by jboullion | Aug 23, 2017 | Uncategorized
“Ride with RENEW” will highlight area renewable energy projects
Madison, WI – August 23, 2017; Contact Tyler Huebner, Executive Director, 608-255-4044 ext 1.
On Sunday, October 1st, RENEW Wisconsin, with presenting sponsor SunPeak, will host its 5th annual “Ride with RENEW” bicycle tour of renewable energy projects, with this year’s ride taking place in Middleton, WI. All event proceeds support RENEW Wisconsin’s ongoing work to advance renewable energy in Wisconsin.
Riders will travel approximately 22 miles on paved roads and bike paths to visit innovative wind, solar and biogas energy generation facilities in scenic northwest Dane County.
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| 2015 Ride with RENEW – Lake Geneva |
The total tour time will be approximately 6 hours (including stops at renewable energy sites) and actual riding time will be 2 to 3 hours. Seasoned cyclists will have an optional longer route of about 40 miles to travel at their own pace.
Participants will get an inside look at some of the area’s leading renewable energy projects and will enjoy breakfast, lunch, and beverages along the way. They will visit with installers and workers who are advancing renewable energy every day, and hear from customers about why clean energy works for their pocketbooks and their businesses.
The stops and start and end schedule is as follows:
∞ Gather at BMO Harris Bank parking Lot in Middleton for a 9:30 a.m. departure.
∞ Sustainable Engineering Group’s net-zero solar powered office in downtown Middleton.
∞ Gundersen Health Systems & Dane County Biodigester. This project converts manure to make enough electricity to power approximately 2,500 homes while keeping manure out of the watershed.
∞ Madison Gas & Electric’s Middleton Shared Solar project, a large 500 kilowatt solar project on the roof of the Middleton Operations Center. Subscribers to this pilot shared solar program receive the benefits of locally generated solar power from a centralized solar project.
∞ Epic’s “Galactic” Wind Farm, featuring six turbines — each with three 135-foot blades – which rise hundreds of feet above the rolling hills northwest of Madison and generate enough electricity to help Epic offset much of its energy needs.
∞ PDQ in downtown Middleton. Presenting sponsor SunPeak installed solar panels on this store which showcases the market advances of solar alongside traditional fuels.
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2016 Ride with RENEW – Sisters of St. Agnes Solar Array in
Fond du Lac |
The ride will conclude at Capital Brewery, also powered by a set of solar panels, for refreshments around 4:00 p.m.
Registration for the ride is open through September 29th. The cost is $30 for members of RENEW Wisconsin, $40 for non-members, and $60 to both register for the ride and become a member of the organization for one year. All donations to RENEW Wisconsin for this charity bike ride are matched up to $15,000 by generous donors John & Mary Frantz of Madison!
Individuals and businesses can donate to RENEW Wisconsin or in support of a rider, sign on as an event sponsor, or volunteer on ride day.
“We are very excited to tour some of the Middleton area’s great renewable energy projects on Sunday, October 1st,” said Tyler Huebner, Executive Director of RENEW Wisconsin. “This tour allows us to showcase a variety of ways to produce homegrown, clean energy right here in Wisconsin including wind, solar, and even cow manure. This is a really fun event where you can meet great people, help a good cause, and learn together about clean energy in Wisconsin.”
Sponsors of the Event include SunPeak (presenting sponsor), Capital Brewery, City of Middleton, H&H Solar, Summit Credit Union, Wegner CPAs, Full Spectrum Solar, One Energy Renewables, Midwest Solar Power, Madison Solar Consulting, Open Circle UUF, and Willy Street Co-op. There is still time to sponsor if your business or organization wishes to do so.
About RENEW Wisconsin
RENEW Wisconsin is a nonprofit organization which promotes renewable energy in Wisconsin. We work on policies and programs that support solar power, wind power, biogas, local hydropower, and geothermal energy. More information on RENEW’s website: www.renewwisconsin.org.
by jboullion | May 10, 2017 | Uncategorized
For Immediate Release
More Information:
Katie Crawley, Mayor’s Office
Katherine
Klausing, RENEW Wisconsin
614-406-1105
|
A team from Full Spectrum Solar installs a solar array
for a 2016 Group Buy Participant |
May 9, 2017 –
Madison. The Cities of Madison and Middleton have selected the winning offer
from contractors who competed to serve the MadiSUN Solar Group Buy program, which
helps residents easily and affordably invest in solar electric systems on their
homes. The cities have selected a collaborative bid from Full Spectrum Solar and Midwest
Solar Power, two solar installation companies based in Madison.
