by Peter Fiala, Vice President
For our latest Member Spotlight interview, we chose Drews Solar, a family-run solar installer located in Madison, Wisconsin. The company is run by Michael and Maria Drews and has been a LSC member since 2017.
How did Drews Solar get started?
When Michael graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering in 2005, he knew wanted to get into renewables. He started working with a small local company in Madison, then moved to Los Angeles to manage the Los Angeles branch of Solar City, a quickly-growing residential solar installer. California’s appetite for solar and electric vehicle charging kept Michael and his branch’s 60 employees very busy.
In 2016, Michael moved back to Wisconsin and decided to start his own solar installation company. Michael worked alone his first year, installing six projects. Maria joined Drews Solar for the 3rd installation season, and they added an installer to work beside Michael, helping grow the capacity of the company. Although they have been growing significantly, Maria and Michael don’t have the intention to grow their business beyond one installation crew. They prefer to keep a happy medium that balances work for their team with the ability to deliver excellent customer service and ongoing support. “I like the personal touch of dealing with the customers directly. Staying small allows me to give each project my attention and to make sure all of our projects are done to our high standards,” says Michael.
Describe your company. How does it work?
There are two full-time and two part-time installers during the solar season, in addition to Michael as lead installer and project coordinator and Maria as office and intake coordinator. Maria handles solar estimates and the initial back and forth with the client, answering questions prior to a site assessment. If the client is interested in moving forward, Michael completes a site visit with a formal quote. If the client wants to continue they sign on and the project begins.
What types of systems do you install?
Drews Solar specializes in a streamlined approach, incorporating system designs and equipment they know they can rely upon in residential or family farm settings. Their systems utilize string inverters and optimizers from Solar Edge to maximize solar production. Additionally, the racking system and choice of solar panel brand remains mostly the same throughout each season. This allows them to buy larger amounts of standard equipment which is efficient and keeps costs down for customers.
There are a lot of people that want to go solar and they know that they can help the most people if the installation team can move through residential projects fast, with precision and skill. As part of their streamlined approach, Drews Solar sticks to standard rooftop solar arrays and leaves flat roofs, ground mounts, and commercial projects to larger installers.
Making an impact
Drews Solar has demonstrated a commitment to giving back and has partnered with notable non-profits in the area. In 2021, Drews Solar partnered with a Habitat for Humanity family to provide a solar system with no labor costs. The family was passionate about going solar, but couldn’t afford the investment of the system upfront, which is a barrier for many lower-income families. Drews Solar partners with causes like this because they feel strongly about helping the people who need solar the most. “Everyone needs to switch to renewable energy,” says Maria, “but lower-income families benefit the most from the reduced electricity bills. We wanted to do our part to help this family make their dream of going solar a reality.”
Working with Drews Solar
If you are in Dane County or the surrounding area and are looking for a standard rooftop solar array, Drews Solar would be a great choice. Drews Solar is already full for 2022, but will be booking 2023 installs starting in September. Feel free to contact Maria Drews at mdrews@drewssolar.com with initial questions about your future system.
Legacy Solar Cooperative Wins one of 25 prizes in U.S. energy competitionMay 6, 2023 - 9:48 am
Ribbon cutting ceremony for Curative ConnectionsApril 17, 2023 - 2:58 pm
Installer Member Feature: Midwest Solar Power
/in Member Installers, NewsInterview with Adam Schmidt, Project Resource Officer at Midwest Solar Power
Tell us more about Midwest Solar Power’s ‘origin story’…
Founded in 2009 by Rik Rosenlund and Tom Schlaefer who previously worked together in residential construction, the goal of MSP was to engage in more impactful prospects. They wanted to bring together their expertise in construction, project management and customer service and soon realized that solar was a field they believed in and were confident they could improve. Over the years, they became experts and built a happy customer base. MSP was also strengthened by the additions of Michael Reuter and Adam Schmidt. Michael Reuter brought his renewable energy and architectural technology training from Madison College along with a passion for green building and renewable energy to MSP to help grow the business and has grown into an ownership role over the last 5 years. Adam Schmidt joined in Feb 2021 with an engineering background and an eagerness to address climate change. Read more
Legacy Solar Co-op Achieves 2022 Climate Champion (Catalyst) Status
/in In the News, NewsLegacy Solar Co-op achieved 2022 Climate Champion (Catalyst) status for increasing solar education and adoption of solar in Dane County. In 2020 and 2021, they educated hundreds of residents and supported 32 installations for a total of 245 kW of solar. Legacy Solar Co-op (LSC) is a statewide member owned cooperative that provides expert consulting and financing services to facilitate solar projects for communities and nonprofits in Wisconsin.
