For immediate release
November 17, 2015
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Tyler Huebner, Executive Director
608.255.4044
Eau
Claire Cooperative’s Community Solar Project Goes Live
Wisconsin’s newest solar garden is also the state’s largest
With the
flip of a switch, Fall Creek-based Eau Claire Energy Cooperative (ECEC) now
owns and operates Wisconsin’s newest and largest Community Solar project. Consisting of 2,816 panels with a rated
capacity of 872 kilowatts (DC), the array will produce approximately 900,000
kilowatt-hours a year, roughly the equivalent of what 90 households would
consume in a year.
For the
moment at least, it is the third largest solar array in Wisconsin (see table below).
River
Falls-based Able Energy Company constructed ECEC’s system. Later this year,
Able will commence construction on a 250 kW solar array in Minnesota for
People’s Energy Cooperative.
“Eau Claire
Energy’s project makes a statement on solar energy that couldn’t be clearer,”
said Tyler Huebner, executive director of RENEW Wisconsin, a renewable energy
advocacy organization headquartered in Madison. “If you’re searching for a
utility project that delivers clean energy and long-term savings to its
subscribers while creating good-paying jobs with in-state businesses, you’ll
find an excellent example in Fall Creek.”
“Solar
energy is here to stay and we encourage other electric providers to embrace
that reality,” Huebner said.
Under a
typical community solar project, electricity customers help finance the
building of a large project through an up-front subscription fee that is paid
back in full (with a modest return) through monthly on-bill credits. A centralized solar array enables all utility
customers, including those who rent or are lacking sufficient solar exposure,
to support the expansion of solar generation in their community.
Since early
2014, six Wisconsin electric cooperatives have built and energized solar
gardens totaling more than 1.5 MW (see table below). For information on community solar activity in Wisconsin, visit RENEW’s web page
at http://renewwisconsin.org/action/CommunitySolar.htm.
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