The MadiSUN Solar
Group Buy program allows Madison and Middleton residents to “go solar”
together. MadiSUN used a competitive Request for Proposals process to
seek offers from solar companies across the region, and dozens of
companies were invited to bid. For the first time, the program selected a
collaborative bid from two companies, who will offer the same price and
services.
 |
| The 2017 MadiSUN solar program launched on April 24, 2017 |
Katherine Klausing, MadiSUN Program Manager, said “we were really pleased with the
competitive offers we received.” The program evaluated bids based on pricing,
work quality, customer service and the company’s qualifications. “This is going to be a great deal for
families who are interested in going solar this year. Our participants say that
they feel better knowing there’s a trusted company that has been vetted by our
program. By going with the group buy and benefitting from the low price we
negotiate, families can save an extra 10 percent compared to what they would
pay to go solar alone.”
Alarik Rosenlund,
Co-Owner of Midwest Solar Power, says his company is happy to partner with
the program to bring more solar energy to local residents. “This year may
be a real sweet spot for anyone looking at installing solar, especially with
the tax credits and rebates available,” Rosenlund said. But it’s not just
about the economics. “This is a great way for people to take action on
something really important.”
The cost of installing solar has never been lower, and households
can receive a Federal Tax Credit for 30 percent of the system cost, while
Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy program offers up to $2,000 in additional rebates.
New solar education
events were also announced, aimed at helping residents learn more about
solar energy and the options available for installing solar. All events are
free and open to the public. The dates, times, and locations information
sessions are available at
www.madisunsolar.com/upcoming-events
and enclosed below.
 |
Madison Mayor Paul Soglin
accepted a SolSmart Gold award |
Madison earned a
“gold” designation from SolSmart, the highest level of
recognition from a national program under the
U.S. Department of
Energy’s SunShot Initiative. The “gold” designation recognizes the city’s
efforts to accelerate solar development, from improving permitting and zoning
for solar, to investing in financing and solar workforce training programs. The
announcement took place at on Monday at the National Planning Conference in New
York City.
“Madison’s commitment to continued utilization of solar
energy is genuine,” said Madison Mayor
Paul Soglin in a statement. “We have our Green Power Program in
which we train new workers to install solar, our goal of producing one Megawatt
of Solar by 2020 and incredible partnerships like SolSmart and others. We
are on our way!”
As a
SolSmart Gold designee, Madison received national recognition for adopting
programs and practices that make it faster, easier, and cheaper to go solar. A
SolSmart designation is a signal that the community is “open for solar
business,” helping to attract solar industry investment and generate economic
development and local jobs. Madison recently became the first community
in Wisconsin to commit to a goal of 100 percent renewable energy.
About
SolSmart
SolSmart
is a national designation and technical assistance program that recognizes
leading solar communities and empowers additional communities to expand their
local solar markets. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot
Initiative, SolSmart strives to cut red tape, drive greater solar deployment,
and make it possible for even more American homes and businesses to access
solar energy to meet their electricity needs. Learn more at SolSmart.org.
About MadiSUN Solar
Group Buy
MadiSUN
works to expand solar energy adoption through a comprehensive, community-wide
approach. This group purchase program
is operated by RENEW Wisconsin Inc., a nonprofit organization, on behalf of the City of Madison, with support from the
City of Middleton. The goal of the program is to increase solar education and adoption in
the Madison and Middleton areas through a group purchase and competitive
bidding process. In conjunction with this program, RENEW Wisconsin and the City
of Madison will partner with Summit Credit Union to provide a special solar
loan program for Madison residents. This
summer, participants can learn more and sign up at madisunsolar.com.
Solar Information
Sessions
1. Madison
College, Truax Campus
Tuesday May 16th at 6pm
Protective Services Building, Room 215,
1701 Wright St, Madison
2. Goodman
Community Center
Tuesday June 6th at 6pm
Merrill Lynch Room, 149 Waubesa St, Madison
3. Good Shepherd
Lutheran Church
Tuesday June 13th at 7pm
Peterson Hall, 5701 Raymond Rd, Madison
4. Middleton
Public Library
Wednesday June 28th at 6:30 p.m.
