Share Your Support Sinnissippi Solar

Share Your Support Sinnissippi Solar

by | Nov 5, 2026 | Public Service Commission, Renewables, Solar

Public comments are open now through November 9 for Sinnissippi Solar, a 100 Megawatt (MW) solar project. If approved, the solar project will be located in Jefferson 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 this solar project is vital for Wisconsin!

You can use the listed benefits below to craft your message.

Sinnissippi Solar isn’t just about the clean energy it will produce. The 100 MW facility in Jefferson County has many benefits.

  • Economic Growth: Sinnissippi Solar is expected to create 192 temporary construction jobs, as well as several long-term local jobs for operations and maintenance. Due to associated economic stimulus related to the development of this project, Sinnissippi Solar is expected to contribute $69.3 million in statewide economic output, $41.9 million of which will occur in Jefferson County. Landowners will also benefit from consistent lease payments during the project’s 30-year lifespan.
  • Community Benefits: Once in service, Sinnissippi Solar will contribute more than $15 million in utility-aid payments over 30 years. Local governments will receive $500,000 annually, with $283,333 for Jefferson County and $216,666 for the Towns of Watertown, Ixonia, and Concord.
  • Emissions Reductions: Sinnissippi Solar will reduce emissions from energy production by about 315 million pounds of CO2 in the first year of operations. In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, this is the equivalent of taking more than 31,000 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 $690,000 in economic benefits associated with public health improvements in Sinnissippi Solar’s first year of operations alone.

Submit your comments today and tell the PSC you support the approval of Sinnissippi Solar!

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Let’s Get Down to Business!

Let’s Get Down to Business!

by | Nov 4, 2026 | RENEW Wisconsin, Renewables

Now that the dust has settled on this year’s election cycle, it’s time to get to work to ensure Governor-elect Crowley delivers on the promises made on the campaign trail. This means taking direct climate action that creates jobs, ensuring any data centers built are powered by renewables, and expanding clean energy development to protect Wisconsinites from high energy prices.

With the state legislature behind Crowley, we have an opportunity to lay a strong foundation for the clean energy future we talk about so often. This doesn’t mean the path ahead will be a walk in the park.

It may feel like the wind is at our backs, but as we pursue legislation and policy that is favorable to clean energy, we cannot let perfection be the enemy of progress. We must also remember that as we build our clean energy future, the expansion of renewable energy must be equitable and benefit all Wisconsinites.

At RENEW Wisconsin, we are hoping to see an all-of-the-above approach to renewable energy take shape through legislation and policy. We want to see Integrated Resource Planning put into practice so we can meet our future energy needs with minimal cost to utility customers. We want to see Community Solar and Plug-in Solar legalized so that more people can benefit from lower utility bills through solar. We want to see Net Metering legislation that ensures people will continue to see a good return on their investment in rooftop solar.

None of this will happen overnight. There will be many competing interests at our state’s Capitol over the next couple of years, but with the help of our partners and support of people like you, we can capitalize on this moment. It’s time to begin the work of building an economy we can all afford.

HELP MAKE IT HAPPEN
Why RENEW is Suing the USDA

Why RENEW is Suing the USDA

by | Sep 28, 2026 | Advocacy, REAP, Renewables

In response to the United States Department of Agriculture’s decision to cut solar out of the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). On behalf of our members, RENEW has joined a lawsuit against the Trump Administration for the harmful actions it has taken. We are one of several plaintiffs, represented by Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) with Earthjustice as co-counsel.

This is the first of several efforts by RENEW to represent the legal interests of our members as we expand the ways in which we are fighting against policies that restrict Americans from accessing or owning renewable energy.

The lawsuit, filed today, challenges the USDA’s new eligibility rules that block solar projects from REAP. Created in 2002, this program has received funding for more than two decades with a goal of helping farmers and rural small businesses save money through investments in energy efficiency and achieve self-reliance through renewable energy, with solar being one of the best options to accomplish this goal. 

The USDA’s updated criteria effectively cut solar from a bipartisan program built by Congress. As a result, cash-strapped rural communities have been denied access to affordable, reliable, and environmentally beneficial solar power during a period when energy prices have reached historic highs.

