Nick Hein, 1/28/19
Previous articles discussed the sustainability stair climb in general terms. In this article we’ll outline a specific strategy to make real progress toward long-term sustainability goals. Here’s why it’s important. Your financial investments right now may be making 2-8% in conventional places like banks and money markets. Alternatively, sustainability can give you a return from 10-80%, and your investment stays in your home where you can see and feel it. In this article you’ll learn how to calculate that return and how to make it snowball so you can re-invest it.
Rebates or other programs give you short-term rewards for changing behavior, but if you’re going to climb the whole stairway you need a way to see longer-term progress and set bigger goals. A $100 rebate doesn’t help you as much as saving $100 every year, and using fewer fossil fuels this month doesn’t motivate you as much as eliminating them completely.
In this article we describe how to track money saved during your sustainability efforts, in addition to the intangible benefits such as time-savings, convenience, comfort, safety, and quality of life. This will involve using spreadsheets, which we’ll show in sections. There will be a link to the complete file, which should work with most spreadsheet programs. Read more
Solar Legacy Projects
/in Projects /by DandelionSolar Legacy Projects are solar energy installations built on community institutions like schools, libraries, or churches. They have been designed and built by local stakeholders. We call them “legacy” projects because solar generates pollution-free electricity for the community and future generations long after it’s installed –– often 30 years or more.
You too can help support these projects through our Slice of Sun Solar Bonds program. Any member can earn between 4% and 6% interest on their bonds purchased through the co-op. Your contribution by purchasing solar bonds allows us to help finance these community projects. You can choose to keep your interest or donate it to a non-profit of your choosing, or event donate the entire bond to a non-profit. Or, you can include your bond in your estate planning. Lots of ways to go green, to earn green, and to help community organizations!
So even if you live in the shade you can actively help grow solar energy in Wisconsin! Learn more about the Slice of Sun Solar Bonds program.
Literacy Network of Dane County
/in Projects /by Peter FialaLOCATION: Madison, Wisconsin
CAPACITY: 19 kW
PROJECT COMPLETED: December 2018
SOLAR CONTRACTOR:
Founded in 1974, the Literacy Network teaches reading, writing, communication and computer skills to approximately 1,000 low-income Dane County adults each year (90% are people of color; 67% are women). A staff of 28 and nearly 900 annual volunteers help participants achieve financial security, well-being and deeper engagement with their families and the community.
In fall 2016, after renting for more than 40 years, Literacy Network purchased and renovated the building at 701 Dane Street, with nearly four times more space than their previous location. Thanks in part to a Solar for Good grant and a loan from Legacy Solar Co-op, solar power was also in their future. The new solar array consists of multiple sub-arrays, allowing Literacy Network to generate electricity to power the facility for afternoons and early evenings when they have classes. Once the system is paid off, the array is expected reduce imported MGE electricity by about 25% and save over $3,000 per year. This equates to a full semester of one-on-one tutoring for a class! Read more
Oregon Ice Arena
/in Projects /by Peter FialaLOCATION: Oregon, Wisconsin
CAPACITY: 190 kW
COMPLETED: December 2018
SOLAR CONTRACTOR:
The Oregon Ice Arena is a non-profit 501(c)(3) facility in Oregon, WI. with the mission of providing the best ice skating experience possible by maintaining a clean and safe environment for all ages. Ice arenas have to operate heat pumps every day of the year in order to keep the air temperature near the ice as close to freezing as possible. The hottest days of the year take the most compressor activity so not only will this array use the sun’s energy to lower the arena’s electric use, the fact that the solar array takes up over 12,500 square-feet of south-facing roof means that it also shades the roof from the sun. Less direct sun exposure means that the interior experiences less thermal gain on hot days, saving dramatically on cooling costs during peak demand. In fact, the project will generate about 25% of the ice arena’s electricity use from 560 flush mounted solar panels.
See the 1/30/19 Oregon Observer article on this project.
Gallery
Your Bond Purchase Makes Solar in Wisconsin More Attainable
/in News, Projects /by Peter FialaJackie Harrison-Jewell, 2/25/19
When was the last time investing made you feel really good? Sure, investing in bonds is a smart thing to do with your money. It’s generally secure and often pays better, more consistent interest than other investments. But do you really know where your money is going? What it’s doing? Do you feel like you’re making a difference?
Investing in Legacy Solar Co-op’s Slice of Sun bond program is different. With LSC’s bonds you know exactly what your money is doing. All funds raised by the sale of Slice of Sun bonds finance Wisconsin-based solar, installed by local vendors and contractors, with local, primarily nonprofit clients, including city and county government institutions, service organizations and faith-based communities.
Contact us if you want to buy a slice of sun for your community.