7425 Hubbard Ave, Middleton
5. Catholic
Multicultural Center
Thursday July 6th at 7pm
1862 Beld St, Madison
6. Capital
Brewery & Bier Garten
Monday July 17th at 5:30pm
7734 Terrace Ave, Middleton
7. First
Unitarian Society
Sunday July 30th at 12:30 p.m.
900 University Bay Dr, Madison
###
by jboullion | Apr 24, 2017 | Uncategorized
More Information:
Katie Crawley, Mayor’s Office
Katherine
Klausing, RENEW Wisconsin
614-406-1105
April 24, 2017 – Madison. Today the Cities of Madison and Middleton
announced the launch of the MadiSUN Solar Group Buy program, a collaborative
program that helps residents easily and affordably invest in solar electric
systems on their homes. The announcement continues the steady stream of
renewable energy commitments and solar projects announced in Wisconsin, and
follows 2016’s successful solar group buy program—the largest in Wisconsin to
date.
|
Jay Edgar and Josh Feyen participated in the
2016 MadiSUN Group Buy. |
The MadiSUN Solar
Group Buy program will enable Madison and Middleton residents to “go solar”
together. Through the group buy program, a team of community members
requests offers from solar companies across the region. The program then
pre-qualifies a price and service provider to make it as easy as possible for
people to join the program. The City’s investment in marketing and
competitive bidding will drive down the cost for each participant. The cost of
installing solar has never been lower, and households can receive a Federal Tax
Credit for 30 percent of the system cost, while Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy
program offers up to $2,000 in additional rebates.
The program, through its contractor RENEW Wisconsin, has begun recruiting
interested households to participate. This summer, citizens can learn more and
sign up at madisunsolar.com.
Madison Mayor Paul Soglin lauded the
group buy program. “These programs are proven vehicles for making rooftop
solar more accessible and affordable for homeowners in the community, and
that’s why we thank MadiSUN,” he said.
The City will partner
Summit
Credit Union to offer a special
Solar
Energy Loan Program where residents can finance 100 percent of a solar
electric system with no fees or collateral. “Summit Credit Union is thrilled to
continue partnering with the City of Madison bringing solar technology to the
area,” they said in a statement. Details on the MadiSUN loan program can
be found on the website
summitcreditunion.com or by calling
800-236-0985.
Six educational
events were also announced as part of the program, aimed at helping
residents learn more about solar energy and the options available for
installing solar. All events are free and open to the public. The dates, times,
and locations information sessions are available at
www.madisunsolar.com/upcoming-events.
 |
Madison Mayor Paul Soglin accepts
SolSmart’s “Gold” designation. |
Madison earned a
“gold” designation from SolSmart, the highest level of
recognition from a national program under the U.S. Department of
Energy’s SunShot Initiative. The “gold” designation recognizes the city’s
efforts to accelerate solar development, from improving permitting and zoning
for solar, to investing in financing and solar workforce training
programs. Madison recently became the
first community in Wisconsin to commit to a goal of 100 percent renewable
energy. The City is already progressing toward that goal, including initiatives
like a citywide solar apprenticeship program whose trainees will install
another 100 kilowatts of solar on city facilities.
Middleton Mayor
Gurdip Brar pointed to the city’s many solar developments in recent months,
such as the 100kW atop the Middleton Police Station. “We at the City of
Middleton are proud to work with our neighbors to bring the benefits of solar
energy to all of our communities here,” he said. “Going forward, Middleton and
Madison are going to be cooperating a lot more,” he said.
“2017 is going to be a great year for solar, and we
encourage Middleton families to take advantage of this opportunity,” Brar said.
“This is a great day for our communities.”
 |
Jay Edgar and Josh Feyen use their solar panels
to power their hybrid-electric car. |
Homeowners Josh Feyen and Jay Edgar
hosted the event outside their home, where they installed 6 kW of solar panels
in 2016 as part of that year’s MadiSUN Group Buy program. The array also powers their new car, a
hybrid-electric Chevrolet Volt. Feyen
estimates that the system will pay for itself through energy cost savings in about
10 years “and then we’re going to be getting about 20 years of free
electricity, including charging our car three times per week. So if you think
about it, we’re saving a lot of money from the energy we’re creating and the
gasoline we’re not putting in our car,” said Feyen. They were also able to take
advantage of the federal tax credit and rebates from the Focus on Energy program.
