Sky’s the limit for solar projects across Wisconsin

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An uptick in solar energy construction in Wisconsin is likely an inevitability after unions and utilities struck a deal for renewable projects for the next decade and local utilities completed dozens of new solar fields.

While the momentum for renewable construction picks up, some local contractors are waiting for lawmakers to decide who will do the work. Utilities and unions already have a strong bond and plan to build the state’s solar infrastructure, but some lawmakers want to use the grid for small scale community solar projects.

More than 20 states, including Washington, D.C., allow community solar from third parties. The U.S. Department of Energy defined community solar as a solar project or purchasing program for residents and businesses in one area.

In Wisconsin, utilities control the grid and are the only entities allowed to sell their energy. Under proposed legislation, third parties will need utilities to accept the energy they produce, distribute it and credit subscribers.

A legislative proposal to allow investor-owned community solar programs on Monday died after a resolution to flush bills left over from last session.

The bill, which would have allowed customers to buy electricity from small-scale solar projects, was lauded by traditionally non-union Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin, the League of Wisconsin Municipalities and the Wisconsin Farmers Union.

Opposed were the state’s utilities, including WEC Energy Group, Madison Gas & Electric and Alliant Energy. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 139 and the Wisconsin Laborers District Council were also against the bill.

“Wisconsin’s qualified utility workforce and regulated Wisconsin utilities ensure the safety and reliability of our system each and every day,” wrote Nick Webber, the business representative for IBEW Local 953 in Eau Claire, in a letter to lawmakers. “From using the highest quality materials on the ground to safe interconnects into the grid, we ensure that Wisconsin ratepayers are investing in a system that will work for decades to come,” he added.

Arch Solar, a Plymouth-based non-union solar company, competes for most of its community solar projects in Illinois where the law allows them. Around 85-90% of the company’s work outside the state is community solar, which are typically smaller in scale compared to solar field projects in state, said JD Smith, director of business development for Arch Solar.

Smith said that ratepayers and non-union businesses, who often must seek work outside the state because they can’t compete for large projects, could benefit from new rules. He noted the company’s strengths come from looking at other states’ solar projects, taking on smaller projects and recruiting workers from Texas and California with solar installation experience.

“When you deal with smaller arrays, which are typically 10-20 acres, we can really leverage our strength on them,” Smith said. “So, we take all the best ideas from the country and go after the smaller projects, because that’s where our technical knowledge matters,” he added.

Legalizing community solar will also give ratepayers options over their energy consumption and would take stress off the grid, Smith said. His company also upgrades commercial systems to make sure it’s up to code with utility standards.

“It’s a chance for us to reduce load on the grid. When we pop solar on a home or a building, that’s one less thing the grid must provide for. And there’s an update of their electrical infrastructure, even EV chargers,” Smith added.

Smith said he expected another community solar proposal to come back next year when a new legislative session starts.

“We in Wisconsin can look at what happened in the rest of the country, tweak it a little bit to make it better and do it on our own here,” Smith said. “That’s our value proposition. We’ve been here for a long time, so we’ve learned and can do this better,” he added.

Madison-based Alliant Energy already has its own community solar program approved by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, wrote Zack Hill, the public affairs coordinator for Alliant. The utility has a project in Fond du Lac and another under way in Janesville by Pewaukee-based SunVest Solar. Madison Gas & Electric also offers customers to buy shares from its solar arrays in Middleton.