LOCATION: Dodgeville, Wisconsin | CAPACITY: 40 kW | COMPLETION DATE: October 2018
SOLAR CONTRACTOR:
The Prairie Center and the Venture Arts Retreat Center will each be generating about 50% of their own power.
Bethel Horizons is located on more than 548 acres bordering Governor Dodge State Park. Our mission is to develop and perpetuate a physical, social, intellectual, and spiritual environment which will strengthen and enhance the understanding of a person’s proper relation to nature, to self, to others and to God.”
(From Solar for Good grant)
Horizons is affiliated with Bethel Lutheran Church, Madison, Wisconsin and Lutheran Outdoor Ministries, an association of ELCA camps across the country.
Installing a solar energy solution fits perfectly into our general mission and our goal of Caring for Creation. As we strive to foster a better understanding of nature, it not only will help us be better stewards of our financial resources, it will allow an educational opportunity for the many thousands of visitors to our facility. We have a full time environmental educator on staff that will be able to incorporate the use of solar energy first hand into our programs.
Project Impact
This project will directly impact the populations Bethel Horizons serves. During the summer program, 65% of our campers receive some form of financial assistance to attend camp. This project will provide a unique opportunity for Bethel Horizons to expose our youth to this technology to help them understand how it works and the positive impact that it has on our environment. In addition, being in rural Wisconsin, this project can serve as an example for other rural entities about how realistic a project like this could be for their facilities.
Publicity and Education: Bethel Horizons would see this solar array as a way for us to educate others about the importance of renewable energy projects like this one. With a full time Environmental Education Director, Bethel Horizons will be able to develop sustainable programming that can be shared with groups that we serve. In addition, Bethel Horizons would be open to having an event that highlights this project for the general public. We would do this in conjunction with those who have helped us to manage this project.
Member WES Engineering of Madison will be installing this project that will cover 2 buildings with 20 kilowatts each. The Prairie Center and the Venture Arts Retreat Center will each be generating about 50% of their own power for their electrical needs at these two sites. Our Co-op will be making $25,000 in loans to this project.
Congress Passes Solar Tax Credit Extension
/in News /by Peter FialaPosted 12/31/20
On Monday, December 21st, Congress passed a bill that includes $35 billion for energy research and development and a two-year extension of the 26% Federal Investment Tax Credit for solar projects. These funds are part of the $1.4 trillion federal spending and tax extension package negotiated by congressional leaders, which is in addition to a $900 billion relief package for Americans, businesses and for Coronavirus vaccine distribution. President Trump signed the bill late Sunday night.
Read more here.
Annual Meeting 2020
/in Events /by Peter FialaPosted 11/24/20
Join current and prospective members of Legacy Solar Co-op for the 2020 Annual Meeting. The purpose of the meeting is 3-fold:
We are meeting online this year via GoToMeeting starting at 7:00PM and ending around 8:00PM.
RSVP to jackie@legacysolarcoop.org by 12/8. Thanks!
Bethel Horizons
/in Projects /by DandelionLOCATION: Dodgeville, Wisconsin | CAPACITY: 40 kW | COMPLETION DATE: October 2018
SOLAR CONTRACTOR:
The Prairie Center and the Venture Arts Retreat Center will each be generating about 50% of their own power.
Bethel Horizons is located on more than 548 acres bordering Governor Dodge State Park. Our mission is to develop and perpetuate a physical, social, intellectual, and spiritual environment which will strengthen and enhance the understanding of a person’s proper relation to nature, to self, to others and to God.”
(From Solar for Good grant)
Horizons is affiliated with Bethel Lutheran Church, Madison, Wisconsin and Lutheran Outdoor Ministries, an association of ELCA camps across the country.
Installing a solar energy solution fits perfectly into our general mission and our goal of Caring for Creation. As we strive to foster a better understanding of nature, it not only will help us be better stewards of our financial resources, it will allow an educational opportunity for the many thousands of visitors to our facility. We have a full time environmental educator on staff that will be able to incorporate the use of solar energy first hand into our programs.
Project Impact
This project will directly impact the populations Bethel Horizons serves. During the summer program, 65% of our campers receive some form of financial assistance to attend camp. This project will provide a unique opportunity for Bethel Horizons to expose our youth to this technology to help them understand how it works and the positive impact that it has on our environment. In addition, being in rural Wisconsin, this project can serve as an example for other rural entities about how realistic a project like this could be for their facilities.
