Wisconsin Lagging Behind Neighboring States Adopting Solar Energy

Friday, January 5th, 2024 -- 8:07 AM

(Joe Schulz, Wisconsin Public Radio) Wisconsin is lagging behind some of its neighbors in terms of adoption of solar energy, but advocates say a few policy changes could help turn the tide.

According to Joe Schulz with Wisconsin Public Radio, a state-by-state map of the United States from the Solar Energy Industries Association shows Wisconsin had the second-fewest solar installations among its neighboring states, trailing only Iowa.

Through the fourth quarter of 2023, the Badger state had 15,164 installations, while Iowa had 14,448. Meanwhile, Illinois had a whopping 71,455 solar installations, Michigan had 20,920 and Minnesota had 18,216.

Although Wisconsin has more solar installations than Iowa, it's behind when it comes to wind, according to Clean Wisconsin's Chelsea Chandler. "They have over 17 times the amount of wind capacity that we do here in Wisconsin," said Chandler, who directs the organization's Climate, Energy & Air program.

"When you consider that factor, that actually makes Wisconsin look a little bit worse because we're behind on solar, but we're also woefully behind on wind. (There’s) a lot of room for improvement and a lot of opportunity for Wisconsin in terms of deploying more clean energy in our state."

That’s not to say the state isn’t making progress in transitioning away from fossil fuels. The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin estimates that 2023 and 2024 will see 11 utility-scale solar projects come online. The commission also approved six future solar projects in 2023.

Chandler said utility-scale projects are important for the state’s overall transition away from carbon-based fuel, but there needs to be a "suite of strategies" to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. "There's no silver bullet, we need silver buckshot," she said.

"One strategy alone is not going to get us where we need to be. Rooftop solar is absolutely an important piece of the puzzle." Michael Vickerman, clean energy deployment manager for RENEW Wisconsin, said Wisconsin may have fewer solar installations than Michigan, but it’s ahead proportionally.

That’s because Michigan has over 10 million residents to Wisconsin’s roughly 5.8 million.

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