By Kurt Reinhold, 7/8/18
Happy July to you all! I feel like the luckiest guy in all of Wisconsin to be working with such a forward leaning group of people in our Co-op. I want to thank all of you who decided to join our Co-op ($25/yr or $100/lifetime equity membership) in recent months.
Our membership has grown from 96 in December of 2017 to now over 115 by the end of June of 2018. We have provided over $800,000 in solar loans through our Slice-of-Sun bond program, and hope to double that by the end of the year.
That’s right, double.
Because of the success of our programs, we have as many as 15 new community institutions who are hoping to get solar projects funded by the end of the year. That means we need to grow our membership and our bondholders along with it.
So far in 2018, our Co-op has helped organize and develop nearly $1 million of solar in Wisconsin. We want to stay on this trajectory and develop (and help finance) another $1 million of solar projects in our fine state before year’s end.
Please join our Co-op today and consider our Slice-of-Sun program for your next community solar purchase. Stay tuned for updates on our many potential projects for the 2nd half of this year!
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.
Dane Buy Local Lunch n Learn
/in Events /by Peter FialaOctober 16, 2018: 11:30am-1:00pm
Dane County Credit Union
709 Struck St, Madison, WI 53711
LSC President Kurt Reinhold will take us on a tour of what is involved with putting together a community solar project from beginning to middle to end using a case study from the VFW Post #8483 on County CV, just north of the Dane County Regional Airport. Learn how to invest in a solar project even if you live in the shade! Or, start your own community solar project – – we will help you get it done!
Dane Buy Local says: “It is our mission to educate the public about the benefits of thinking local first, to promote our members and their products and services to the community, and to collaborate with other like-minded organizations to achieve our vision.” Their Lunch n’ Learn series showcases local businesses. LSC is proud to partner with them for this event.
RSVP at the Facebook event page
Memorial United Church of Christ
/in Projects /by Peter FialaLOCATION: Fitchburg, Wisconsin | CAPACITY: 20 kW | COMPLETION DATE: July 2018
SOLAR CONTRACTOR:
Memorial United Church of Christ is a progressive, inclusive, multi-generational UCC church in Fitchburg, Wisconsin. LSC and Midwest Solar Power partnered to install a 20 kilowatt solar array that will meet approximately 90% of the church’s total electricity needs over the course of the year.
Read more
City of Beaver Dam Votes Yes!
/in News /by Peter FialaBy Kurt Reinhold, 8/23/18
In the late evening hours, after several other contentious decisions, including re-branding the City’s image and logo, the City of Beaver Dam Common Council Monday night voted 10 to 3 to hire Legacy Solar Co-op to work with (member) North Wind Renewable Energy Cooperative and (member) E3 Lighting to construct two 100-plus kilowatt solar arrays (on the city hall and the Watermark Community and Senior Center) and perform over $31,000 in LED lighting retrofits for the City this fall. The city had announced their hope in a July 27, 2018 article.
This decision sets in motion a new Bonds Campaign to Members who would like to earn between 4% and 6% on Slice-Of-Sun (or SOS) Co-op Bonds. Legacy Solar Co-op will be making a loan of up to $80,000 to the Tax Sponsor for the solar and lighting project in Beaver Dam. We have close to $40,000.00 in our Bond Loan Fund currently, so we need to sell another $40,000 of SOS Bonds in the next 6 weeks to meet our goal and complete the capitalization of this very important project. Read more
The Sustainability Stair Climb
/in Advice/Education /by Peter FialaBy Nick Hein, 8/23/18
What is sustainability and how do you DO it? The answer depends partly on what you WANT it to be and what you CAN do. In this article we’ll describe the Sustainability Stair Climb basics. In future articles we’ll give some specifics, including the big step that solar PV from Legacy Solar Co-op can help you climb.