Find the full article here: Press Releases | Office of the County Executive (countyofdane.com)
A Story of Unexpected Benefits from Following a Home Energy Audit
/in Advice/EducationThe following story, of fictional Wisconsin homeowners Ken and Barb, illustrate the expected and unexpected benefits of following the recommendations of an energy audit. Read more
Dane County Exec Parisi: Recognizes more than 70 local organizations as 2022 Climate Champions for efforts to address climate change locally – WisPolitics
/in In the NewsLegacy Solar Co-op received a 2022 Climate Champion award in the Catalyst category from the Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change at a ceremony on October 6, 2022. The Catalyst category is reserved for organizations or companies that help others take climate actions. We were proud to be recognized and celebrate along with other changemakers. Thank you to all of our members and others who make our work possible!
For more, see Dane County Exec Parisi: Recognizes more than 70 local organizations as 2022 Climate Champions for efforts to address climate change locally – WisPolitics
Installer Member Feature: Arch Electric
/in Member InstallersFor our latest Member Spotlight interview to interview Andrew Holmstrom from Arch Electric. Arch Electric is a family-owned solar installer operating out of Plymouth, Wisconsin. The company is run by Ed and Mindy Zinthefer and has been a LSC member since 2016.
Arch Electric’s ‘origin story’
Essentially, Ed and Mindy started the concept and outline of what is now Arch Electric off the back porch of their farmhouse. Ed’s electrical contracting services were taking off and the couple envisioned a solar company where they could add value to a burgeoning market. Hear more about Arch Electric’s story here.
Tell us about Arch Electric’s operations
There are four different business units to the Arch Electric model: Commercial and Utility scale solar, Residential solar, Operations and Maintenance (of solar systems) and the electrical team that covers battery storage and electric vehicle charging. Andrew Holmstrom (Commercial and Industrial team) likes that the work environment is positive, close-knit, and dedicated to training and education. Read more
Meet Peter Fiala, Co-op Vice President
/in NewsPeter Fiala started with the co-op in 2017, primarily as its Media Director, but soon after as board member and in 2020 as the co-op vice president. In 2021, he took to opportunity to work full time expanding and coordinating our solar group buy program in multiple areas of the state. This role allowed him to work one-on-one with homeowners to educate them on the basics of solar, including cost and placement of their system, and quote analysis if needed. Read more
Wisconsin bond program helps nonprofits afford solar
/in In the News, ProjectsThe upfront costs of solar panels are sometimes too high for small organizations
(Reposted from the Yale Climate Connections article on 6/6/2022)
Many nonprofit organizations would like to install solar panels. But the upfront costs can be prohibitive for groups on tight budgets.
So an organization in Wisconsin has created a financing model to help community groups go solar.
Elise Couillard is with Legacy Solar Co-op. Through the group’s Slice of Sun solar bonds program, co-op members can invest in 12-year bonds that help cover the cost of solar arrays at nonprofits and community groups.
Bond holders earn interest while supporting a cause they believe in.
“Our members are some of the fiercest supporters of solar,” Couillard says.
In 2021, the program helped finance solar arrays at a chapter of the Humane Society, a Boys’ and Girls’ Club, an elementary school, a senior community, and several other organizations.
Couillard says the solar helps these groups lower their utility bills and direct more funds to their core missions.
“So any money that they’re not having to spend on their electrical bills can go towards a new staff member. It can go towards care for their residents,” she says. “We know that these nonprofits and these community organizations are doing such amazing work, and we can help accelerate that amazing work by freeing up more funds for them to do so.”
