Action Alert: Support More Wind Energy in Wisconsin

Action Alert: Support More Wind Energy in Wisconsin

by | Jun 3, 2025 | Action Alert, Advocacy, Renewables

Wisconsin’s first 100+ megawatt (MW) wind energy project in more than a decade is seeking approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC). Badger Hollow Wind has been in development for nearly 10 years, and if approved, it would mark a major step forward in Wisconsin’s energy future. The PSC is accepting public comments on this project now through June 26.

This is your chance to tell the PSC why you support the approval of more wind energy in Wisconsin! Badger Hollow Wind isn’t just about the energy it will produce. The 118 MW facility in Iowa and Grant Counties has many benefits:

  • Economic Growth: Badger Hollow Wind will create hundreds of jobs during construction as well as good-paying, long-term operations and maintenance positions. It will also produce affordable and reliable clean energy for Wisconsin residents. It is expected that this project will produce $3.2 million in additional economic activity in Wisconsin.

  • Community Benefits: The Badger Hollow Wind developer, Invenergy, has been a good community partner, supporting student programs at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and schools in Iowa and Grant Counties. They’ve also donated to local emergency services and food banks, and more. Once in service, Badger Hollow Wind will contribute more than $500,000 in utility-aid payments each year. Over $300,000 of this will go to Grant and Iowa Counties, and over $200,000 of this will go to the towns of Clifton, Eden, Linden, Mifflin, and Wingville.

  • Landowner Engagement: Invenergy is a good partner to landowners, respecting their property rights and regularly checking in with them to ensure their relationships are positive. Payments to landowners help farmers directly, but Invenergy goes the extra mile by building access roads to turbines that farmers can use for their operations.

  • Environmental Responsibility: Badger Hollow Wind has undergone thorough environmental studies to minimize impact. It will contribute to cleaner air and water and support a healthier Wisconsin. RENEW’s witness estimated that the Badger Hollow Wind will displace fossil fuel generation and avoid over 250,000 tons of CO2 in the first year of operations alone.

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

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Action Alert: Tell Legislators Clean Energy Benefits All Americans

Action Alert: Tell Legislators Clean Energy Benefits All Americans

by | May 23, 2025 | Action Alert, Advocacy, Renewables

Earlier this week, the House of Representatives passed its version of H.R. 1, the reconciliation package, by a slim majority. The bill now moves to the Senate, where we have another opportunity to advocate for and protect clean energy.

Solar and storage are an American success story, supporting thousands of good jobs, millions in energy savings, and a surging manufacturing sector. However, Congress is considering cutting policies that support this success, threatening billions invested in our communities. This includes harsh restrictions on tax credits while gutting others, or quickly phasing them out.

As it stands, the legislation before Congress falls short of the policies necessary to help the U.S. meet its growing energy demand, create jobs, and continue the successful build-out of the solar and storage supply chain here in the U.S.

We invite you to join us in this effort and urge Congress to defend American energy incentives and protect the economic engine that clean energy has created. In the last two years, American solar and storage have surged. In that time, American-made solar module manufacturing has grown six times.

Solar installations can now provide enough homegrown energy to power more than 40 million homes. This expanding industry also means jobs that pay people well. The solar and storage industry already supports over 280,000 good jobs, many of them right here in Wisconsin.

We already know that solar energy is affordable, abundant, and easy to deploy. So, as America works to meet the rising energy demands of AI, data centers, and advanced manufacturing, clean energy and energy storage are critical to keeping energy bills in check and maintaining our economic competitiveness.

This is a critical moment, and we cannot afford to slow our progress now. We need to double down on clean energy for our economy, our communities, and our children.

Tell your representative to protect American solar and energy storage!

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Help Ensure a Smooth Application Process for Badger Hollow Wind

Help Ensure a Smooth Application Process for Badger Hollow Wind

by | Dec 18, 2024 | Action Alert, Wind

The Badger Hollow Wind Energy project in Iowa and Grant counties, Wisconsin, will generate clean, Wisconsin-made energy to help meet our state’s growing electricity demand. Ensure the approval process for this project starts strong by submitting comments to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC).

In your comments, share why you value clean energy and urge the PSC to include the benefits of Badger Hollow Wind in their environmental impact documents. Share how the 118-megawatt project will significantly reduce emissions for our state, fighting the impacts of climate change while reducing human exposure to harmful emissions.

Wind energy plays a significant role in our clean energy mix and projects like this are necessary to meet our 2050 net-zero emissions goals. Submit your comments to the PSC by the December 19 deadline to help Wisconsin add another clean energy project to the mix!

       

SUBMIT COMMENTS

Your Advocacy in Action

Thanks to your support, last week the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin approved the Vista Sands solar project at its full size of 1.3 gigawatts. The impact of this decision is difficult to understate, and without you this would not have been possible. Your efforts will result in the removal of more than 1.5 million tons of carbon emissions each year. Every project your support gets us closer to our net-zero goals!

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Action Alert: Show Support for Wisconsin’s Largest Solar Farm

Action Alert: Show Support for Wisconsin’s Largest Solar Farm

by | Jul 25, 2024 | Action Alert, Advocacy, Public Service Commission

A nearly 1,300-megawatt (MW) solar project, Vista Sands Solar Farm, has been proposed in Portage County by Doral Renewables, LLC. If approved, Vista Sands would be the largest solar farm constructed in the state of Wisconsin, offering a substantial step forward in meeting our state’s clean energy goals.

