2026 RENEW Wisconsin Summit Recap

2026 RENEW Wisconsin Summit Recap

On Thursday, February 5, 2026, RENEW held our 15th annual RENEW Wisconsin Summit, presented by Invenergy and Dimension Energy. More than 600 Attendees from across the country joined us to discuss policy, legislation, and the future of energy, and how we will use clean energy to make Wisconsin more resilient! It’s hard to believe this event has been going on for so long, but it serves as proof that our industry is a resilient one.

This year, we made some small changes to our Summit, and we were happy to hear that most of them went unnoticed. That’s what we had hoped for! What changed, you ask? For the most part, we cut back on things that felt excessive, like the overall amount of food and some similar small parts of the Summit. Though we are all about clean energy, we also understand the importance of reducing waste in everything we do. Besides that, we did what we do every year — we focused on programming that we felt best represented current events so that we could have timely conversations about our industry, however difficult.

We certainly did have some interesting conversations this year, as well as a couple that might have been difficult or uncomfortable for some. That said, we hope you walked away from our programming with a stronger idea of the energy issues facing us in 2026 and some ideas of how we can address them. It’s our hope that the Summit serves as a launching pad for the remainder of the year. If our sessions on data centers, nuclear power, community benefits of utility-scale renewables, financing, or any of the others spurred an idea, we’d love to hear it. Together, we can turn these ideas into action as we continue to build a more resilient Wisconsin by expanding renewable energy.

And finally, we’d like to share some gratitude. The RENEW Wisconsin Summit comes together through the tireless efforts of our staff, board, volunteers, the many speakers who join us, our generous sponsors, and even our many attendees. The collective effort of the renewable energy industry is what makes this event so special, at least we certainly consider it special. It’s our hope that this event means something to all of you as well, because we’re doing it again. We admittedly don’t have many of the details worked out just yet for the 16th RENEW Wisconsin Summit, but we do know that we’ll be back on February 4, 2027. We hope you’ll join us then!

I know I already said “and finally,” but I do have one more thing. Below is a gallery of photos from the event. We know that photos don’t quite do it justice. We promise to have session recordings available within the next couple of weeks. Thanks again to everyone, you all make the yearly effort worth it!

Addressing Local Restrictions on DER

Addressing Local Restrictions on DER

Over the past year, RENEW has expanded its capacity to identify and respond to local barriers to distributed renewable energy (rooftop solar as an example), with a particular focus on identifying and addressing county and town drafting of restrictive local ordinances. RENEW has developed a framework for tracking county and town activity and coordinating with installers and developers on submitting comments to local board meetings. RENEW continues to communicate with county and town boards, when necessary, to advise on policy and legal implications of overly restrictive local regulations on distributed energy resources.

As part of implementing this strategy, RENEW communicated directly with Jefferson County regarding their 2025 Solar Energy Systems Ordinance Draft, providing a detailed legal analysis of how key provisions conflicted with state law and Court of Appeals precedent. RENEW’s analysis resulted in the redrafting of the proposed ordinance. When the ordinance was presented to the County Board of Supervisors, RENEW called for comments from RENEW members and impacted installers and developers. The strategy resulted in the Jefferson County Board returning the proposed ordinance to the zoning committee for further review, to reduce restrictions on solar energy systems.

The experience has helped RENEW identify potential litigation and policy strategies to empower our advocacy for balanced local rules that do not unduly restrict renewable energy production. RENEW is communicating and coordinating with other stakeholders to lay the groundwork for future model ordinance work and to support potential litigation that can clarify local authority on regulating renewable energy siting and production.

In parallel, RENEW has supported homeowners facing Home Owner Association (HOA) barriers to rooftop solar. RENEW worked with two homeowners and prepared a legal advisory letter to the Theofila Estates HOA explaining the limited authority of HOAs under state law, demonstrating how the HOA’s rejection of south-facing solar installations based on aesthetic rules would significantly increase costs, reduce system efficiency, and disqualify projects from Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy rebate, and therefore constitute an unlawful restriction on solar.

Together, this local and HOA focused work is helping RENEW build a practical toolkit that RENEW can deploy statewide to defend solar rights and promote uniform, lawful treatment of distributed renewable energy.

Many Ways to Give

Many Ways to Give

As we enter the season of thanks, togetherness, and gift-giving, those of us at RENEW Wisconsin wanted to talk about that last one. As a nonprofit that focuses on policy and legislation that helps to accelerate the clean energy transition, we depend on the kindness of individuals, businesses, and a number of grants to keep the advocacy work moving.

There are several avenues we’ve made available to clean energy advocates to provide financial support (and ideally, a little tax break for you). Below is a quick breakdown of all the ways to give.

A One-Time Donation

The most straightforward way to give! We will gladly take any amount of money that you’re willing to part with to support our mission. At $50/year, you are officially an individual member, which gives you voting privileges during our annual board elections.

Sustaining Membership

Any monthly donation that totals $50/year over 12 months makes you a member. That’s as little as $5 a month — less than most places charge for a cup of coffee these days.

Stock Donations?!

