Microgrids 101

Microgrids are combinations of energy generation, storage, and control assets that work together in symbiosis so the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. This session will look at two critical quantitative benefits of microgrids – economics and resilience – and discuss how to maximize performance through design considerations and operational strategy.

Speaker
Amy Simpkins, muGrid Analytics

Transitioning an Old House to All Electric

At 24% direct emissions, the building sector comprises the largest end-use emissions in Wisconsin. In this session, Susan Millar will share her journey towards electrifying her home. She installed an air-source heat pump for heating and cooling energy efficiency, replaced her gas stove with an induction cooktop, and ultimately shut off her gas connection with the local utility. Join the conversation to learn how you can begin to convert your home to clean electric power.

Speakers
Abigail Corso, Elevate
Susan Millar, 350 Madison

Monona Grove High School Solar Case Study: Getting Started with School Solar Projects

Members of MG School District’s Sustainability Committee will share best practices and lessons learned related to their rooftop solar PV array. Once energized, the array will be the largest on any Wisconsin K-12 school. Learn tips and tricks for approaching and working with your school board; forming a committee; selecting projects; applying for grants; working with administration and faculty; and building student, family, and community support to lay the foundation for success.

Speakers
Krishna Elwell, Monona Grove Sustainability Committee, Student Representative
Mary Konz, Monona Grove Sustainability Committee, Student representative
Lynn Laszewski, Monona Grove School District
Teresa Radermacher, Monona Grove School District’s Sustainability Committee, Co-chair
Peter Sobol, Monona Grove School District, Chair/ School Board Member

All Roads Lead to Clean Energy and Renewable Energy Stories

Welcome and Opening Remarks
(0:10 on the video) 

Speakers
Heather Allen, RENEW Wisconsin
Jason MacDuff, greenpenny (Sponsor)
Jeff Rich, RENEW Wisconsin

2021 Achievements
(15:30 on the video)
Speaker
Michael Vickerman, RENEW Wisconsin

All Roads Lead to Clean Energy
(34:30 on the video) 
We have reached the point where climate science and Economics 101 send us the same message: we can and must accelerate our transition to a clean energy future. While there are multiple pathways forward, each with the potential to make our task a little less herculean, there is no single, direct route that can take us to our desired destination. Here in Wisconsin, some of the roads are long and winding, some of them have bumps and potholes, and some don’t even show up on the maps we’re using. But it’s imperative that we make progress, and any road that takes us closer to our clean energy goals is one worth pursuing. Our job at this summit is to encourage those who are taking the initiative and make sure that they don’t get in each other’s way.

Speakers
Josh Arnold, JD, MBA, LEED AP, UW-Madison Office of Sustainability
Bill Bailey, Cheq Bay Renewables
Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes, State of Wisconsin
Elise Couillard, Legacy Solar Co-op
Cooper Johnson, Invenergy
Michael Vickerman, RENEW Wisconsin

Renewable Energy Stories
(1:33:58 on the video) 

Converting a Jeep to Electric – Electrify Your Life (Veronika Wright)
What does it take to convert a ’99 Jeep Wrangler to electric, charge it with solar power and install an energy storage system in Wisconsin? Let’s try it! From planning to component selection to installation, we share the whole journey through Electrified Veronika, a social enterprise dedicated to electrifying your life.

Bad River Microgrid (Dan Wiggins)
The Bad River Tribe recently concluded the installation of the Ishkonige Nawadide Solar Microgrid Project, which installed over 500 kilowatts of solar and 1,000-kilowatt-hours of batteries at three tribal facilities in response to flood events that occurred in 2016 in northern Wisconsin. The Tribe’s energy projects are further planned and executed on the Tribe’s ability to exercise energy sovereignty, and eventually reach the Tribe’s energy vision, “to empower and enable the community to move towards energy independence.

Speakers
Sam Dunaiski, RENEW Wisconsin
Daniel Wiggins Jr., Bad River Natural Resource Department
Veronika Wright, Electrified Veronika

Advancing Clean Energy with Transmission and Energy Storage

A zero-carbon grid requires investments in energy storage and transmission to allow wind and solar to be utilized when and where it is most needed. Moving renewable energy from wind and solar farms to homes, businesses, and farms and storing excess energy is the backbone of the broad expansion of clean energy. Learn how transmission and storage can accelerate the transformation to a Wisconsin powered by renewable energy.

Speakers
Lauren Azar, Azar Law LLC and Azar Consulting LLC
Sam Gomberg, Union of Concerned Scientists
Andrew Siebenaler, Xcel Energy

Decarbonizing our Buildings: It’s Electric

Building electrification has the potential to drastically reduce emissions by replacing fossil fuel use with electricity for clean, renewable energy. Learn about building electrification and collaborate with colleagues to workshop ideas on the benefits and barriers to electrifying Wisconsin’s building stock.

Speakers
Abigail Corso, Elevate
Dylan Cyre, Focus on Energy
Dr. Jed Downs, WHPCA
Alex Harris, HGA
Megan Levy, PSC, Wisconsin Office Of Energy Innovation (Sponsor)
Lauren Reeg, Rocky Mountain Institute

Distributed Energy Resources in Wisconsin: Solar and Beyond

The distributed energy market in Wisconsin has been growing rapidly over the last several years. To get to deep decarbonization, we will need more than utility-scale renewable energy. Learn how distributed renewable energy sources, combined with load management and efficiency measures, can help create a zero-carbon society.

