Add as a preferred source on Google

Wisconsin’s New Berlin First Participant in Solar Now Pilot

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 07/24/19

Wisconsin’s School District of New Berlin is outfitting three of its schools this summer with solar panels. The project, with WE Energies and SunVest Solar, will install 8,076 panels at three schools this summer. The installations will primarily go on rooftops, but one school will also have a solar field with 2,134 modules. The installation, part of WE's new "Solar Now" program, will create 35 megawatts of renewable energy.

The system includes access to SolarEdge, which provides online monitoring of energy production and usage data.

Solar Now is a pilot program approved by the state's Public Service Commission. In discussion before the vote, solar advocates told commissioners that the program gives WE Energies a monopoly on solar implementations within the state. The program works like this: The company installs solar panels on customer properties, and the customer receives a monthly lease payment based in part on how much power the panels generate. According to regional reporting, this "rent-a-roof" model prevents customers from being able "to lease or finance equipment through private developers," which cuts those companies out of the business.

The project, with WE Energies and SunVest Solar, will install 8,076 panels at three schools this summer. The installations will primarily go on rooftops, but one school will also have a solar field with 2,134 modules.
Image source: WE Energies

In a presentation to the school district, WE estimated the rent payments for the four solar installations at $94,401 per year, totaling $1.89 million for the 20 years of the agreement. In the arrangement, the school district would be responsible for the cost of temporarily relocating the solar array if the various school roofs were to need replacement.

"We are proud to be the first participant in this innovative renewable energy program," said Superintendent Joe Garza, during the project announcement. He noted that along with adoption of renewable energy, the initiative will also give students "the unique opportunity to gain real life knowledge about the production of solar energy for years to come."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.

  • Little Grand Market

    Designing for Belonging: Why Student Wellness Starts with Space

    From walkable site planning to flexible interiors, intentional design choices play a critical role in how students experience comfort, connection, and community.

  • Utah Valley University Opens New Engineering Building

    Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, recently held a grand-opening ceremony for the new Scott M. Smith Engineering Building, according to a news release. The facility is one of the largest engineering buildings in the state at almost 200,000 square feet, and it plays home to the university’s Smith College of Engineering and Technology (SCET).

  • Texas State University Completes Stadium Renovations

    Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, recently announced that it has completed a series of additions and renovations to its football stadium, according to a news release. Formerly known as the Bobcat Stadium End Zone Complex, the Johnny and Nathali Weisman Football Performance Center is an 85,000-square-foot expansion featuring hospitality spaces, banquet spaces, exterior concourses, and upgrades to the field house.

Digital Edition