Making matters worse, the USDA has also decided to apply this new policy retroactively, affecting applications submitted under the USDA’s old rules. REAP applications can take months to prepare, and many applicants have already spent tens of thousands of dollars on equipment, engineering, and other costs that did and still should qualify for reimbursement. This abrupt, retroactive policy change leaves many holding expenses they likely cannot afford.

The lawsuit we’ve joined asks the court to:

  1. Invalidate USDA’s new anti-solar eligibility criteria.
  2. Order USDA to process REAP applications under the rules that were in place when USDA received them.

As finances get tighter and margins thinner, we cannot pull the rug out from the people who grow our food. REAP is supposed to help farmers keep their energy costs low. It is our hope that we can reverse this decision by the Trump Administration to protect farmers and rural business owners from the direct financial harm this rule change will cause.

Action Alert: Pairing Batteries With Solar Should Be Easy

Action Alert: Pairing Batteries With Solar Should Be Easy

by | Sep 25, 2026 | Action Alert, Advocacy, Renewables

This Action Alert might seem similar to one we sent earlier this month. We are, in fact, working to make it easier to pair batteries with residential solar across multiple utility territories!

Batteries are a great option for energy resiliency as they provide power during grid service outages. As they become more cost-effective, more people are hoping to pair them with solar. Unfortunately, utilities have been throwing hurdles in the way, preventing customers from storing and using the energy they create with their own rooftop solar array.

In WPS’ current rate case before the PSC, RENEW has addressed this issue head-on and is asking the PSC to step in and regulate utility interconnection practices.

When installing a solar array, utilities often factor in the size of a rooftop solar array when they determine the cost to connect the system to the electrical grid. WPS adds the capacity of batteries intended to store energy at home (non-exporting) to the solar capacity in order to increase these costs and also make it so customers can’t benefit from net metering.

This utility practice has effectively blocked all non-exporting batteries from being installed in WPS’ service territory. To solve this, we need the PSC to officially tell WPS to stop this unreasonable practice and allow customers to install batteries that they can pair with their rooftop solar arrays.

Join us in telling the PSC to regulate WPS and require the utility to allow customers to pair batteries with their own rooftop solar. The deadline to file public comments with the PSC is October 5th.

TAKE ACTION

Sample comment:

WPS is blocking customers from adding batteries to their solar systems, but the PSC can remove this unreasonable hurdle and enable customers to invest in their own energy resilience. Certified, non-exporting batteries help customers store their own solar power for when the grid goes down.

Yet WPS has made it impossible for customers to add these batteries by increasing interconnection costs and pushing solar customers out of net metering. I urge the PSC to do the right thing and allow customers to add batteries to their rooftop solar!

Action Alert: Tell the PSC Pairing Batteries With Rooftop Solar Should Be Easy

Action Alert: Tell the PSC Pairing Batteries With Rooftop Solar Should Be Easy

by | Sep 11, 2026 | Action Alert, Advocacy, Renewables

As batteries have become more cost-effective, they have also become more in demand, in part, for the energy resiliency they provide during grid service outages. But as more homeowners and businesses attempt to add batteries to their solar systems, utilities have been throwing hurdles in the way, preventing customers from storing and using the energy they create with their own rooftop solar array.

In WE Energies’ current rate case before the PSC, RENEW has addressed this issue head-on and is asking the PSC to step in and regulate utility interconnection practices. 

When installing a solar array, utilities often factor in the size of a rooftop solar array when they determine the cost to connect the system to the electrical grid. WE Energies adds the capacity of batteries intended to store energy at home (non-exporting) to the solar capacity in order to increase these costs and also make it so customers can’t benefit from net metering.

This utility practice has effectively blocked all non-exporting batteries from being installed in WE Energies’ service territory. To solve this, we need the PSC to officially tell WE Energies to stop this unreasonable practice and allow customers to install batteries that they can pair with their rooftop solar arrays.

Join us in telling the PSC to regulate WE Energies and require the utility to allow customers to pair batteries with their own rooftop solar. The deadline to file public comments with the PSC is September 18.

*The deadline has passed for this comment period