Tony Hartmann – 2/20/18
No such thing a ‘sure thing’ when it comes to investing, right? Well, if you think the sun’ll come up tomorrow, investing in solar infrastructure is as close as it gets. Since its beginning, the Legacy Solar Co-op (LSC) has facilitated solar investment not only because renewable energy is clean and sustainable, but because it makes sense economically. A lot of sense. Not-for-profits and home-owners almost always see a return on investment (ROI) in the neighborhood of 10-12%, businesses 15% and more. So, the 2018 solar investor can do good and make a sweet return on their investment…
As Don Pardo used to say, ‘but wait, there’s more…’
Legacy Solar Co-op has long been an advocate for energy efficiency efforts, projects that go hand and glove with distributed (pv) energy production. In Wisconsin, the Focus On Energy (FOE) program does more than just reward you (to the tune of thousands) for installing solar PV. You get further cash dividends by swapping out motors, furnaces, water-heaters, air conditioners, light bulbs/fixtures and much, much more. For starters, rate-payers can get FREE STUFF, like LED bulbs and water-saving fixtures just by going here and choosing a ‘pack’.
but again, there’s more… Read more
Learn about rooftop solar & opportunities to invest locally
/in EventsJuly 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 NewsBy 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/EducationPosted 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 NewsKurt 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.
SaveSave
SaveSave
SaveSave
Willow Creek Ranch
/in ProjectsLOCATION: Coon Valley, Wisconsin | CAPACITY: 29.4 kW | COMPLETION DATE: May 2018
SOLAR CONTRACTOR:
FINANCING PROVIDED BY:
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 EventsJune 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!
Should You Add Batteries to Your Rooftop Solar Installation?
/in Advice/Education, NewsNickolas Hein – 4/23/18
In the past few years battery technology has advanced at a rapid rate, resulting in a rapid decrease in the cost of electric storage and the associated systems (Fig 1). Although this has been driven primarily by electric vehicle adoption, home battery systems have been direct beneficiaries. According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance “Lithium-ion battery packs are selling at an average price of $209 a kilowatt-hour, down 24 percent from a year ago and about a fifth of what it was in 2010, a Bloomberg New Energy Finance survey shows. The rate has further to fall — reaching below $100 a kilowatt-hour by 2025, according to a report by BNEF analyst James Frith. Developers of stationary storage systems — like the kind that back up rooftop solar panels — can expect to pay 51 percent more than automakers because of much lower order volumes.”
Recent Cost Reductions for Lithium Ion Batteries – Bloomberg
If you’re considering installing solar panels in the near future, you probably want to consider adding battery storage to your system. We’ve asked Ed Zinthefer, President of Arch Electric, to answer some of the common questions from the homeowners before they install a new system. Read more
Spring Member Bond Drive: Get your Slice of Sun now!
/in Events, NewsSpring 2018
Anyone anywhere in Wisconsin can become a Member of Legacy Solar Co-op for as little as $25, and once a Member, you are eligible to buy Slice-of-Sun Solar Bonds at $250 apiece.
Why would anyone want to buy Slice-of-Sun Solar Bonds? Here’s why:
Member Bonds are sold by the Co-op in order to support solar projects all over Wisconsin. The Co-op pays up to 6% interest on your Slice-of-Sun bonds over 12 years. Members receive both principal and interest payments annually. The Co-op makes secured loans to qualified solar projects and uses the revenue from those loans to pay back bondholders over the same 12-year horizon.
Read more…
If you are ready to buy Co-op bonds, go to this page for the next step
2018 Solar Investing
/in Advice/Education, NewsTony Hartmann – 2/20/18
No such thing a ‘sure thing’ when it comes to investing, right? Well, if you think the sun’ll come up tomorrow, investing in solar infrastructure is as close as it gets. Since its beginning, the Legacy Solar Co-op (LSC) has facilitated solar investment not only because renewable energy is clean and sustainable, but because it makes sense economically. A lot of sense. Not-for-profits and home-owners almost always see a return on investment (ROI) in the neighborhood of 10-12%, businesses 15% and more. So, the 2018 solar investor can do good and make a sweet return on their investment…
As Don Pardo used to say, ‘but wait, there’s more…’
Legacy Solar Co-op has long been an advocate for energy efficiency efforts, projects that go hand and glove with distributed (pv) energy production. In Wisconsin, the Focus On Energy (FOE) program does more than just reward you (to the tune of thousands) for installing solar PV. You get further cash dividends by swapping out motors, furnaces, water-heaters, air conditioners, light bulbs/fixtures and much, much more. For starters, rate-payers can get FREE STUFF, like LED bulbs and water-saving fixtures just by going here and choosing a ‘pack’.
but again, there’s more… Read more
Beth Israel Center
/in Projects* LSC Member
LOCATION: Madison, Wisconsin | CAPACITY: 65 kW | COMPLETION DATE: December 2017
SOLAR CONTRACTOR: Sunvest
A traditional, egalitarian synagogue in Madison, Wisconsin, Member Beth Israel Center is a vibrant and diverse community of 260 families — a caring, spiritual home that is alive with celebration, learning, prayer and a commitment to tikkun olam.
Read more