solar plant’s grid connection is sized for its peak output, which only happens for a few hours of sunny midday. A wind project often generates most at night, when demand is lower. Either way, the connection has room to spare much of the time. Adding storage, or pairing solar with wind to fill complementary hours, lets the project use that headroom and deliver clean power through the same connection when it is needed most.

This is already happening in Wisconsin. Solar developers across the state are pursuing battery additions at existing utility-scale solar projects.

Why It Matters Now

Wisconsin is about to see a major surge in electricity demand, driven in large part by new data center development. Meeting that demand by building new transmission lines and power plants, both of which take 5 or more years, could take longer than we would like. 

Surplus interconnection provides an additional tool to help us meet the timeline required for projected load growth. Projects that reuse an existing connection point can often be built in two to three years. Though not a silver bullet for meeting energy demand in Wisconsin, it gives us an opportunity to meet this increase in demand without setting us back years on our clean energy goals.

MISO Has Already Given the Green Light

Wisconsin sits inside MISO, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator. MISO is the regional grid operator that manages the bulk power system across fifteen states, and it has explicitly built surplus interconnection into its rulebook. MISO’s own guidance steers developers who want to add batteries at existing plants toward surplus interconnection as the appropriate route. In short, the regional path is already open. What MISO does not do is require any utility to go looking for these opportunities. That is left to the states.

Other states are stepping into this space. Virginia recently passed the first-in-the-nation Facilitating Access to Surplus Transmission Act (FAST Act). Virginia sits in a different Regional Transmission Organization, but the underlying mechanism is the same. The law requires regulated utilities to inventory sites where they have unused interconnection capacity and run competitive solicitations to fill that capacity with new solar and storage. The stated goal is to cut interconnection timelines from years to months and avoid major new transmission build-outs that would otherwise land on customer bills

The tools exist. What is missing here is a consistent practice of looking for these opportunities.

Looking Ahead

Columbia is not the only Wisconsin plant on the way out. Oak Creek, Edgewater, and units at Weston are all scheduled to retire or convert in the next several years. Each one is a high-capacity connection point that could host new solar, wind, storage, or a mix of them. Wisconsin’s growing fleet of utility-scale solar and wind projects offers another set of opportunities for adding complementary generation and storage without new grid infrastructure, and the peakers across the state are solid candidates as well.

Surplus interconnection deserves more deliberate attention. The grid we already have is more valuable than we sometimes give it credit for. Reusing it well is how we get clean energy online faster and protect ratepayers from paying twice.

PSC Approves Fox Solar Project

PSC Approves Fox Solar Project

by | May 21, 2026 | Public Service Commission, RENEW Wisconsin, Solar, Utility Scale

On Thursday, May 21, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) approved the Fox Solar Project. At 100 Megawatts (MW), this solar project will produce enough clean energy to power about 25,000 homes. The project is paired with a 50 MW battery energy storage system, providing the flexibility to provide power when the sun goes down.

Located in Oconto County, it is planned for completion in 2028. Projects like this have a wide range of local and statewide benefits, including economic growth, new funding for local municipalities, and reduced emissions from energy production.

Witness testimony from David Loomis of Strategic Economic Research stated that this project will create 300 temporary jobs during construction, along with an additional 20 long-term jobs related to the project’s economic activity.

Along with jobs, the project will support the surrounding communities through utility-aid payments. Over the 25-year life of the project, it is expected to contribute more than $13 million in utility aid payments to Oconto County and the Town of Morgan. Recent legislation has changed utility-aid payments to also include battery installations, which has increased the previous estimate on payments for local governments.

Beyond the economic aspects of this project, it also provides an additional source of clean, reliable energy that isn’t subject to volatile fuel prices. With this project we’re removing 304 million pounds of CO2 related to energy production in the first year of operations, and that’s just the CO2 emissions.

The amount of emissions reductions we’ll see from the project is about the same as taking almost 30,000 cars off the road. Avoided emissions, whether from energy production or our cars, means healthier air for everyone. We estimate that in Fox Solar’s first year of energy production, we’ll see $690,000 in economic benefits associated with the public health improvements we expect to see

Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their support of Fox Solar with the PSC!

Planting Solar Where It Matters Most

Planting Solar Where It Matters Most

by | May 15, 2026 | Community, RENEW Wisconsin, Solar, Solar for Good

Meet RENEW Wisconsin’s Spring 2026 Solar for Good Awardees

Casa Ester has been in Omro for nearly twenty years. They welcome migrant farmworker families arriving in Winnebago County, run a youth garden that donates produce to local food pantries, teach social justice education to participants in over a dozen countries, and last year alone helped more than 450 people stay housed. Every dollar they have goes toward the people who walk through their door.

When Casa Ester decided to go solar, the reasoning was clear. Spending less on electricity means more money available for families facing eviction. They, along with five other organizations, have been selected as awardees of this spring’s Solar for Good grant round. Each organization will receive a $5,000 grant to support its efforts to reduce its energy burden and carbon footprint. By going solar, they can do more to serve communities across the state.

The Spring 2026 Awardees

In Chippewa Falls, Hope Village is the only no-cost emergency shelter in Chippewa County. Since 2016, they have helped 339 people navigate housing instability, with 71% finding permanent housing on the other side. This is their second solar project, built on the success of the first. Lower energy costs mean more capacity to serve guests, run programming, and keep the doors open for people who have nowhere else to go.

In Tomah, First Congregational UCC has been working toward solar for three years. Located in Monroe County’s highest-poverty city, they run an early childhood center, support foster families, and provide meals at the free clinic. This summer, they will become the first church in Tomah to go solar and are already planning an open house where they will invite every congregation in town and ask the question they have been sitting with.

TransCenter for Youth has been running small alternative high schools in Milwaukee since 1973, serving students who have not found their footing in larger, more traditional systems. At Shalom High School, students will soon track real-time energy production from a restored solar array through a live dashboard they helped design. The energy savings go back into the school. Beyond the financial benefit, there is something meaningful about a school where students have often been told resources like this are not available to them choosing to lead on clean energy.

At Lake Mills Area School District, solar is going up across the Elementary and Middle Schools. The district also runs a senior center partnership, a multilingual learner program for immigrant families, and a student-run food pantry called The Mills. The energy savings from a project of this size are real and recurring, freeing up resources year after year to keep those programs funded and those buildings open to the full community.

In Strum, the local public library is building a timber-framed solar canopy that also serves as an outdoor learning and programming space. The savings on utilities go directly back into programming for the community. This summer, children in the reading program will learn about solar energy through hands-on activities and watch live energy production on a display inside the library. It is a thoughtful investment from a community that takes its role as a public resource seriously.

The Same Logic, Six Times Over

Six organizations. Six communities. Different missions, different zip codes, different sizes. The same logic runs through all of them: when organizations spend less on keeping the lights on, they have more to give to the people who need them most. We are proud to support each of these groups and look forward to celebrating with them at their ribbon cuttings.

Help Us Do More of This

Every organization in this cohort is doing more for their community because solar has freed up room in their budget. Solar for Good runs on the support of donors who believe clean energy should reach every corner of Wisconsin, not just the places that can easily afford it. A gift goes directly toward grants for nonprofits, schools, libraries, shelters, and faith communities doing work that matters.

Every $5,000 raised is one more organization that gets to do a little more for its community. It’s that simple.

If this work resonates with you, please consider making a gift today. Help us continue to plant solar where it matters most.

DONATE TODAY!