UW-Extension receives $1 million to help build solar and wind projects | News

Large-scale solar and wind projects are increasingly appearing on landscapes across the country. However, not all communities welcome energy infrastructure.

As of April, the Wisconsin Public Utilities Commission had approved 4,176 megawatts of solar projects on more than 29,000 acres. This spring, the U.S. Department of Energy announced it was awarding $1 million to UW-Extension to educate communities about large-scale renewable energy sources, which will facilitate the location and development of these projects.

The goal is for large-scale solar and wind projects to benefit all parties involved, said Sherrie Gruder, a sustainable design specialist and energy strategist at UW-Extension who is overseeing the initiative. Gruder said the grant will help local governments and residents “have a voice so that projects work well to advance the values ​​and goals of communities in our state.”

Concerns about utility-scale energy projects have been expressed at public meetings, on social media and through yard signs across Wisconsin. Large-scale energy facilities are most often located in rural areas, raising concerns about the removal of farmland from production, the impact of solar and wind technology on wildlife, and how energy infrastructure is changing the character of rural communities.

The federal grants come from the Inflation Reduction Act – among many renewable energy initiatives in the bill – to conduct “a coordinated, inclusive and transparent process that engages communities in locating large renewable energy projects within Wisconsin,” the release said. press release. from the expansion of the University of Warsaw.

Six states received a total of $10 million for similar efforts.

There are 33 large-scale solar developments online or in development in 21 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties. This number will likely continue to grow as all investor-owned utilities in the state have committed to transitioning to zero-emission sources by 2050.

“This kind of surge in interest in large-scale renewable energy projects has kind of taken us by surprise, so there’s a lot of background information that different groups need to know that they don’t have,” said Extension Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator Diane Mayerfeld, who co-chairs the effort.

The purpose of this grant is to provide information on how the planning and development of large-scale solar and wind projects can and should work, she added.

“Everyone, from local officials to landowners and nearby neighbors, in many cases does not know what their options are and what the constraints are in pursuing these projects,” Mayerfeld said.

Gruder and Mayerfeld want to prepare the communities that energy developers are likely to approach, help them identify their preferences, and advocate for these projects to be included in the projects when they come before the Wisconsin Public Utilities Commission for approval. UW-Extension and its partners will conduct listening sessions and provide knowledge and technical resources to local governments and communities so they can create formal policies about what they want energy development to look like in their cities.

Energy facilities that produce at least 100 megawatts of energy, or typically more than 600 acres of solar power, are regulated by the state Public Utilities Commission. The local authorities where the projects are located have no jurisdiction over the planning, approval or zoning of large projects.

For many of the large-scale solar panels developed in the state over the past decade, utilities or developers will lease land from local residents and farmers to place the panels. The agreement is concluded between developers and landowners and approved by the state commission. This sometimes caused tensions among neighboring residents who felt they had no say.

Gruder said the federal grant will help communities explore so-called “good neighbor agreements” – ways to accommodate neighboring landowners or receive compensation.

“One of the things we want to do is equip the community with the knowledge of what they can ask for,” she said.

UW-Extension also plans to educate communities about the potential benefits of large energy projects. Local governments in host communities receive $5,000 per megawatt of energy produced there.

“Most local governments have not publicly discussed how these funds could be spent, so residents are unaware that they too will benefit financially from renewable energy projects, in addition to landowners who lease their land to developers,” the release reads. press release.

The goal of the grant-funded project is to develop best practices for developing large-scale solar installations in Wisconsin and help communities proactively address their priorities.

“We’re trying to get there early (and) help shape the investment,” Gruder said.

“It will make it more visible, more accessible, and probably give us a better product where people will feel more comfortable with what’s going on.”

Community involvement

As a researcher at UW-Madison, Mikhaila Calice studied how communities understand and think about implementing new energy technologies.

Working proactively with communities and understanding their priorities has become an industry best practice, but “historically, developers and utilities have not been the ones to really effectively and meaningfully engage their customers or residents of the areas in which they are developing,” Calice said , who currently works on the Public Service Commission.

A poll conducted by the UW-Madison La Follette School of Public Affairs ahead of the 2022 election found that 45% of Wisconsinites surveyed strongly support doubling the amount of electricity from renewable sources.

Calice said what matters is where these projects go and whether they are integrated into their host communities.

“Local context matters when considering the adoption of new science and technology, especially if it is intended to change people’s lives or the status quo,” she said.

The energy industry is undergoing a seismic shift from climate change and the transition to renewable energy. Cities, states, utilities and others have set a goal of changing the way energy is produced and obtained from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.

“We have a really fantastic opportunity to really do things differently and design our technology development and adoption around local needs, values ​​and priorities,” Calice said. “But that may require us to let communities take the lead.”

To meet Wisconsin’s goal of making all electricity used in the state 100% carbon-free by 2050, the state needs 28.5 gigawatts of large-scale solar power and 21 gigawatts of solar power, according to a report by RENEW Wisconsin and Clean Wisconsin gigawatts of wind energy, environmental protection organizations.

Solar power in farming communities is very divisive, said Chelsea Chandler, director of the climate, energy and air program at Clean Wisconsin and a farmer in Lafayette County. Farmers who rent their land for solar panels earn a stable income in an industry with slim profit margins. However, neighboring agricultural producers lose access to agricultural land intended for leasing.

Chandler is working with Wisconsin farmers to better understand what works and how community concerns and values ​​can be better addressed when it comes to solar energy in America’s Dairyland.

“There is still a piece of the narrative that solar is a threat to agriculture,” Chandler said.

There is huge potential to rest and restore farmland beneath the panels by planting native grasses and pollinator habitats, which will benefit local agriculture, water and soil quality in the long term.

“I think there’s a really strong case for being able to integrate solar energy into our farming communities in a way that provides benefits in some ways that our current farming system lacks,” Chandler said.

UW-Extension’s Mayerfeld hopes this project will help communities clearly define their priorities in the energy development process as quickly as possible.

“The sooner a community determines what it does and doesn’t really want to see in terms of renewable energy, the more influence the Public Utilities Commission will have.”