It might sound crazy, but we also accept stocks. Have a junk stock that’s just not performing? Want to reduce your capital gains tax exposure? You can quickly and securely donate your stock to us. And just to be clear, we never touch the stock. When you support us through stock donations, they are immediately sold, and the funds go straight to the bank.

However you choose to give, we appreciate it — and if you can give this time, we understand. Whatever you choose to do, we have one other ask. When you’re talking with family, friends, or neighbors about what you can do to combat climate change, reduce pollution, or support our local economy, consider spreading the word about RENEW and how together we can make the clean energy revolution happen.

With Gratitude,
RENEW Wisconsin

Help Us Reach Our Goal This Giving Tuesday

Help Us Reach Our Goal This Giving Tuesday

It’s that time of year again, the one every nonprofit organization spends many a sleepless night over. Is it out of excitement for an opportunity to reach out to our supporters, dread over how much money we may or may not raise, or both? Regardless, it’s Giving Tuesday, and if you’re in the giving spirit today, we’d like to ask you to help us reach our goal of raising $15,000 in individual donations by the end of the year.

We are certain this is one of many requests you’re getting today, and we know there are many vital missions to support. It is, however, our hope that you believe, like us, that climate change is quite possibly the greatest issue facing our planet today. A donation today helps us combat the climate crisis through advocacy for policy and legislation that will accelerate the clean energy revolution.

Despite the headwinds against us, the renewable energy industry isn’t going anywhere. Nor are we! We’re committed to helping solar installers, utility-scale energy developers, and everyone in between put the pedal to the metal to reach our clean energy goals. With that said, we need support from individuals like yourself to keep RENEW going strong.

With your help, we’ve been able to develop our Net-Zero Roadmap, push renewables-friendly updates to housing codes, draft and support net metering legislation, and help gigawatts of clean energy projects secure state approval. Despite all we’ve achieved together, there’s so much more to be done. We hope you’ll stick with us and see this clean energy revolution through to the end.

Thank you for your support!

Ismaeel Chartier, Executive Director

RENEW Wisconsin Board of Directors Selects Ismaeel Chartier as Executive Director

RENEW Wisconsin Board of Directors Selects Ismaeel Chartier as Executive Director

On November 12, 2025, the RENEW Wisconsin Board of Directors voted to appoint Ismaeel Chartier as the Executive Director of RENEW Wisconsin. Ismaeel steps into this role after three months in the role of Interim Executive Director. Prior to his time leading the organization, he served RENEW as the Business Development Director, having started with the organization in 2023.

Ismaeel came to RENEW with a deep background in the nonprofit sector, having served at a handful of nonprofits over nearly two decades. Some highlights of his career include Executive Director of the Walworth County Alliance for Children and Executive Director of the Impact Advocacy Coalition of Cincinnati.

“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve as Executive Director of RENEW Wisconsin,” Executive Director Ismaeel Chartier said. “This organization has walked through a season of change, and I’m honored by the trust placed in me to lead us into what comes next. The road ahead is demanding and full of big decisions, but I welcome that challenge. Wisconsin’s clean energy future will not build itself; it requires disciplined leadership, strong partnerships, and a team willing to push together. I’m committed to carrying this work forward with humility, resolve, and a steady focus on the long-term impact we can make for communities across our state.”

Ismaeel’s appointment to this position comes at a time of uncertainty for the renewable energy industry and marks the end of a transitional period for RENEW Wisconsin. During his tenure as interim, he steadied our organization and began charting a vision for RENEW’s future. In doing so, he secured the confidence of the organization’s staff and board members.

“Ismaeel’s appointment as Executive Director marks an exciting new chapter for RENEW Wisconsin,” RENEW Wisconsin Board Secretary Isaiah Ness said. “His leadership brings not only the steadiness and stability the organization needs, but also a clear and compelling vision for the future. We are honored to welcome him into this role at such a pivotal moment. Under his guidance, RENEW is poised to deliver greater value to its members, partners, and communities than ever before.”

Staff and board alike congratulate Ismaeel on the removal of interim from his title and are glad he agreed to take on the responsibility of leading our organization. Now, we look ahead to the future and all that we can build together.

Buyer Beware: Solar Tax Credits

Buyer Beware: Solar Tax Credits

Earlier this year, Congress and President Trump pushed the One Big Beautiful Bill through the federal government. The massive budget reconciliation package did many things—one in particular directly impacts the residential solar industry.

After December 31, 2025, homeowners will no longer be eligible for the 30% Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D). This applies to residential solar and a few other clean energy technologies. The tax credit will only be available for projects that are fully installed, operational, and legally interconnected by the December 31 deadline. This is the most conservative interpretation of the requirements. We recommend consulting a tax attorney to get the most up-to-date information.

Many solar installers are booked through the end of the year and even well into 2026. At this point, if you are not already working with an installer, we recommend that you exercise caution about any business that tells you they can complete the project in time for you to get the tax credit.

If you are still in the market for solar, please consider looking through our list of business members to find a reputable company. Some of our members are even offering discounts on installations for 2026 to make up for the loss of the tax credit. When pursuing solar power, we recommend you get multiple quotes and use a local installer. You can review our map of installers here.