Publicity and Education: Bethel Horizons would see this solar array as a way for us to educate others about the importance of renewable energy projects like this one. With a full time Environmental Education Director, Bethel Horizons will be able to develop sustainable programming that can be shared with groups that we serve. In addition, Bethel Horizons would be open to having an event that highlights this project for the general public. We would do this in conjunction with those who have helped us to manage this project.
Member WES Engineering of Madison will be installing this project that will cover 2 buildings with 20 kilowatts each. The Prairie Center and the Venture Arts Retreat Center will each be generating about 50% of their own power for their electrical needs at these two sites. Our Co-op will be making $25,000 in loans to this project.
Final Western Dane County Solar Group Buy Webinar Scheduled for September 15th
/in Events /by Peter FialaWebinar Scheduled for September 15th from 6:30-7:30pm
Save money on solar installation through the Western Dane County Group Buy! Our free webinar will explain how. Attend and receive a free solar assessment.
This is the last year for you to take advantage of the 26% Federal Tax Incentive, (it goes down next year) and this year’s state grant money for energy investments is running low, so the window is closing on this opportunity. Read more
Help promote the co-op in its efforts to grow solar in Wisconsin
/in News /by Peter FialaPosted 6/11/20
Here are some of the ways you can help support Legacy Solar Co-op in its efforts to grow solar in Wisconsin:
A little bit goes a long way. Thank you for referring us!
Next Western Dane County Solar Group Buy Webinars Scheduled for June 3rd and June 14th
/in Events, News /by Peter FialaPosted 5/21/20
If you live in western Dane County and have ever thought about adding solar to your home, this is the year to do it. Legacy Solar Co-op and community volunteers from the Town of Vermont’s Climate Action Committee have partnered with All Sky Energy and Eagle Point Solar to offer deep discounts and special financing options on solar projects in 2020. The goal of this group buy is to add half a megawatt of solar to Wisconsin’s energy mix. Read more
Solar Group Buy Webinar Will Take Place on May 14th for Western Dane County Residents
/in Events, News /by Peter FialaPosted 5/8/20
If you live in western Dane County and have ever thought about adding solar to your home, this is the year to do it. Legacy Solar Co-op and community volunteers from the Town of Vermont’s Climate Action Committee have partnered with All Sky Energy and Eagle Point Solar to offer deep discounts and special financing options on solar projects in 2020. The goal of this group buy is to add half a megawatt of solar to Wisconsin’s energy mix. Read more
Christ Lutheran Church of Spring Green
/in Projects /by Peter FialaLOCATION: Spring Green, Wisconsin | CAPACITY: 18 kW | COMPLETION DATE: December 2018
SOLAR CONTRACTOR:
Christ Lutheran Church has served the Spring Green, WI community for 135 years. In 2018, the co-op began planning another phase of their history: generating power from the sun. The resulting project should generate roughly 60% of the church’s electricity and set a great example of environmental stewardship for the community and for other congregations. Read more
Announcing the Western Dane County Group Buy Program
/in News /by Peter FialaPeter Fiala, 4/29/20
The Western Dane County Group Buy Program was announced on April 28, 2020 at the third in a series of Climate Action Workshops, which took place via webinar.
Legacy Solar Co-op (LSC), in conjunction with the Town of Vermont’s Climate Action Committee and other communities, is proud to offer the residents of western Dane County a Group Buy Program for the installation of new, residential solar arrays at a lower price than a typical residential installation. This program will last from May through December 2020.
The goal of the program is to increase solar education and adoption in the communities of Western Dane County, including Vermont Township, Middleton, Mount Horeb, Black Earth, Blue Mounds, Mazomanie, Cross Plains, Verona, Berry, Springdale and the surrounding area.
Read more.
LSC Sells Switch-to-Solar (S2S) RECs to Bayfield County
/in Advice/Education /by Peter Fiala(This is the first of a 4-month series on climate or carbon offsets and the S2S program)
By Kurt Reinhold, President of Legacy Solar Wisconsin Cooperative, 3/19/20
This month, Bayfield County officially completed its goal of 100% Carbon Free Electricity operations by purchasing the final 50 Megawatt-hours* of solar offsets (solar RECs) from Legacy Solar Cooperative’s Switch-to-Solar REC inventory. The solar electricity that was purchased by Bayfield County was generated in Monona, Wisconsin by rooftop solar in 2018 and 2019.
*The actual number of kWhs of solar purchased is 49,500 (equal to 49.5 MWh).
For many, this announcement may be just as impressive as it is confusing to understand. At some point, everybody will have asked themselves, “what does Carbon Neutral even mean”? Is it the same as “Net Zero” emissions or even the newer term “Climate Neutral”? And, how did Bayfield County calculate their emissions as well as their achievement of neutrality?
Read more