Last month Wisconsin’s Public Service Commission accepted comments from the public on whether or not they should allow third party financing. Third party financing, as the name would suggest, is when a developer is allowed to build a solar array on a home or business, and the home or business owner is allowed to lease the energy from the developer. Third party financing is not currently allowed in Wisconsin but it should be. Here’s why.
October 27, 2022
Comment for the Wisconsin Public Service Commission
Ref: PSC Docket No. 9300-DR-106, Vote Solar’s Petition regarding the Family Project
This letter is in support of the Vote Solar’s petition seeking a ruling that affirms the ability of individual customers to access electricity generated on their property from solar installations owned by third parties.
The Couillard Solar Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit located in Wisconsin. Our mission is tohelp Wisconsin nonprofits gain access to the benefits of green energy, specifically solar. We do this through grants of solar panels from two programs, Solar for Good and Solar on Schools. We exist because nonprofits have not traditionally been able to take advantage of the benefits of solar power, due to the high up-front costs of installation, and the lack of adequate financing options.
To date, we have assisted over 175 solar projects in Wisconsin and added over 10 megawatts of solar power to Wisconsin’s grid. Many of our grant recipients have made it clear that without a grant from Solar for Good or Solar on Schools, they would not have been able to afford to install solar on their property. While our goal is to continue our work as long as it’s needed, we do not have an unlimited pool of money, and it is entirely possible that within 2-3 years we may have to discontinue Solar for Good and Solar on Schools, leaving those nonprofits who desire solar once again with limited assistance when it comes to being able to afford the installation of a solar array.
We support the ability of families like the one in Vote Solar’s petition, as well as nonprofits and small businesses across Wisconsin, to finance the installation of solar on their property through private, individualized contracts, commonly known as third-party financing. In no way does this type of financing arrangement alter or threaten the utility regulatory model that exists today.
The installation of distributed energy resources (DERs) actually strengthens the local power grid, adding excess power to the grid, reducing strain during peak use times, and reducing the need for utilities to purchase energy from sources outside of our state. Wisconsin citizens should have the right to pursue clean, locally produced energy for their homes, businesses and charitable organizations, without the added burden of having to justify their decision to their local utility company, or the Wisconsin PSC. It’s time to recognize the value of DERs to Wisconsin’s power grid and to support the families and organizations who are willing to invest in them by making it easier to finance and install this important green energy technology.
And finally, if we are going to meet the ambitious and necessary goals of our Clean Energy Plan, we need to bring everyone into the effort, including those who are willing and able, with help, to install solar arrays on their own property. We can’t afford to wait for others to do it for us. Please help Wisconsin residents help us all counter the ongoing damage that fossil fuel dependence causes to our environment and our future, by approving Vote Solar’s petition.
Respectfully,, Jackie Harrison-Jewell
Executive Director
Couillard Solar Foundation