* LSC Member
LOCATION: Madison, WI | CAPACITY: 20 kW | COMPLETION DATE: July 2016
SOLAR CONTRACTOR:
April 2022 Update: This month the Willy Street Co-op purchased their solar array outright from the tax sponsor and bondholders. Not one LED lamp has needed replacing yet, and there are still 19 years of warranty on the solar panels. It has already been a good investment and proves to get even better as time goes on. We will include a case study here describing this project, Legacy’s first project involving tax equity financing, coming full circle. As more projects are purchased by their hosts, we can really amplifying celebrate the benefits of tax equity financing!
In 2016, LSC helped Willy Street Grocery Co-op add 20 kilowatts of solar to the roof of their east side store (on Willy Street), as well as 214 LED lamps to replace the fluorescents, which operate at 15 hours a day.
Between the LED retro-fits and the solar, Willy Street saves over 40,000 kilowatt-hours per year in MGE-supplied power.
This will result in over 33 metric tons of carbon-dioxide avoided emissions per year, and over 25 years roughly 20 million gallons of water conserved!
“Sustainability is a central tenet of our organization’s mission and desired impact, best expressed by our mandate to nourish and enrich our environment. Through the installation and use of a solar array, we not only produce clean, renewable energy but reduce our dependence on less sustainable energy sources that contribute to climate change. As a cooperative, we are proud to meet the needs of our ownership, our community, and our planet, and going solar is a great opportunity to do that.”
– Ben Becker, Executive Assistant
Read more
Inflation Reduction Act UpdatesOctober 16, 2023 - 8:02 am
Cave of the Mounds Solar Ribbon CuttingOctober 10, 2023 - 5:08 pm
Madison nonprofit Housing Initiatives are setting up to save 40% on their power bill
/in NewsHousing Initiatives has been providing peace, hope, and shelter for Madison area men, women, and veterans for over 20 years. They work to end homelessness for those who live with severe mental illnesses. Legacy Solar Co-op is proud to be partnering with such a wonderful organization.
Legacy Solar Co-op will provide solar on 2 buildings that Housing Initiatives owns and maintains. Our tax sponsor for this project is a long-time advocate for this and other organizations in Dane County. Together, we will help Housing Initiatives achieve lower energy bills by helping them generate their own electricity behind-the-meter, saving them about 40% on their power bills. Read more
Legacy Solar Co-op teams with MREA on solar carport project
/in NewsLegacy Solar Co-op is working with the MREA to develop a 100 kilowatt solar carport to be located on the main grounds of MREA’s headquarters in Custer, Wisconsin. We will rely on supporters of MREA and members of LSC to buy Solar Bonds to capitalize a fund that will allow MREA to get the best value out of this development.
LSC is looking to sell $240,000 in solar bonds through our Co-op to get this project off the ground this summer!
Learn more about solar bonds and how they help fund community solar projects like this one – while earning you interest!
>> Learn more about the Slice of Sun Solar Bonds program >>
Two open house events at Willy Street Co-op East
/in Events, NewsJune 27 & 29, 2016
LSC coordinated an Open House Bond Sales Event on Monday, June 27 and Wednesday, June 29, 2016 from 5:30-7:30pm at the Community Room at Willy East’s store. Attendees learned more about supporting solar and investing in member bonds through the Legacy Solar Co-op. Solar Bonds to fund the new rooftop solar at Willy East’s store were sold to Members of the Legacy Solar Co-op. Willy Street will use the energy savings from the solar and from the 214 LED lights to pay the Legacy Solar Co-op’s bondholders up to 6% interest on Bonds used to capitalize LSC’s solar loan fund.
Our solar loans are securitized by the value of the solar assets on the roof so this Legacy Solar Co-op is a safe and reliable way to share in the benefits of solar energy.
Join the Legacy Solar Co-op and Share a Slice-of-Sun with the Willy Co-op today and earn a decent return by investing in sunshine!
Willy Street Grocery Co-op East
/in Projects* LSC Member
LOCATION: Madison, WI | CAPACITY: 20 kW | COMPLETION DATE: July 2016
SOLAR CONTRACTOR:
April 2022 Update: This month the Willy Street Co-op purchased their solar array outright from the tax sponsor and bondholders. Not one LED lamp has needed replacing yet, and there are still 19 years of warranty on the solar panels. It has already been a good investment and proves to get even better as time goes on. We will include a case study here describing this project, Legacy’s first project involving tax equity financing, coming full circle. As more projects are purchased by their hosts, we can really amplifying celebrate the benefits of tax equity financing!
In 2016, LSC helped Willy Street Grocery Co-op add 20 kilowatts of solar to the roof of their east side store (on Willy Street), as well as 214 LED lamps to replace the fluorescents, which operate at 15 hours a day.
Between the LED retro-fits and the solar, Willy Street saves over 40,000 kilowatt-hours per year in MGE-supplied power.
This will result in over 33 metric tons of carbon-dioxide avoided emissions per year, and over 25 years roughly 20 million gallons of water conserved!
Read more
Solar Legacy Projects
/in ProjectsSolar 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 up to 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.
Sauk Area Solar Committee Public Talk
/in Events, NewsThe Sauk Area Solar Committee of the Legacy Solar Co-op hosted a public talk Saturday, January 30th, 2016 at the Ruth Culver Prairie du Sac Library in front of over 70 members of the public! Trang Donovan of Unlimited Renewable Energy (URE) gave a very good technical overview of the process to put solar on a rooftop. Tyler Huebner of RENEW Wisconsin gave a great little talk on the state of solar development in Wisconsin.
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News from the 2016 RENEW Wisconsin Energy Policy Summit
/in NewsThe 2016 RENEW Wisconsin Energy Policy Summit was held at the Monona Terrace January 21st and was well attended with renewable energy advocates and policy experts from all over Wisconsin. Vermont’s Green Mountain Power was represented in the form of the keynote speaker and GMP CEO Mary Powell. Under her leadership, there have been very impressive results switching from old to new energy systems, and most impressive is the solar portfolio tipping 30% of their peak demand! Here’s a link for more on Green Mountain Power. Read more
Renew Wisconsin 2016
/in Events, NewsJanuary 21, 2016
Legacy Solar Co-op tabled at Renew Wisconsin’s 6th annual Energy Policy Summit, held at the Monona Terrace in downtown Madison on Thursday, January 21, 2016. LSC’s Executive Director, Kurt Reinhold, and Treasurer, Mark Warnick, along with member John Eric Allen, attended.
Union Cab of Madison shared a table with LSC and help promote the sale of Co-op Bonds for their 20 kW solar project, which went live in December of 2015. Legacy Solar Co-op membership applications and bond information packets will be available.
More information about this event at https://www.renewwisconsin.org/renewable-energy-summit/
Union Cab of Madison
/in ProjectsLOCATION: Madison, Wisconsin | COMPLETION DATE: December 2015 | CAPACITY: added 20kW (25kW total)
SOLAR CONTRACTOR:
Union Cab of Madison Cooperative is worker owned and operated. They added solar to their mechanics shop in 2012, and talked about expanding from 5 to 25 kilowatts, adding power their operations on their main administration building, at 2458 Pennsylvania Avenue, on the east side of Madison.
Read more
Union Cab of Madison teams up with Legacy Solar Co-op
/in NewsUnion Cab of Madison Cooperative is the newest solar and energy efficiency project the Legacy Solar Co-op will be supporting. This community cab company is worker owned and operated. They added solar to their mechanics shop in 2012, and have since talked about expanding that 5 kilowatts to power their operations on their main administration building, at 2458 Pennsylvania Avenue, on the east side of Madison. Read more