| It’s easy to understand why states like California | | | | center in Oconomowoc. |
| and Texas might opt for clean, renewable solar | | | | Initiated by the state’s Office of Energy |
| energy to replace fossil-fuel electricity generation. Each | | | | Independence (OEI), and funded through an |
| has large areas of solar insolation whose values | | | | $8.822-million grant that the OEI applied for in 2009 (via |
| approach 5.5 (on a scale of 2.0 to 9.0 in the continental | | | | the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Community Renewable |
| United States). | | | | Energy Stimulus program), the 12,000-panel, |
| Wisconsin, at 2.5 – with a peak of 3.5 – is harder | | | | 3.177-megawatt installation will, when completed, |
| to imagine. Yet Wisconsin is the only state in the union | | | | become the largest solar project in the Midwest. |
| other than California and Texas to have two major | | | | The project will also create 190 jobs, double the |
| cities included in the Solar America Cities program; | | | | state’s solar portfolio, reduce greenhouse gas |
| Milwaukee and Madison. | | | | emissions by 4,237 tonnes per year, and provide for |
| The Solar America Cities program is an initiative of the | | | | almost 20 percent of distribution center’s electricity |
| U.S. Department of Energy, which aims to see | | | | needs. |
| accelerated adoption of solar energy technologies to | | | | Add to that the new factory in Mazomanie, to be built |
| create a cleaner, more secure energy future. | | | | by Menomonie-based Cardinal Glass, which makes |
| Comprised of 25 major American cities, the program | | | | low-e glass for energy-efficient windows and will now |
| operates through 180 municipal, county and state | | | | being making solar panel glass, adding about 60 jobs |
| agencies, as well as solar companies, universities, | | | | and competing with Corning, an industry leader in |
| regional utilities and various non-profit policy | | | | glassware production who is also thinking of expanding |
| organizations, all of whom are committed to seeing | | | | into solar panel glass manufacture. |
| solar energy take a front seat at the energy table. | | | | Wisconsin is a leader in solar panel installation training, |
| The fact can’t be accounted for merely by | | | | with more certified solar installers per capita than |
| Wisconsin’s renewable portfolio standard, or RPS, | | | | nearly every state in the nation, according to the |
| since the goal is 10 percent of energy from | | | | Midwest Renewable Energy Association’s |
| renewables by 2105. | | | | executive director Terri Parker, whose agency plans |
| The law, SB 459, enacted in March 2006, allows utilities | | | | to train 200 instructors across six states over the next |
| to fulfill their requirements by buying renewable | | | | five years, thanks to a $3.3-million grant. And this |
| resource credits (RRCs) from one another, and also | | | | isn’t even counting the cooperative, internally |
| allows a carry-forward method of accounting. | | | | financed solar education “farm” being developed |
| In spite of that, Wisconsin really is leading in renewable | | | | by the Milwaukee Area Technical College and Johnson |
| energy, notably solar, with a proposed $19.6 million | | | | Controls, which will consist of about 2,500 panels. |
| project for Roundy's Corp. supermarket distribution | | | | |