Introduction
First of all, what is sustainability and how do you DO it? There are the things in our daily lives that we need – like heat, light and food. Sustainability is just managing those resources so we’ll continue to have them as long as we need them. For our larger society it means clean air, clean water, healthy soil and wild places where nature can recover and regenerate the resources we’ve used. We can each do our part by making sure that we use only what we need and return things in the best possible condition. In our homes and lives we have some control of how we do that. So where should we start? Do you have an overall long-term plan or are you just committing random acts of greenness to collect rebate checks? I’ve found in my own journey, that I accomplish more when I have a plan. Read more
Learn about rooftop solar & opportunities to invest locally
/in Events /by Peter FialaJuly 18, 2018 – 6:30-8:30pm
Fitchburg Community Center
5510 Lacy Rd Fitchburg, WI 53711
RSVP at the Facebook event page
Quick Update from Kurt
/in News /by Peter FialaBy Kurt Reinhold, 7/8/18
Happy July to you all! I feel like the luckiest guy in all of Wisconsin to be working with such a forward leaning group of people in our Co-op. I want to thank all of you who decided to join our Co-op ($25/yr or $100/lifetime equity membership) in recent months.
Our membership has grown from 96 in December of 2017 to now over 115 by the end of June of 2018. We have provided over $800,000 in solar loans through our Slice-of-Sun bond program, and hope to double that by the end of the year.
That’s right, double.
Because of the success of our programs, we have as many as 15 new community institutions who are hoping to get solar projects funded by the end of the year. That means we need to grow our membership and our bondholders along with it.
So far in 2018, our Co-op has helped organize and develop nearly $1 million of solar in Wisconsin. We want to stay on this trajectory and develop (and help finance) another $1 million of solar projects in our fine state before year’s end.
Please join our Co-op today and consider our Slice-of-Sun program for your next community solar purchase. Stay tuned for updates on our many potential projects for the 2nd half of this year!
Shine on: Solar partnership yields energy, savings for farmers
/in Advice/Education /by Peter FialaPosted 7/8/18
By Danielle Endvick, Wisconsin Farmers Union Communications Director
(This article originally appeared in the June 2018 Newsletter of the Wisconsin Farmers Union. Reposted with permission.)
Ask any farmer who has considered solar energy on his or her farm what the biggest hesitation is, and you’ll likely get the same answer: cost.
But a new pilot program being launched by Wisconsin Farmers Union and key partners is aiming to turn the dream of on-farm solar energy into reality. Solar Powering Farms (SPF) is a financing program that seeks to make solar energy more attainable for Farmers Union members. The project has been made possible through a partnership with North Wind Renewable Energy and Legacy Solar Co-op.
“Certainly a lot of farmers have that inclination that they want to do something with solar, but for a lot of people the upfront cost is a concern,” said Rob Peck, solar design consultant for North Wind Renewable Energy, based in Stevens Point. Read more
SASY Neighborhood Solar Report – Trinity Lutheran Church
/in News /by Peter FialaKurt Reinhold – 6/6/18
SASY Goes Solar, Solar Stories from the Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara Neighborhood in Madison, Wisconsin (renewwisconsin.org)
Legacy Solar Co-op gets special mention in the SASY neighborhood solar report for our work helping provide LED retrofits and 20 kilowatts of PV on Trinity Lutheran Church, 1901 Winnebago Street in Madison. Our partners were Full Spectrum Solar and Burke and Mark O’Neal, owners of FSS. The project has been a huge success and has drawn visitors from other parishes around the state to learn more about how we accomplished this low cost option for houses of faith.
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Willow Creek Ranch
/in Projects /by Peter FialaLOCATION: Coon Valley, Wisconsin | CAPACITY: 29.4 kW | COMPLETION DATE: May 2018
SOLAR CONTRACTOR:
Willow Creek Ranch, a certified organic farm run by the Ofte family for the past four generations that provides free-range beef, poultry and pork products. Located in Coon Valley in Wisconsin’s Driftless Region, animals on the farm are raised by natural ranching, a way to give animals as free a range as possible. The ranch also offers eco-vacations, a way to get the true farm experience. Read more
The 29th Energy Fair (MREA): Community Solar in Wisconsin—Finance Large and Small Projects
/in Events /by Peter FialaJune 17, 2018 @ 12:00pm – The Red Flag Tent, 29th Energy Fair
Kurt Reinhold, Owner, Solar Connections, LLC, President, Legacy Solar Wisconsin Cooperative will present an in-depth discussion on the challenges of projects big and small and some help with overcoming those challenges.
More information at https://www.theenergyfair.org/workshop-2018/community-solar/
LSC will be tabling at the fair the whole weekend so please stop by!