RENEW Wisconsin has completed the third round of the Solar for Good program, which extends funding for solar PV projects to mission-based nonprofits, houses of worship, and, in the latest round, to housing authorities and public schools. RENEW has awarded 36 grants that fund up to 20 percent of a project’s costs. The $445,000 in grant funding will lead to $4.5 million in new solar investment and 2.13 MW of new solar capacity in Wisconsin. Funding is primarily from philanthropists Cal and Laurie Couilliard.
A few of the grant recipients include: Beloit College that will convert a former coal-fired plant to a carbon-neutral student activity center with solar electric and geothermal systems that they callthe Powerhouse; the Sisters of St. Francis in Green Bay, who will add 98 kW to their existing array; and the Sawyer County Housing Authority that will install solar arrays on six multi-family, low-income housing facilities, offsetting residents’ utility bills (see EnergyOnWI news, November 2018). RENEW