This year investing in our co-op will help groups like these:
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Net Metering in Wisconsin
/in Advice/Education /by Peter FialaNick Hein, 2/25/19
If you’re putting solar PV on your home you may have heard the term “net metering” and wondered what it means. Even if you think you know what it means, there are some details about it that vary greatly depending on your utility. These may affect the size of the array you decide to install, and how you operate it. In this article I’ll explain what net metering is, why we have it and what you should know to make the best decision about your installation and how you use it.
Read more
The Stairclimb Strategy
/in Advice/Education /by Peter FialaNick Hein, 1/28/19
Previous articles discussed the sustainability stair climb in general terms. In this article we’ll outline a specific strategy to make real progress toward long-term sustainability goals. Here’s why it’s important. Your financial investments right now may be making 2-8% in conventional places like banks and money markets. Alternatively, sustainability can give you a return from 10-80%, and your investment stays in your home where you can see and feel it. In this article you’ll learn how to calculate that return and how to make it snowball so you can re-invest it.
Rebates or other programs give you short-term rewards for changing behavior, but if you’re going to climb the whole stairway you need a way to see longer-term progress and set bigger goals. A $100 rebate doesn’t help you as much as saving $100 every year, and using fewer fossil fuels this month doesn’t motivate you as much as eliminating them completely.
In this article we describe how to track money saved during your sustainability efforts, in addition to the intangible benefits such as time-savings, convenience, comfort, safety, and quality of life. This will involve using spreadsheets, which we’ll show in sections. There will be a link to the complete file, which should work with most spreadsheet programs. Read more
Project Update 1/28/19
/in News, Projects /by Peter FialaLegacy Solar Co-op’s solar bond program provides part of the financing to pay for up-front costs in the first year of the project’s development. The following projects are well on their way, but still need your support to be completed. Here are a few ways you can get involved:
Here are some project developments in January, 2019:
Stay tuned for updates! Check out other LSC projects
Legacy Solar Co-op Honored as Renewable Energy Champion
/in News /by Peter FialaPeter Fiala, 1/17/19
At Renew Wisconsin’s Renewable Energy Summit on January 17, 2019, Legacy Solar Co-op was recognized, along with Dane County Executive Joe Parisi and Chequamegon Bay. See Kurt Reinhold accept the award on behalf of the co-op.
Renewable Energy Champions Set to Receive Honors at RENEW’s 2019 Summit
/in News /by Peter Fiala(Issued by Renew Wisconsin, 1/14/19)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 14, 2019
Tyler Huebner, Executive Director
608.255.4044 x 1
tyler.huebner@renewwisconsin.org
Renewable Energy Champions Set to Receive Honors at RENEW’s 2019 Summit
RENEW’s eighth annual Renewable Energy Summit, set for Thursday, January 17, 2019, will furnish the occasion for recognizing individuals and organizations who have made significant and lasting advances in renewable energy development here in Wisconsin. Titled “Scaling Up for the Job Ahead,” RENEW’s Summit will take place at Monona Terrace in Madison; registration starts at 7:30 AM and the program runs from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM. The recognition ceremony will begin at 12:45 PM.
At this year’s Summit, RENEW will honor three Renewable Energy Champions for their leadership and accomplishments in 2018. They are:
Read more
Renewable Energy Summit 2019
/in Events /by Peter FialaLegacy Solar Co-op will be part of Renew Wisconsin’s 8th Annual Renewable Energy Summit on January 17, 2019 at the Monona Terrace in Madison. This year, the co-op is showing its commitment to Wisconsin’s green future by becoming a Summit Supporter. This year’s theme is ‘Scaling Up for the Job Ahead’, a clear rallying cry for Wisconsin as it continues to ramp up its commitment to renewable energy.
The opening address will be given by Governor Tony Evers, keynote by Mark Stoering, President of Xcel Energy Wisconsin and Michigan, and breakout sessions on utility scale renewables, how local governments can lead the way, battery storage and electric vehicles. A panel of experts will share its perspectives on scaling up efforts to deploy renewable energy in Wisconsin.
More information can be found at https://www.renewwisconsin.org/renewable-energy-summit/. Stay tuned to our Facebook page as we post from the event.
Sawyer County Housing Authority
/in Projects /by Peter FialaLOCATION: Hayward, Radisson, Winter & Exeland, Wisconsin
CAPACITY: 153 kW (total over 6 sites)
COMPLETION DATE: November 2018
SOLAR CONTRACTOR:
Since the early 1970s, Sawyer County Housing Authority (SCHA), located in northwest Wisconsin, has had a mission of providing safe, affordable housing for families with low and moderate incomes. Their Rural Development program consists of two- and three-bedroom units in the towns of Hayward, Radisson, Winter and Exeland for families eligible for rental assistance. There is also a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program which provides rental assistance to qualifying families that rent through private landlords.
Legacy Solar Co-op partnered with Carlson Electric to install solar arrays on 6 separate buildings, including 52 families in the Hayward, WI area. Sites include:
Read more