RENEW Wisconsin is part of a coalition supporting the enactment of a community solar program. The long-awaited legislation will be introduced in the coming days to allow private developers to build and operate solar projects, creating savings for electricity customers participating in the program.
Community solar is not new — 23 states already have similar programs. In Wisconsin, public utilities have rejected any attempt to allow a non-utility to provide electricity to customers. Here, community solar is an option in limited areas – for customers who were able to sign up in a handful of utility-offered projects or those who happen to be members of an electric cooperative that offers it.
This proposed legislation aims to change that. With community solar, participants can save money on their electric bill. Many people do not have the funds to install solar panels on their roof or have land with the right sun exposure. From apartment-dwellers to non-profits to schools and small businesses, interest is growing. As is the desire of landowners and farmers to lease their land or businesses to lease their unused roof space or a parking lot for steady extra income from hosting the projects.
Significant changes have been made to prior efforts on this bill to garner more support.
Key components of the proposed legislation include:
- Developers need to secure land to lease for the project, build it, and maintain it
- The projects are limited to 3 subscribers, and no subscriber can get more than 40% of the power generated
- The project size must be under 5 megawatts, which equates to about 27 acres
- The program is set to last 10 years, with a maximum number of projects set at 350
- Customers need to sign up to participate in the program, and still get most of their electricity from the utility and pay the utility facility charges, including a $20 minimum bill requirement
- Projects are required to meet the definition of dual use, such as pollinator habitat, grazing, or other agricultural development
- If electrical updates are needed to accommodate projects, the developers will be required to reimburse the utility for the upgrade
- The developers are responsible for making sure there are enough subscribers for the energy generated from each project
The main thing that the utility is responsible for is allowing the projects to be interconnected to the grid and making arrangements to ensure participating customers save on their energy bills thanks to the electricity generated by the community solar projects.
These projects are intentionally community-based and require community approval when approving the site for each project. The bill calls for a 2/3 approval by the local government. With any development, laws govern permitting and zoning requirements. When it comes to larger, utility-scale renewable energy development, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin has oversight. For smaller-scale ones like the community solar, approval authority is in the hands of the local government. Adding options for community solar development is not choosing smaller over large-scale, but providing different opportunities and renewable energy benefits to more areas of the state.
Supporting all renewable energy development brings benefits beyond energy. These projects bring private capital to local areas, greater economic investments, and more jobs. Jobs created by these projects include building and road construction, electrical, and maintenance. There’s additional economic opportunity thanks to the dual-use requirement for these projects, which makes sure the land (in many cases, farmland) is still producing crops, grazing opportunities, or even wildlife habitat.
Constituents in every legislative district would have a chance to benefit from this bill if passed. But with utility opposition, those chances are slim. Unless those who are in support of community solar developments advocate for this bill.
Let’s be clear – a few community solar projects built over the next decade will not ruin public utilities. But having subscribers reduce their bills by a small percentage could benefit many utility customers.