OneEnergy’s mission is to fight climate change, but we don’t stop at simply delivering renewable energy. Our team strives to be an active member of the communities that we work and live in through organized volunteerism events. This year, we are celebrating Earth Day by partnering with The Arboretum Foundation, Ocean Blue Project, and RootedWI for a day of volunteering. Our team will spend the day cleaning up parks, removing invasive species, and supporting equitable access to local organic produce.

The end of this month marks one year of the Hodag Solar Park being operational. The 50-acre solar farm is 21,000 solar panels just south of Rhinelander, Wisconsin. When it first went online in 2022, the Hodag Solar Park was expected to produce 7.5 megawatts or enough power for more than 2,000 homes. According to Wisconsin Public Service spokesperson Matt Cullen, it’s been doing just that. This article is provided courtesy of Katie Thoresen at WXPR.org.

One exciting form of agrivoltaics is solar grazing, which enables landowners to keep their land in agricultural production while gaining income from solar energy. Four of the Mastodon Portfolio solar projects developed by OneEnergy in Wisconsin and Minnesota are currently being grazed by sheep.

Solar developers, the project conceptualizers behind originating the project, must coordinate with a range of stakeholders from energy users and utilities to permitting authorities and neighbors.  Solar developers must therefore be multidisciplinary, resourceful, and steadfast. They envision the future they want to realize and work methodically toward it, often in the face of unfavorable probabilities.

The lasting partnerships OneEnergy builds with landowners and the communities where our solar projects are constructed are a source of pride for us. We value incorporating community outreach into our projects, which is why we started a solar panel donation program. This donation program helps further connect with the communities where we’re working and achieve our goals of contributing to education about renewable energy and spreading awareness about the benefits of renewable energy.

Mercury Marine announces a partnership with Alliant Energy and OneEnergy to build a 5-megawatt, 32-acre solar array in eastern Fond du Lac County to advance the company’s sustainability initiatives and the region’s growing commitment to renewable energy. The solar facility is being developed and constructed by OneEnergy out of our regional office in Madison.

The results are in! OneEnergy has named five recipients for its corporate giving program for the first half of 2022. The selected non-profit organizations are: Native Renewables, Voces de la Frontera Madison, Centro Hispano, Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development, and Got Green. OneEnergy’s corporate giving requires not-for-profit status and considers “impact efforts” including whether the donation supports racial and economic equity and whether it directly supports marginalized and BIPOC communities.

The United States solar energy industry is expecting 400% in annual installation growth by 2030, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association research data. As a result, the United States will increase our solar installations from less than 20 GW per year to more than 80 GW per year by 2030. To make this possible, we will need to make significant investments in people and job training.

OneEnergy developed nine solar projects as part of Maryland’s Community Solar Pilot Program, enabling Maryland residents a choice in their electricity source, plus an opportunity to save up to 10% on their utility bills. These nine sites total 24MW in capacity and make up the largest dual-use community solar portfolio in Maryland. Spanning across five separate counties, the projects build on the company’s long-standing track record in Maryland, with 135 megawatts operating or in construction.

The Fillinona project, which is located on four separate sites across Minnesota, sell electricity to MiEnergy Electric Cooperative. OneEnergy developed the projects from initial concept, built relationships with the landowners, permitted the projects, obtained the Power Purchase Agreements, and fully engineered, constructed, and commissioned the solar generation facilities.

The Hodag Solar Project is a 7.5MWac solar generation facility located in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. This facility will produce 16,235 MWh per year of clean energy across nearly a nearly 50 acre footprint. Thanks to Dan Dumas/Kim Swisher Communications for the video content.

The results are in! OneEnergy has named five recipients for its corporate giving program for the first half of 2021. The selected non-profit organizations are: Social Justice Fund Northwest, National Black Food & Justice Alliance, Voces de la Frontera, Seattle Got Green, and Centro Hispano.

A comprehensive solar facility commissioning plan ensures a solar plant transitions gracefully from construction to continuous operation. The solar plant is intended to operate for its 35-year life and a full analysis prior to continuous commercial operation is an important quality control effort. The commissioning report is essential to close financing and transfer ownership because it establishes the performance baseline and ensures a sound investment.

OneEnergy has broken ground on the 24 MW Mastodon Portfolio, an inspiring 8-project venture located in western Wisconsin and southeast Minnesota. Working closely with three rural electric cooperatives and nine landowner hosts, OneEnergy developed the solar farms with the dual purpose of boosting rural economies while also producing clean energy. The Mastodon Portfolio will not only produce affordable, reliable clean energy for several decades, but also bring a $25 Million investment to the rural communities in which these projects are located.

As the global transition to affordable clean energy increases its pace, OneEnergy Renewables has stepped up its own endeavors, developing increasingly larger solar projects across the United States. The company recently initiated land use permitting efforts for Goose Prairie Solar, a proposed 80 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic project located in Yakima County, Washington.

There are 3 types of import duties on solar modules which include Anti-Dumping Countervailing Duties, Section 201, and Section 301 tariffs.  The higher prices paid in solar modules result in slower market growth for U.S. solar developers, installers, and solar project operators, resulting in a slower transition away from fossil fuels. We would like more solar module manufacturing in the US, but the way to accomplish that is not through punitive import duties.

“We believe the transition to clean energy will create a more sustainable and equitable economy. In Wisconsin, OneEnergy is proud to deliver practical solar projects that help grow a renewable energy workforce, and produce local electricity that serves Wisconsin customers.”

– Eric Udelhofen, OneEnergy Director of Midwest Region

As the world prepares to close out a challenging 2020, OneEnergy Renewables is celebrating some bright spots and looks to a new year ahead.

"We decided to go beyond developing large-scale solar projects and give back to the communities where our projects are located. We are committed to broadening access to and delivering the benefits of renewable energy via donations, education, and awarenes," said Maria Zupan, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee chairperson at OneEnergy.

Inc. magazine reveals that OneEnergy made its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies.