SUPERIOR, Wis. (Northern News Now) – Gov. Tony Evers visited the Superior Solar garden Tuesday as Wisconsin continues its push towards carbon-free electricity.
Evers says the community solar garden, owned by Superior Water, Light & Power (SWL&P), is an example of a local energy project that will help Wisconsin meet its statewide clean energy goals. While the federal government has moved away from clean energy investments, Evers believes interest in clean energy remains high across the state.
Leaders at Superior Water, Light & Power (SWL&P) say the Superior Solar Garden was built for the local community due to local demand.
“We heard from our customers that they wanted access to local clean energy,” said SWL&P president Rob Sandstrom.
More than 80 customers pay for a subscription to the garden and receive a credit on their monthly energy bill.
The so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” ended the federal tax credits that helped fund the project, but SWL&P leaders remain positive about solar.
“The cost of solar continues to decline with the additional manufacturing that’s going on and adoption throughout the country so that is somewhat of a setback for solar development, but we think solar is here to stay,” said Sandstrom.
Evers remains hopeful Wisconsin will meet its carbon-free electricity goal by 2050, pointing to projects like the Superior solar garden.
“The good news [is that] in Wisconsin, we still value energy like this from the sun and from the wind, and we’re working hard to make sure we have as much opportunities for this in the state,” Evers said.
In recent years, Evers has ramped up state support and funding for clean energy and research in new technology.
“I do believe that nuclear energy will play a huge role in that, and it seems like there are power companies that are interested in that,” Evers said.
SWL&P does not currently have other solar projects in the works, but leaders says that could change with demand. If the waitlist for Superior Solar receives enough interest, SWL&P will look into a second phase of the project.
Recently, much of the discussion around SWL&P in Superior has surrounded Mayor Jim Paine’s push to acquire the utility. SWL&P is the only privately owned utility in the state. When asked about that discussion, Evers said he is aware of the situation but does not have an opinion.
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