A cluster of small northern Wisconsin communities near the Michigan-Wisconsin border have banded together to bring renewable energy to their snowy, rural area. At a public forum sponsored by the Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in early May, Bill Bailey, president of Cheq Bay Renewables, described how they’ve done it and how the Houghton-Hancock area might do the same.

Cheq Bay Renewables is a non-profit, entirely volunteer organization serving Bayfield and Ashland counties on Chequamegon Bay, an inlet of Lake Superior. Chequamegon is an Ojibwa word meaning “place of shallow water.”

The largest city there is Ashland, Wisconsin. With a population of 7,918, Ashland is virtually the same size as Houghton. Yet in 2020, Bayfield County, achieved 100 percent carbon-free electrical energy, through a combination of renewable sources and carbon free credits.

Cheq Bay Renewables works with individuals, municipalities and tribes. They do project development, financial planning, grant writing and energy monitoring. For example, they did a “group buy,” handing one contractor 159 projects and thus getting a lower price.

One of their two electric utilities, a co-op, agreed to build a solar community garden–which enables customers to buy or lease part of a larger solar energy system–if the community could raise $1 million, which they did in 60 days. Two years later, Xcel, the other electric utility serving the area, completed another solar garden. And recently, the Bad River tribe completed three microgrids with the largest battery storage system in Wisconsin.

“We make projects work,” said Bailey. “We don’t charge anything. That sets us free and develops trust.”

The organization’s goal is to have 25 percent of energy use in their area come from renewable energy.

“A lot can be done on the local level,” Bailey said.

Cheq Bay Renewables current projects include installing bifacial solar panels–which reflect light from both sides of the panel–for Northern Lights, a nursing home in Ashland, and microgrids for the Bayfield County jail and courthouse and the Bayfield County Washburn Highway garage.

They’re also using a Department of Transportation grant to build a county-wide electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.

Where does the

money come from?

Funding is key, and there are several state and federal funding programs, Bailey said. In addition to U.S. Department of Transportation and Department of Energy grants, there is funding available from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan infrastructure law.

As part of last year’s Inflation Reduction Act, Congress supersized its loan program office’s authority to arrange loans for companies bringing emerging energy technologies to market. They increased it tenfold, from $40 billion to more than $400 billion, making it one of the biggest economic development loan programs in U.S. history. And the money must be spent before the 2024 presidential election.

In Michigan there is also funding from the Environment Great Lakes and Energy agency (EGLE).

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” Bailey pointed out.

Success comes from finding creative ways to develop, fund and install renewable energy options. Bailey offered several examples:

The Brick Food Pantry, where solar panels were donated by a local solar developer; a GoFundMe campaign and donations raised $13,000, and a local installer installed the panels at cost.

The New Day Advocacy Center, a shelter for victims of domestic violence or sexual assault, where solar panels were also donated by a local solar developer; a GoFundMe initiative raised $10,500, and a local installer built them at cost.

The Ashland Area Development Corporation, which bought half their solar panels with a grant from Solar for Good, which offers grants to help nonprofits and municipalities buy solar panels, and half donated by a solar developer. They also received a $70,000 loan from the State Land Trust. Cash flow has been positive from day one.

Northern Lights Nursing home, which received 62 percent of the funding for solar panels from grants and raised $26,000.

“We did this with no budget and virtually no staff,” Bailey concluded. “A lot can be accomplished if you have the time and the passion.”

Promoting Renewable

Energy in the Keweenaw

Bailey offered several suggestions for developing a similar effort in our area:

• Support your local nonprofit renewable energy organization — If you don’t have one, start one.

• Get involved with your local government.

• Reduce your own carbon footprint by installing solar panels at your home or business and buying electric vehicles.

• Donate to a local, community-based solar project.

During a discussion after Bailey’s presentation, Ana Dyreson, an assistant professor in Michigan Tech’s Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, said she could help with the technical side of an effort to develop renewable energy in the Keweenaw. She suggested reaching out to experts who can speak to the policy issues.

An audience member asked if solar panels work adequately in snow. There is less electricity generated in winter, Bailey replied, but on large installations, the snow will slide off. Michigan Tech has done a study of how snow affects bifacial solar panels.

Houghton resident Allan Baker said he installed vertical solar panels on the sides of his apartment building. “That way there’s no problem with snow, and there’s a better angle for reflection,” he said.

Hancock resident Miriam Pickens asked how we can work with UPPCO, the privately owned electric utility that serves our area.

“Don’t talk about climate change, talk about money,” Bailey advised. “Everybody loves to save money. This is a good investment.”

Electric power companies were pretty resistant to renewable energy four or five years ago, he went on to say. “We showed them that the cost to them was less than the cost of sending out paper bills,” he said.. “I have no problem with the electric utilities. I work with them on a daily basis. We’re helping them meet their goals.”