MONROE — Through 2025 and 2026, the University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension has partnered with Green County to engage community members in renewable energy conversations. In Green County, the Renewable Energy Siting & Engagement for Tomorrow (RESET) process was aided by a Green County Advisory Team, UW-Madison Division of Extension staff, and a variety of collaborative organizations.

The Green County RESET process gathered community perspectives through focus groups, a mapping workshop, and two community conversations. This process was intentionally initiated and developed before any known large-scale renewable energy projects were proposed for Green County. The facilitated events did not advocate for or against renewable energy, but rather sought to gather perspectives from community members regarding potential benefits, concerns, and questions they had about large-scale solar.

The project report, published in March 2026, covers the process and summarizes and addresses the questions and comments that emerged from the community engagement. The report also lists potential actions local government and individuals can take, suggests resources for learning more, includes all comments recorded as part of the perspective gathering process, and more. The report is available to view on the Extension Green County website, at: green.extension.wisc.edu/renewable-energy/. There are additional resources available for learning more about RESET on a state level at: economicdevelopment.extension.wisc.edu/reset/.

For more information about RESET, contact Victoria Solomon, Community Development Educator with UW-Madison Division of Extension Green County at (608) 328-9440 or via email at victoria.solomon@wisc.edu.