Communities Around Wisconsin Funding a Variety of Solar Projects

Tuesday, January 17th, 2023 -- 9:01 AM

(By Gaby Vinick, Wisconsin Public Radio) -Communities across Wisconsin are funding a variety of solar projects after the $1.7 trillion bipartisan Omnibus Appropriations Act earmarked more than $255.7 million for Wisconsin.

Sun Prairie is receiving a hefty $3.2 million in federal funding that will go toward a solar radiation water pollution control facility. Leaders describe it as a more sustainable process for treating wastewater.

Jeremy Cramer, Sun Prairie’s wastewater treatment director, said the system cleans water using bacteria before it's removed and digested in an anaerobic digester, a material that becomes "biosolids," or sewage sludge.

"We would use the sun's solar rays to actually dry the biosolids, bake them down, remove the water," he said, adding that it will save time hauling biosolids to farm fields. The new method would reduce diesel fuel costs, and it could potentially be used as a lawn fertilizer, Cramer said.

The system is the first of its kind in the state and could save Sun Prairie upwards of $100,000 a year, but Cramer said federal time constraints could delay the project until 2025. Racine plans to use $1.2 million in federal funding to support a $2.47 million solar array project at the city's transit garage.

Trevor Jung is the transit and mobility director of Ryde Racine, the city's public transportation system. He said the project is expected to produce 3.9 to 7.5 megawatt hours of clean energy and electricity over the next 30 years.

"On average, Ryde Racine diesel buses burn about 6,340 gallons of fossil fuel per year. So if you can charge four to five of those electric buses completely by the sun, you're really making a dramatic difference," he said, slashing "some serious CO2 emissions."

The southeastern Wisconsin city already has nine electric buses in service with plans to add four more in spring 2024. Jung credits Racine Mayor Cory Mason for the city’s ability to invest in green public transportation, and said he "laid the groundwork" to work with Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin.

Despite challenges like supply chain issues and workforce training needs, Jung said he’s excited to bring new technology to Racine.

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