JUDA — RENEW Wisconsin’s Solar for Good program will issue 36 grants to state nonprofit organizations to install new solar-electric systems.
The Juda school district is one of them.
Altogether, these grants total over $445,000 and will lead to more than $4.5 million in new solar investment. The new solar arrays, planned for installation over the next 12 months, will add 2.13 megawatts of new solar power to Wisconsin’s electric mix.
“Sometimes great projects just need a little help,” said Scott Anderson, Juda High School math and engineering instructor. He also serves as the varsity volleyball coach, and as the student advisor for Juda Public Schools. “Because of the Solar for Good funding, our project will happen and we will be able to continue our initiative to reduce costs through using more green energy.”
The school in Juda will add an additional 4 kilowatts of solar panels to its existing array, increasing output by 50 percent. The school will offset 10 percent of its electric use through a combination of energy efficiency projects and solar power.
This round of funding featured a diverse group of awardees from every part of Wisconsin. The winning projects include:
● Beloit College will convert a former coal-fired power plant into a carbon-neutral student activity center, complete with solar electric and geothermal heating.
● Sawyer County Housing Authority will install solar arrays on 6 multi-family, low income housing facilities, which will directly offset their residents’ utility bills
● Primates Inc, a sanctuary for retired primates from the research and film industry, plans to construct a 30-kilowatt array for their habitats near Westfield.
RENEW’s fall 2018 funding period builds on the success of Solar for Good’s previous rounds in the fall of 2017 and spring of 2018. During the first and second funding rounds, RENEW issued over $200,000 in grants, helping 23 Wisconsin-based nonprofits invest over $1.67 million in new solar projects.
The Solar for Good program is primarily funded by philanthropists Cal and Laurie Coulliard of Deerfield. Solar for Good grants fund up to 20 percent of an organization’s solar installation.
RENEW plans to issue another round of grant-funding in spring 2019. To learn more, visit the Solar for Good website.