Speakers
Sam Dunaiski, RENEW Wisconsin
Bridgot Gysbers, Ruekert-Mielke, Inc
Jackie Harrison-Jewell, Couillard Solar Foundation (Sponsor)
Catie Malcheski, SunVest Solar, LLC
Emily Swift, American Family Insurance

Stacking Capital for Renewable Energy in Wisconsin

From financing renewable energy projects in low to moderate-income neighborhoods, to investments in the early stages of large-scale renewable projects, access to capital for renewable energy projects can be challenging. We’ll talk to finance experts that support a variety of renewable energy projects and represent various pieces of the “capital stack.” Learn how Wisconsin clean energy projects are financed and about programs and policies that can remove financial barriers to renewable energy adoption.

Speakers
Timothy DenHerder-Thomas, Cooperative Energy Futures
Bryan Dworak, Foley
Jason MacDuff, greenpenny
Kurt Reinhold, Legacy Solar Co-op

Wisconsin’s Clean Energy Plan and the Zero Carbon Roadmap

In 2019, Governor Evers established a Wisconsin goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050. The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin and the Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy have been working to develop the frameworks to reach this ambitious goal through the Zero Carbon Roadmap and the State of Wisconsin Clean Energy Plan respectively. Learn about these two initiatives and how Wisconsinites can help ensure these efforts yield bold and equitable action to shift to renewable energy.

Speakers
Joe Fontaine, Public Service Commission of Wisconsin
Andrew Kell, RENEW Wisconsin
Maria Redmond, WI Office of Sustainability & Clean Energy

Policy Opportunities for Clean Energy Expansion and Renewable Energy Awards

Policy Opportunities for Clean Energy Expansion
Legislation in Wisconsin can offer new opportunities to grow the renewable energy market and create equitable access to clean energy. Our panel of legislative experts will discuss current proposals including community solar, third-party financing, electric vehicle charging fees, direct sales of electric vehicles, and other emerging renewable energy topics.

Speakers
Jim Boullion, RENEW Wisconsin
Scott Coenen, Wisconsin Conservative Energy Forum
Senator Rob Cowles Representative
Representative Greta Neubauer, WI State Assembly District 66
Supreme Moore-Omokunde
Shanelle Wilson, NextEra Energy (Sponsor)

Renewable Energy Awards

Speaker
Michael Vickerman, RENEW Wisconsin

Accelerating Electric Transportation via Interstate Collaboration

In 2021, governors from five Midwest states formed the Regional Electric Vehicle Midwest Coalition (REV Midwest) with the goal of collaborating to expand electric vehicle charging across the region. Learn how this bipartisan agreement will create jobs, lower emissions, and improve public health, and why partnerships like this are key to accelerating our transition to clean energy.

Speakers
Deb Erwin, Xcel Energy
Jane McCurry, Clean Fuels Michigan
Katelynn Samuelsen, WI Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy

Agriculture, Carbon, and Land Management in Wisconsin

New solutions for agricultural emissions management are cropping up! The Wisconsin Agriculture/Carbon/Energy/Water (A-CEW) initiative, led by a public/private collaboration of Wisconsin legislative leaders and private sector executives, is exploring legislative actions for 2022 and beyond. This panel will explore carbon accounting for animal agricultural enterprises; nutrient management and biogas; on-site energy systems; and carbon offsets and managing the carbon of supply and suppliers.

Speakers
Timothy Baye, University of Wisconsin – Madison
Jessica Niekrasz, Clean Fuel Connects
Rep. Gary Tauchen, Wisconsin State Assembly District 6
Bob Welch, The Welch Group

Featured Speaker: Kari Lydersen

Wisconsin is rapidly advancing renewable energy projects of all scales, but how do we compare to our neighbors? Is Wisconsin policy structured to help us meet ambitious clean energy targets? Can Minnesota, Illinois, and Michigan offer valuable lessons for the Badger State? Kari Lydersen, a journalist for Midwest Energy News Network, will bring her perspective of the Midwest’s progress toward climate solutions, energy equity, and clean energy goals.

Speaker
Kari Lydersen, Midwest Energy News
Carol McCoy, Stantec (Sponsor)

Wisconsin’s Growing Clean Energy Workforce

Wisconsin’s clean energy workforce is growing. Explore the variety of clean energy jobs in energy storage, distribution, and supply chain, electric vehicles, and solar and wind wrap-around services that facilitate our clean energy transition. This session will highlight Wisconsin’s leading renewable energy training programs, proposed legislation to help expand these training opportunities, and strategies to promote diversity and inclusion in this growing job market.

Speakers
Nick Hylla, Midwest Renewable Energy Association
Allie Gross, Evergreen Climate Innovations
Andrew Smith, CED Greentech
JD Smith, Arch Electric
Kelly Wilsens, Trillium Construction

The Wave of Utility-Scale Renewable Energy in Wisconsin

The first large-scale solar farms in Wisconsin broke ground in 2019, and since then Wisconsin has tripled its solar capacity. We’ll go over how the RPS drove the utility-scale wind projects of yesterday, and how zero-carbon goals and economics are driving the utility-scale solar of today. Additionally, we’ll provide an overview of how recent solar plus storage proposals may provide a hint of what’s on the horizon for Wisconsin.

Speakers
Andrew Kell, RENEW Wisconsin
Mariah Lynne, Good Steward Consulting
Ben Lipari, Alliant Energy (Sponsor)
Sterling Root, EDF Renewables

Keynote Address: Commissioner Tyler Huebner & Closing Remarks

Commissioner Tyler Huebner will provide an overview of the latest developments in distributed and large-scale renewables, the opportunities to drive transformation through investigative dockets, and his thoughts on the future of renewable energy in Wisconsin.

Introduction
(0:45 on the video)
Heather Allen, RENEW Wisconsin
Cooper Johnson, Invenergy (Sponsor)

Keynote Address
(6:00 on the video)
Commissioner Tyler Huebner, PSCW

Closing Remarks
(1:02:05 on the video)
Jeff Rich, RENEW Wisconsin