Wisconsin Solar Industry Employs Over 1,900

by jboullion | Feb 10, 2016 | Uncategorized

Immediate release
February 10, 2016

More information
Tyler Huebner, Executive Director
608.255.4044 x 1
tyler.huebner@renewwisconsin.org

Wisconsin Solar Industry Employs Over 1,900

Today, The Solar Foundation released the state-by-state results of its annual “Solar Jobs Census.”

Wisconsin’s solar industry employs 1,941 workers according to the Census, across installation, manufacturing, sales and distribution, project development, and related sector employment.  That places Wisconsin 26th nationally for the number of solar jobs in the state, and 27th nationally in solar jobs per capita.

The full state-by-state report can be found at http://solarstates.org/, where there is a national map and each state’s data can be accessed.

Milwaukee, Waukesha, and Dane Counties are the three counties with the largest number of solar jobs.  Installation jobs account for over half of the total in Wisconsin.

Nationally, the industry grew again at a 20% clip to over 208,000 workers. The report shows there are now three times as many solar workers nationally as coal workers.

“Solar energy is a job-creation engine,” said Tyler Huebner, RENEW Wisconsin’s Executive Director.  “While Wisconsin’s solar industry employment is holding steady, nationally, the solar industry grew by 20% for the third straight year. In Wisconsin we are not fully harnessing solar energy’s job creation and economic development opportunities to move Wisconsin forward.”

“Wisconsin’s economy will benefit from improved rules and regulations to unlock solar energy’s true potential – rules like better net metering policies, clarifying third-party ownership (solar leasing), and interconnection policies that govern how simple it is for a home or business to connect solar to the local utility grid,” said Huebner.

The Solar Foundation report shows that Wisconsin gets a “D” grade for both net metering – a policy that determines how a customer is credited for extra energy they produce and put on the local electric grid – and interconnection policies.

Selected images from the Wisconsin page of http://solarstates.org appear below:

Solar Power Hits the Big Time in Wisconsin

by jboullion | Jan 14, 2016 | Uncategorized

Immediate release
January 14, 2016

More information
Tyler Huebner, Executive Director
608.255.4044 x 1
tyler.huebner@renewwisconsin.org

Solar Power Hits the Big Time in Wisconsin 

Newest Large Array Energizes Waukesha County Manufacturer

In yet another demonstration of solar energy’s growing appeal to commercial and industrial customers, Letterhead Press recently joined the growing roster of Wisconsin companies turning to the sun to power their operations.

Located in New Berlin, Letterhead Press now derives about 25% of the electricity consumed at its 120,000-square foot facility on Ryerson Road from a 300 kilowatt (AC) solar array. Situated on a parking lot behind the production facility, Letterhead’s array was the fourth largest solar system installed in Wisconsin last year (see table below), and is now the largest in Waukesha County.

The facility was dedicated Tuesday at an event organized by Letterhead Press and featuring remarks from Letterhead Press CEO Mike Graf, Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow, New Berlin Mayor Dave Ament, Sun Peak (the solar project developer and contractor), Focus on Energy, the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, and RENEW Wisconsin.

“2015 was a banner year for solar generation in the Badger State,” said RENEW Wisconsin’s Executive Director Tyler Huebner. “Growth was especially strong among larger customers looking to take advantage of solar power’s declining costs to help them control their escalating energy expenses.”

Solar was the fastest growing generation resource in Wisconsin in 2015, expanding from 18 megawatts (MW) at the beginning of the year to more than 25 MW at year’s end. Solar power expanded even more vigorously elsewhere in the United States, with 7,500 MW–the equivalent of Wisconsin’s increase 1,000 times over–coming on line last year.

In addition to being a cost-effective source of electricity for business and institutional customers, solar power supports a national industry that employs more than 208,000 people, according to the most recent solar jobs report conducted by The Solar Foundation. Solar industry employment grew 12 times faster than the overall U.S. workforce. About 1,900 solar jobs are located in Wisconsin, according to the previous year’s report.

