Action Alert Archives - RENEW Wisconsin

Help Ensure a Smooth Application Process for Badger Hollow Wind

by Julia Holzschuh | Dec 18, 2024 | Action Alert, Wind

The Badger Hollow Wind Energy project in Iowa and Grant counties, Wisconsin, will generate clean, Wisconsin-made energy to help meet our state’s growing electricity demand. Ensure the approval process for this project starts strong by submitting comments to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC).

In your comments, share why you value clean energy and urge the PSC to include the benefits of Badger Hollow Wind in their environmental impact documents. Share how the 118-megawatt project will significantly reduce emissions for our state, fighting the impacts of climate change while reducing human exposure to harmful emissions.

Wind energy plays a significant role in our clean energy mix and projects like this are necessary to meet our 2050 net-zero emissions goals. Submit your comments to the PSC by the December 19 deadline to help Wisconsin add another clean energy project to the mix!

SUBMIT COMMENTS

Your Advocacy in Action

Thanks to your support, last week the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin approved the Vista Sands solar project at its full size of 1.3 gigawatts. The impact of this decision is difficult to understate, and without you this would not have been possible. Your efforts will result in the removal of more than 1.5 million tons of carbon emissions each year. Every project your support gets us closer to our net-zero goals!

Action Alert: Show Support for Wisconsin’s Largest Solar Farm

by Alex Beld | Jul 25, 2024 | Action Alert, Advocacy, Public Service Commission

A nearly 1,300-megawatt (MW) solar project, Vista Sands Solar Farm, has been proposed in Portage County by Doral Renewables, LLC. If approved, Vista Sands would be the largest solar farm constructed in the state of Wisconsin, offering a substantial step forward in meeting our state’s clean energy goals.

Earlier this summer, RENEW Wisconsin submitted testimony in support of Vista Sands to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW). Now that the public comment period is open, we’re asking you to help ensure this project’s success by sharing your support for solar energy.

The Vista Sands Solar project is a significant investment in local communities, creating over 150 new long-term jobs, increasing tax revenue for local governments, and providing a steady revenue stream for farmers who lease their land for the project. Cropland can rest and regenerate throughout the lifespan of the solar project, maintaining soil quality and ensuring the land remains viable for the next generation of farmers. The project developer has also committed to addressing concerns related to local wildlife by utilizing a local seed mix around the installation and setting aside a portion of land for wildlife habitat.

Beyond the immediate local benefits, this project will offset 4.5% of Wisconsin’s electric utility emissions and help mitigate the impacts of climate change. Based on a 2022 study, we know Wisconsin needs 31 Gigawatts (GW) of solar to achieve net zero by 2050. In the first quarter of 2024, Wisconsin had just over 2.3 GW of operating solar. Projects of Vista Sands’ scale are integral to reaching these goals in time.

Help ensure this project moves forward by demonstrating Wisconsin’s enthusiastic support for solar energy by submitting a comment today in support of Vista Sands Solar Farm.

When submitting your comments, be sure to specifically reference the project and the benefits that it can bring to Wisconsin. The deadline to submit comments is August 16, 2024. We’ve included a sample message to help you get started. Please keep in mind that the PSCW allows one comment per case* and that customizing your message will have a greater impact.

*Comments submitted on the Vista Sands Environmental Impact Statement do not count toward the one comment per case rule.

Sample Comments:

I’m writing in support of Vista Sands Solar. This project would provide significant support to the local economies, preserve farmland for future generations, and is critical to addressing climate change, all while ensuring more of the money Wisconsinites spend on energy stays here in state.

By producing homegrown, renewable energy right here in Wisconsin we protect our health, improve our economy, support grid stability, and protect our natural environment from the worst impacts of climate change. This project makes good sense for Wisconsin.

I respectfully encourage the PSCW to rule that Vista Sands Solar is in the public interest and issue a permit enabling the project to proceed to construction. Thank you for your time and consideration.

TAKE ACTION

Action Alert: Vista Sands Solar Development At Risk

by Alex Beld | May 23, 2024 | Action Alert, Advocacy, Public Service Commission

A draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) created by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is before the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin regarding Vista Sands Solar Farm and is missing a discussion of solar’s impact on reducing carbon emissions. In its current form, the EIS is also missing a full description of the effects of climate change on the Greater Prairie Chicken. Knowing these environmental impacts could help the PSCW during their decision-making process.

Join us in asking that the EIS be revised to include necessary information as it relates to the Greater Prairie Chicken and the impacts the Vista Sands Solar Farm would have on this protected bird and its habitat. Comments for the PSCW related to the EIS are due by the end of the day on June 14.

Sample comments are provided below. Personalized comments are more effective, please take the time to make your message to the PSCW unique.

Sample Comments:

The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) made for the Vista Sands Solar Farm by the Department of Natural Resources should be revised to reflect all aspects of the proposed solar farm. The current version of the EIS is missing key considerations related to how Vista Sands would reduce carbon emissions. Vista Sands would, in combination with other clean energy resources, mitigate climate change, which is a key driver in habitat loss for the Greater Prairie Chicken.

The EIS is also missing important details, such as a complete description of over a century of land changes, and other the main reasons for the Greater Prairie Chicken’s habitat loss in the region. I am urging the DNR to update their EIS to create a more complete picture of the Greater Prairie Chicken, its habitat, and the benefits of reduced carbon emissions.

