Gov. Jim Doyle announced Monday the city of Madison will receive $4.3 million in federal funding to go toward further development of solar energy and solar technologies across the state.
The city of Madison’s MadiSUN program will receive $370,000 which will be used to assist businesses and homes in deciding whether solar technologies are the right move for them, according to Rachel Strauch-Nelson, spokesperson for Mayor Dave Cieslewicz.
“We’re very proud to be a part of a significant movement of getting individuals and businesses to reduce their energy costs and their carbon footprint,” Strauch-Nelson said.
Through the MadiSUN program, Madison has been providing “solar agents” to consult on home and industry uses of solar power to convince local residents solar power is not only environmentally friendly, but can decrease energy costs, according to Strauch-Nelson.
Strauch-Nelson also said the city has been particularly concerned with its environmental impact.
According to their website, MadiSUN’s goal is to double the number of solar electric and solar water heater installations by 2011.
The city of Milwaukee and the Wisconsin-based nonprofit organization Midwest Renewable Energy Association also received funding.
Accompanying Doyle at the announcement were Cieslewicz, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Midwest Renewable Energy Association Executive Director Tehri Parker.
According to Erick Shambarger, spokesperson for Milwaukee’s Office of Environmental Sustainability, the power for the equipment used at the announcement came from 30 kilowatts of solar energy and the site of the announcement was also outfitted with a “green” roof.
“It’s exciting to live in a state that is such a leader in this field. You’d think that it would be the sunny states that would be those taking most advantage of these new technologies, but Wisconsin is definitely proving that any state can benefit from solar power,” Shambarger said.
MREA Milwaukee Director Amy Heart said the funding was given to the state by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of $87 million used for the development of new energy technologies, a portion of which comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“[MREA] received a grant for $3.3 million that will really help us take training to the next level,” Heart said.
The funding distributed to MREA will help the organization to continue training instructors in the energy field and train other individuals in the use and installation of solar technologies, according to Heart.
She added Doyle toured the MREA offices Tuesday to examine how they were using such innovations.
While officials remain uncertain about how many jobs such innovations will create, Shambarger remains optimistic about the industry’s future in Wisconsin.
“This may be just one piece of the puzzle, but if we keep working on developing renewable energy sources, this state will not only help the environment, but also create the jobs we need to help ourselves,” Shambarger said.