Feyen and Edgar have also been talking to family and friends
about the benefits of the MadiSUN program. “We’ve kind of been Johnny
Appleseed,” Edgar says.
 |
Katherine Klausing, MadiSUN Program Manager,
gives concluding remarks at the 2017 launch. |
MadiSUN Program
Manager Katherine Klausing concluded by saying, “We’ve built a lot of
momentum leading to this event. As successful as the past year has been, we
believe 2017 is going to be even better.”
**END**
by jboullion | Feb 7, 2017 | Uncategorized
Immediate release
February 7, 2017
More information
Tyler Huebner, Executive Director
608.575.2201 (mobile)
tyler.huebner@renewwisconsin.org
|
Workers from Madison-based Full Spectrum Solar
installing solar panels on a participating home
in the MadiSUN Group Purchase Program. |
Today, The Solar Foundation released the national and state-by-state results of its annual “Solar Jobs Census.”
Wisconsin’s solar industry employs 2,813 workers according to the Census, across installation, manufacturing, sales and distribution, project development, and related sector employment.
The Census reported 45% growth in Wisconsin solar over 2015 numbers (1,941 jobs), after showing little growth between 2014 and 2015.
Nationally, the industry saw 25% growth with over 260,000 Americans now working in the solar sector, up from 208,859 last year, and comprising the fourth consecutive year with more than 20% growth.
Wisconsin’s rankings amongst all states were largely unchanged. Wisconsin placed 26th nationally for both the number of solar jobs in the state (same as 2015), and 26th nationally in solar jobs per capita (up one spot from 27th last year).
The full report can be found at www.SolarJobsCensus.org, where national and state-by-state reports are located.
Additional key statistics include:
• The U.S. Solar Industry now employs twice as many Americans as the coal industry, and approximately as many as the natural gas industry
• One out of 50 new American jobs in 2016 was in the solar industry
• The national median wage for solar installers is $26 per hour
• Solar employs Veterans: 9% of the solar industry is comprised of Veterans, compared with 7% of the U.S. workforce
“Solar energy is a growth industry and it is outstanding to see Wisconsin-based businesses adding jobs to meet the demand for increased solar installations in Wisconsin and throughout the country,” said Tyler Huebner, RENEW Wisconsin’s Executive Director.
“But Wisconsin’s solar energy job growth potential has just begun to be tapped. Solar makes up less than 1% of Wisconsin’s electricity production. This growth industry could be propelled by improved policies to unlock its true potential, including fair compensation for grid-connected solar, clarity on third-party financing opportunities, and simplified procedures for connecting solar to the local utility grid,” concluded Huebner.
by jboullion | Jan 30, 2017 | Solar, Utility Scale
For immediate release
January 30, 2017
More information
Tyler Huebner, Executive Director
608.255.4044
tyler.huebner@renewwisconsin.org
|
One of the Dairyland Power Cooperative arrays at
Taylor Electric Cooperative in Medford, WI.
The NextEra and WPPI project will be approx. 50x as large. |
Today, an agreement was announced between NextEra Energy Resources, LLC and WPPI Energy to build a 100 megawatt solar energy project in northeast Wisconsin. The project, according to the companies, would be located on land adjacent to the existing Point Beach Nuclear Plant which operates in Two Rivers, and serve more than 23,000 people with affordable, clean energy.
RENEW Wisconsin Executive Director, Tyler Huebner, said, “This will by far be the largest solar energy project built in Wisconsin yet, and it builds on the continued growth of solar energy in the state. We congratulate both WPPI Energy and NextEra Energy Resources on the announcement of this project and their leadership in bringing more affordable, clean energy to Wisconsin.”
This project will nearly triple the amount of solar we have built in Wisconsin as of today. According to RENEW Wisconsin estimates, 55 megawatts of solar are built or in construction today, and that is up from 25 megawatts at the end of 2015.
“Along with Dairyland Power Coooperative, which is building 20 MW of solar projects currently, WPPI Energy is showing that solar power is a competitive resource for electricity providers in Wisconsin,” concluded Huebner.
The companies’ press release can be found at: https://wppienergy.org/News/NewsItem?item=47
Media stories on the announcement:
– Op-Ed from Two Rivers City Manager Greg Buckley
– Major solar energy project slated for Wisconsin; Sun Prairie’s WPPI Energy to buy the power