Letterhead Press will be one of several dozen solar generation owners recognized at RENEW Wisconsin’s fifth annual Renewable Energy Policy Summit set for Thursday, January 21, 2016, at Monona Terrace in Madison. The theme of the event, “Shaping the Utility of the Future,” will delve into the rapidly changing electric utility environment and examine business models under which utilities and customers can work bring more clean energy into the Wisconsin energy mix.

For more information on the 2016 summit program agenda, speakers, and registration, please visit   http://renewwisconsin.org/2016_Summit/

Keynotes and Agenda Set for January 21st Renewable Energy Policy Summit

by jboullion | Jan 6, 2016 | Uncategorized

Immediate release
January 6, 2016

More information
Tyler Huebner
Executive Director
608.255.4044 x 1
tyler.huebner@renewwisconsin.org

Keynotes and Agenda Set for January 21st Renewable Energy Policy Summit

Event Aims to Shape the Utility of the Future

RENEW Wisconsin will host its fifth annual Renewable Energy Policy Summit on Thursday, January 21, 2016,  at Monona Terrace in Madison. The theme of the event, “Shaping the Utility of the Future,” will delve into the rapidly changing electric utility environment and examine business models under which utilities and customers can bring more clean energy into the Wisconsin energy mix.

The event will feature two excellent keynote speakers:

Mary Powell, President and Chief Executive Officer for Vermont-based Green Mountain Power (GMP) corporation, an investor-owned utility. As CEO of this utility, Mary initiated and implemented a strategic and comprehensive restructuring of GMP to provide low carbon, low cost, and reliable power to its customers. GMP is the first utility in the world to become a member of B Corp, showing a commitment to use energy as a
force for good.

 James Tong, Vice President of Strategy and Government Affairs at Spruce Finance, where he leads industry-wide efforts to accelerate deployment of solar energy. He has helped popularize the idea of “grid neutrality” and is a recognized expert on utility integration of distributed energy resources. 

After the opening keynote, three panelists representing Wisconsin electric providers and suppliers will offer their insights into the opportunities and challenges for expanding clean energy development in Wisconsin.   The panel will feature:

– Deb Erwin, Regulatory Policy Manager, Xcel Energy (WI)
– Brian Rude, Vice President of External and Member Relations, Dairyland Power Cooperative
– Kevin Westhuis, Utility Director, River Falls Utilities
The panel will be moderated by Eric Callisto, a Partner with the law firm of Michael Best and Friedrich LLP, and former Commissioner on the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin.

Between lunch and the afternoon keynote, RENEW will recognize the most noteworthy clean energy installations built in 2015.

Titled “Driving Markets,” the afternoon panel will feature four representatives of renewable energy industries active in Wisconsin. 

– Steve Dvorak, president, DVO, Inc. a biogas digester firm (Chilton)
– Adam Gusse, vice president, H&H Solar (Madison)
– Amy Heart, senior manager, public policy, Sunrun, Inc. (Milwaukee) 
– Chris Kunkle, Regional Policy Manager, Wind on the Wires (St. Paul, MN)

The panel will be moderated by Susan Crawford, attorney with Cullen Weston Pines & Bach, and a member of RENEW’s Board of Directors.

RENEW Wisconsin’s Executive Director Tyler Huebner says, “We chose this year’s theme to re-start the conversation on the direction of Wisconsin utilities and clean energy.  Wisconsinites want more homegrown, renewable energy and our utilities can be winners from the transition, if they can adapt to the technological innovation and evolving customer interests taking place around them.  We’re bringing in two of the best leaders in the country as our keynote speakers to explain this transition: Mary Powell, who as a utility CEO is about 5 years into this evolution at Green Mountain Power, and James Tong, who is a thought leader on how the electric grid itself may need to evolve to enable a more widespread, distributed power future.”

Registration rates are $115 for members of RENEW Wisconsin and $145 for non-members. The rate for government employees is $85 and for students is $35. Membership with RENEW starts at $35 for individuals and $200 for businesses and organizations.

For more information on the 2016 program agenda, speakers, and registration, please visit  
http://renewwisconsin.org/2016_Summit/