Energy department grant helps push solar construction projects

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A Wisconsin solar power cooperative that connects contractors to community solar projects won prize money from the federal government.

Madison-based SolarShare Wisconsin Cooperative won a $200,000 prize from the U.S. Department of Energy‘s Energizing Rural Communities Prize. This was the second and final round for organizations to claim the prize, which is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. SolarShare was picked out of 33 organizations and won $100,000 in the first phase last year.

The cooperative works with solar contractors across the state who specialize in community scale solar projects, said Cory Neeley, the executive director of SolarShare. The contractors find solar projects that need funding and SolarShare assists with capital. The cooperative also connects with residents in communities where projects are happening and gives them an opportunity to invest, Neeley added.

The prize money from the second phase will be primarily used for capacity building and hiring staff, Neeley said. The cooperative also has a project for an agrivoltaics curriculum for K-12 students.

Pushing for community solar in wild west

“The goal for us is to spur these projects, help utilities come away with economical projects that make sense in their backyards and move the needle for community scale solar,” Neeley said. He noted that Wisconsin doesn’t have a legal framework for community solar projects yet. A total of 20 states and Washington allow community solar projects, but Wisconsin isn’t one of them.

The cooperative supports projects by allowing residents across the state to join and purchase shares, which are used to build community scale solar projects, Neeley said. The members are repaid in dividends based on what economic activities SolarShare participates in.

The cooperative also purchases land and provides member loans for contractors such as OneEnergy Renewables and Arch Electric.

OneEnergy Renewables is currently working on a 5-megawatt, 32-acre solar array in eastern Fond du Lac County. The project is being leady by Mercury Marine and Alliant Energy.

SolarShare is also getting the word out on community scale solar by connecting to residents in rural communities, who can be skeptical about solar projects competing for land with agriculture, Neeley said. The cooperative offers residents a chance to invest in those projects.

Cooperative introducing high schoolers to farming, solar energy

SolarShare will use a portion of the prize money to develop an agrivoltaics education program to teach teach K-12 students how to protect farmland while using solar energy.

The cooperative worked with Chippewa School District and Wisconsin’s K-12 Energy Education Program while making its prize application, cooperative officials said.

Agrivoltaics uses the same land for both farming and solar energy purposes. Farmers want to use the most land possible for crops and solar developers want the most land for solar panels, however the course will make use of both. The project is an opportunity to give data to the University of Wisconsin – Madison and Alliant Energy as they explore agrivoltaics research, Neeley noted.

“The prize winnings from the Energizing Rural Communities grants are an opportunity for our members to create a lot of wins for the local community and working with KEEP, we believe that this money will have a statewide impact for many years to come,” Neeley said.

SolarShare’s third community scale project is near Lake Hallie, Wis. After securing funding from the first phase of DOE prizes in 2023, the cooperative bought land from local farmers there and worked with OneEnergy Renewables to develop a 5-MW solar project. The solar field is expected to be completed later this year.