Project Comes Full Circle: Willy Street Co-op
/in News, ProjectsIn 2016, the Willy Street Co-op partnered with Legacy to install 212 LED lamps and 90 solar panels at their east location. They provided the roof-top; Legacy provided the technical assistance and tax financing; Full Spectrum Solar installed the panels. This energy efficiency and renewable energy project has saved over 200,000 kilowatt-hours and over 120 metric tons of carbon emissions so far. And, this month the Willy Street Co-op purchased the 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.
Watch for a case study on 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.
Congratulations to Willy Street Co-op on taking full ownership of their solar array!
LSC Member Spotlight with Drews Solar
/in Member Installersby Peter Fiala, Vice President
For our latest Member Spotlight interview, we chose Drews Solar, a family-run solar installer located in Madison, Wisconsin. The company is run by Michael and Maria Drews and has been a LSC member since 2017.
How did Drews Solar get started?
When Michael graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering in 2005, he knew wanted to get into renewables. He started working with a small local company in Madison, then moved to Los Angeles to manage the Los Angeles branch of Solar City, a quickly-growing residential solar installer. California’s appetite for solar and electric vehicle charging kept Michael and his branch’s 60 employees very busy.
In 2016, Michael moved back to Wisconsin and decided to start his own solar installation company. Michael worked alone his first year, installing six projects. Maria joined Drews Solar for the 3rd installation season, and they added an installer to work beside Michael, helping grow the capacity of the company. Although they have been growing significantly, Maria and Michael don’t have the intention to grow their business beyond one installation crew. They prefer to keep a happy medium that balances work for their team with the ability to deliver excellent customer service and ongoing support. “I like the personal touch of dealing with the customers directly. Staying small allows me to give each project my attention and to make sure all of our projects are done to our high standards,” says Michael.
Describe your company. How does it work?
There are two full-time and two part-time installers during the solar season, in addition to Michael as lead installer and project coordinator and Maria as office and intake coordinator. Maria handles solar estimates and the initial back and forth with the client, answering questions prior to a site assessment. If the client is interested in moving forward, Michael completes a site visit with a formal quote. If the client wants to continue they sign on and the project begins.
What types of systems do you install?
Drews Solar specializes in a streamlined approach, incorporating system designs and equipment they know they can rely upon in residential or family farm settings. Their systems utilize string inverters and optimizers from Solar Edge to maximize solar production. Additionally, the racking system and choice of solar panel brand remains mostly the same throughout each season. This allows them to buy larger amounts of standard equipment which is efficient and keeps costs down for customers.
There are a lot of people that want to go solar and they know that they can help the most people if the installation team can move through residential projects fast, with precision and skill. As part of their streamlined approach, Drews Solar sticks to standard rooftop solar arrays and leaves flat roofs, ground mounts, and commercial projects to larger installers.
Making an impact
Drews Solar has demonstrated a commitment to giving back and has partnered with notable non-profits in the area. In 2021, Drews Solar partnered with a Habitat for Humanity family to provide a solar system with no labor costs. The family was passionate about going solar, but couldn’t afford the investment of the system upfront, which is a barrier for many lower-income families. Drews Solar partners with causes like this because they feel strongly about helping the people who need solar the most. “Everyone needs to switch to renewable energy,” says Maria, “but lower-income families benefit the most from the reduced electricity bills. We wanted to do our part to help this family make their dream of going solar a reality.”
Working with Drews Solar
If you are in Dane County or the surrounding area and are looking for a standard rooftop solar array, Drews Solar would be a great choice. Drews Solar is already full for 2022, but will be booking 2023 installs starting in September. Feel free to contact Maria Drews at mdrews@drewssolar.com with initial questions about your future system.
Annual Meeting 2022
/in Events, NewsDate/Time: Thursday, May 26th
Location: Couillard Solar Foundation, 10 Liberty Street, Deerfield, WI 53531 (we will meet behind the building near CSF’s solar pergola weather permitting)
Regardless of your status as an Annual Member, a Lifetime Member, as a representative of an Institution Member, or even just curious about becoming a Member of our cooperative, you are invited to attend and participate in the review of our work in solar since December and what lies ahead for us in 2022. Only one vote per member is allowed on any actionable motions that come up during the business meeting portion of the evening. This meeting will be broadcasted and recorded for anyone who cannot make it in person.* Only members who receive a ballot before the meeting or who are in-person on the day of the meeting can cast votes. Read more