TAKE ACTION

Submit Comments to the PSC and Show Support for Net Metering and Fair Solar Compensation Rates from Municipal Electric Utilities

by Alex Beld | May 2, 2024 | Action Alert, Advocacy, Net Metering, Public Service Commission

Sturgeon Bay Utilities (SBU) has filed an application with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to revise its parallel generation tariffs, significantly altering the way SBU compensates electric generation from its customers who go solar. SBU’s wholesale provider, WPPI Energy, has stated that it intends to replicate these proposed changes with all of its municipal electric utilities in Wisconsin. Check here to see if your utility could be affected.

If accepted, SBU’s proposal would modify its net metering tariff so that excess generation at the end of each billing month would be subject to wholesale rates instead of retail rates. For larger solar installations (above 20 kilowatts), SBU proposes that all excess generation is subject to volatile wholesale prices, which are typically low and subject to annual changes.

RENEW Wisconsin is the only intervening party in the case and has submitted testimony arguing to preserve net metering and pay larger solar installations (at schools, hospitals, and businesses) at rates that reflect SBU’s avoided costs, which is defined as the amount the utility saves when their customers generate solar power. See RENEW’s direct testimony for details.

The PSC has opened up the public comment period in this case (docket 5780-TE-111). You have until the end of the day on May 9 to submit your comments to the PSC. Tell the PSC to ensure that there is an economic pathway for customers to go solar. We need to preserve net metering for all customers in Sturgeon Bay and the rest of Wisconsin and pay fair rates for larger customer-sited renewable facilities.

FILE PUBLIC COMMENT

Action Alert: Tell Your Senator to Confirm PSC Commissioner Tyler Huebner

by RENEW Wisconsin | Jan 12, 2024 | Action Alert

The Wisconsin State Senate will vote on Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) Commissioner Tyler Huebner’s appointment this week. Help us keep Wisconsin moving forward by urging your State Senator to vote to confirm Commissioner Huebner.

With the recently announced resignation of Chairperson Rebecca Valcq, a “no” from the Senate on Commissioner Huebner’s would create uncertainty at the PSCW, and stall progress.

There is broad support for his appointment — including from four of the five investor-owned utilities that service Wisconsin. Since his appointment nearly four years ago, Commissioner Huebner has:

Approved hundreds of megawatts of homegrown clean energy.
Voted in favor of net metering, protecting Wisconsin’s solar industry.
Served as Board President of the Organization of MISO States, ensuring Wisconsin constituents like me benefit from improved energy infrastructure.
Offered expert insight and knowledge of renewable energy and energy efficiency, helping the Commission make smart energy decisions for Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Senate Committee on Utilities and Technology has already voted 3-2 against Commissioner Huebner. Your voice is required to ensure the full Senate doesn’t do the same.

Protect Rooftop Solar in Wisconsin

by Alex Beld | Aug 24, 2023 | Action Alert, Advocacy, PSC Priorities, Public Service Commission, Solar

Net metering is a utility billing policy that enables customers who generate electricity from their own solar systems to receive a bill credit for any energy they export to the grid. This arrangement encourages residential and business customers to invest in solar power, reducing carbon emissions and providing substantial economic benefits to their neighbors and communities.

According to Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), “traditional net energy metering (NEM) is fundamentally a bill credit that represents the full retail value of distributed electricity delivered to the distribution system, and has been a critical policy for valuing and enabling distributed generation.”

If passed, this utility proposal will depress demand for rooftop solar, leading to layoffs for local clean energy workers, creating new hardships for customers and local governments in meeting their clean energy goals, and moving solar out of reach for many Wisconsinites.

We’ve included sample messages for you to submit comments to the PSCW. The PSCW allows one comment per case. As you prepare your comments, keep in mind that customizing your message will have a greater impact. Comments are the most effective when they are short, to the point, and have a personal perspective. Please take the time to share why net metering is important to you! MGE’s comment period is open through September 26.

Sample Message – MGE:

I’m writing in support of fair net metering policies for Wisconsin. The changes to net metering under review in Docket No. 3270-UR-125 would make investing in rooftop solar harder and more expensive.

Net metering empowers Wisconsinites to take control of their energy consumption, reduce their carbon footprint, and contribute to a cleaner, more sustainable future. It is the single most important policy enabling every Wisconsin home, farm, business, and institution to own solar. By reducing strain on the grid, stabilizing energy prices, and fostering job growth, the benefits of net metering extend well beyond the solar customer.

Madison Gas and Electric’s proposal before the Public Service Commission will unfairly reduce the compensation customers receive for the energy they produce with their investment in solar. In addition, the compensation rates will be subject to change every year, creating uncertainty over the system’s value in the long term. Advancing this proposal will make it more difficult for people who cannot afford the upfront cost of purchasing solar panels to find the financing they might need, and will discourage the adoption of rooftop solar, negatively impacting our local economy.

Rooftop solar can be a boon for historically marginalized communities, providing access to clean energy and reducing utility bills for households disproportionately burdened by high electricity costs. These savings free up resources for other essentials like education, healthcare, and better living conditions. Our energy policies should be making it easier for all Wisconsinites to reap the benefits of clean energy.

Now is not the time to derail our progress on distributed solar in Wisconsin!

Thank you for your support on this important issue.

Submit Comments

Questions?

Please send them to Executive Director, Sam Dunaiski, at sam@renewwisconsin.org.