Based in Baraboo, WI, All Sky Energy has over 20 years of experience in residential and commercial solar sectors, offering the grid-connected, off-grid and battery back-up systems. They joined the co-op in 2019.

We interviewed Lisa Kahlow, who, together with her husband, Keith Kahlow, owns All Sky Energy, to get an in-depth look at their dedication to renewable energy and their customers in the communities they serve.

Tell us a little about your company and how it began. What were the motivations to start your company? 

Keith has worked in the electrical field, both in residential and commercial settings, since high school for small shops and also for the union for many years. Keith has over 30 years of experience, has been a Master Electrician for 15 years and continues to stay up to date on the ever-changing codes and industry. In 2010 he made the decision to go out on his own and we started All Sky Energy together. He saw an emerging industry and wanted to have firsthand experience with his clients and seeing projects from start to finish. I worked for my parents and decided in 2013 that I needed to go full time with our solar business.

Tell us more about the different types of projects your company handles.

We do a lot of battery-backup and off grid installations and mostly ground mounted installations. We still do roof mounts, but our main specialty and focus is our custom ground mounts and off grid capable systems. Residential, Commercial, Ag and non-profits.

Tell us about your company’s operations.

We are a small family-owned local business that installs solar PV, grid tied, battery backup and off grid systems, along with EV chargers. We have two full time employees and two part-time as needed employees/electricians we can pull in when needed.

What does your team think about from one install to the next?

Every job is custom to the clients’ needs so all of us need to be constantly thinking and on our toes. What new challenges await and what new products and equipment will be coming as it is a constantly changing industry. Our crew is constantly learning and growing as technology changes, and we improve.

Tell us about the most interesting or unique system you have installed.

As stated previously we specialize in installing battery backup and off-grid systems. We specifically built our house to be off grid, all electric, as energy efficient as possible, and allowing for EV charging as well. We wanted to make sure that if we were going to be installing these systems for clients, that we lived the lifestyle they were envisioning. When we talk to clients, we give them the pros and cons of living off-grid, what changes in the build process need to be made, and what choices need to be made be able to live off grid on a battery back-up system.

What do you customers appreciate most about your work? 

We work firsthand with all of our clients from start to finish and beyond. Keith is on every installation. Our ability to install complex battery installations that most solar installers can’t or don’t want to do. We are very thorough with our installations from start to finish and make sure that every install meets our high standards. Our ground mounts are designed from the ground up to meet the needs and demands of off-grid capability and exclusive to us. We also pride ourselves in making sure our ground mounts and roof mounts have wires covered or trained well so it ends with a nice clean looking install.

What has been your experience with supply chain issues over the past year or few years? 

This industry is always changing and it is our largest challenge by far. We continue to seek out and test new products so we can try to stay ahead of the curve. So far we have managed to not have too many issues in this area as we are staying on top of the changing technology and new products. With us being a smaller company and being hands on with every installation we feel it has benefited us in this aspect.

Tell us about making an impact in your communities…

Our goal as a business is to provide quality installations at an affordable cost to our clients. We try to present at events a few times a year, including in schools, about solar, batteries and EV’s, along with donating to local organizations. Every year our local high school does a cookout fundraiser, and we purchase compostable/biodegradable products to prevent plastic waste and styrofoam going into landfills, and to help with costs to the school. We were honored to be able to help the Aldo Leopold Foundation add an additional 90 kW of solar to 3 different locations in our community, Baraboo. In addition, we helped them install three EV chargers made available to the public, and to charge the two new Ford Lightning trucks they added to their fleet. We also just completed a ground mounted array for the International Crane Foundation, another local organization, that added to their existing array. We are blessed to live and work in such a beautiful area of Wisconsin, nearby places like Mirror Lake and Devils Lake State Parks.

Tell us a little about how solar work began as part of your company? What were the motivations?

Our company president, Charles Smith, is a solar pioneer who, as young as he can remember has always been interested in direct-from-source energy creation for our use. He has found that photovoltaic (PV) solar electrical power has proven to be one of the most viable ways to capture that energy.

When Current Electric first started installing solar, the PV systems were cost-prohibitive, except to early adopters who believed in helping provide options for our energy source or understood long-term investments such as a farmer understands the long-term investment in their land. Those early solar customers found that their systems eventually paid for themselves, and proved to be satisfied with their solar PV systems. Due to rising energy costs and return on investment calculations, those systems have now paid for themselves and continue to produce power and pay on their investment.

Now, more than 20 years later, the tide has turned. The price of the solar modules is down over 1000%, which is 10 times less than the cost our pioneer customers paid for solar. With rising energy prices and decreased system costs, the time to install solar is now. Read more