Earlier this summer, RENEW Wisconsin submitted testimony in support of Vista Sands to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW). Now that the public comment period is open, we’re asking you to help ensure this project’s success by sharing your support for solar energy.

The Vista Sands Solar project is a significant investment in local communities, creating over 150 new long-term jobs, increasing tax revenue for local governments, and providing a steady revenue stream for farmers who lease their land for the project. Cropland can rest and regenerate throughout the lifespan of the solar project, maintaining soil quality and ensuring the land remains viable for the next generation of farmers. The project developer has also committed to addressing concerns related to local wildlife by utilizing a local seed mix around the installation and setting aside a portion of land for wildlife habitat.

Beyond the immediate local benefits, this project will offset 4.5% of Wisconsin’s electric utility emissions and help mitigate the impacts of climate change. Based on a 2022 study, we know Wisconsin needs 31 Gigawatts (GW) of solar to achieve net zero by 2050. In the first quarter of 2024, Wisconsin had just over 2.3 GW of operating solar. Projects of Vista Sands’ scale are integral to reaching these goals in time.

Help ensure this project moves forward by demonstrating Wisconsin’s enthusiastic support for solar energy by submitting a comment today in support of Vista Sands Solar Farm.

When submitting your comments, be sure to specifically reference the project and the benefits that it can bring to Wisconsin. The deadline to submit comments is August 16, 2024. We’ve included a sample message to help you get started. Please keep in mind that the PSCW allows one comment per case* and that customizing your message will have a greater impact.

*Comments submitted on the Vista Sands Environmental Impact Statement do not count toward the one comment per case rule.

Sample Comments:

I’m writing in support of Vista Sands Solar. This project would provide significant support to the local economies, preserve farmland for future generations, and is critical to addressing climate change, all while ensuring more of the money Wisconsinites spend on energy stays here in state.

By producing homegrown, renewable energy right here in Wisconsin we protect our health, improve our economy, support grid stability, and protect our natural environment from the worst impacts of climate change. This project makes good sense for Wisconsin.

I respectfully encourage the PSCW to rule that Vista Sands Solar is in the public interest and issue a permit enabling the project to proceed to construction. Thank you for your time and consideration.

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Action Alert: Vista Sands Solar Development At Risk

Action Alert: Vista Sands Solar Development At Risk

by | May 23, 2024 | Action Alert, Advocacy, Public Service Commission

A draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) created by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is before the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin regarding Vista Sands Solar Farm and is missing a discussion of solar’s impact on reducing carbon emissions. In its current form, the EIS is also missing a full description of the effects of climate change on the Greater Prairie Chicken. Knowing these environmental impacts could help the PSCW during their decision-making process.

Join us in asking that the EIS be revised to include necessary information as it relates to the Greater Prairie Chicken and the impacts the Vista Sands Solar Farm would have on this protected bird and its habitat. Comments for the PSCW related to the EIS are due by the end of the day on June 14.

Sample comments are provided below. Personalized comments are more effective, please take the time to make your message to the PSCW unique.

Sample Comments:

The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) made for the Vista Sands Solar Farm by the Department of Natural Resources should be revised to reflect all aspects of the proposed solar farm. The current version of the EIS is missing key considerations related to how Vista Sands would reduce carbon emissions. Vista Sands would, in combination with other clean energy resources, mitigate climate change, which is a key driver in habitat loss for the Greater Prairie Chicken.

The EIS is also missing important details, such as a complete description of over a century of land changes, and other the main reasons for the Greater Prairie Chicken’s habitat loss in the region. I am urging the DNR to update their EIS to create a more complete picture of the Greater Prairie Chicken, its habitat, and the benefits of reduced carbon emissions.

 

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Submit Comments to the PSC and Show Support for Net Metering and Fair Solar Compensation Rates from Municipal Electric Utilities

Submit Comments to the PSC and Show Support for Net Metering and Fair Solar Compensation Rates from Municipal Electric Utilities

by | May 2, 2024 | Action Alert, Advocacy, Net Metering, Public Service Commission

Sturgeon Bay Utilities (SBU) has filed an application with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to revise its parallel generation tariffs, significantly altering the way SBU compensates electric generation from its customers who go solar. SBU’s wholesale provider, WPPI Energy,  has stated that it intends to replicate these proposed changes with all of its municipal electric utilities in Wisconsin. Check here to see if your utility could be affected.

If accepted, SBU’s proposal would modify its net metering tariff so that excess generation at the end of each billing month would be subject to wholesale rates instead of retail rates. For larger solar installations (above 20 kilowatts), SBU proposes that all excess generation is subject to volatile wholesale prices, which are typically low and subject to annual changes.

RENEW Wisconsin is the only intervening party in the case and has submitted testimony arguing to preserve net metering and pay larger solar installations (at schools, hospitals, and businesses) at rates that reflect SBU’s avoided costs, which is defined as the amount the utility saves when their customers generate solar power. See RENEW’s direct testimony for details.

The PSC has opened up the public comment period in this case (docket 5780-TE-111). You have until the end of the day on May 9 to submit your comments to the PSC. Tell the PSC to ensure that there is an economic pathway for customers to go solar. We need to preserve net metering for all customers in Sturgeon Bay and the rest of Wisconsin and pay fair rates for larger customer-sited renewable facilities.

FILE PUBLIC COMMENT