WMC’s Senior Director of Environmental & Energy Policy Craig Summerfield testified in opposition to legislation (AB 258) to establish new requirements for so-called “community solar” programs in Wisconsin. The bill would require investor-owned utilities to purchase power from small solar arrays within the utility’s existing service territory at a rate determined by the government.
WMC opposes this legislation because it would shift the costs of the solar garden onto other ratepayers, including businesses. It would also force utilities to buy energy from an intermittent power source regardless of the needs of the grid.
Minnesota’s community solar program is expected to cost ratepayers an additional $329 million in 2024, or an estimated $7 per ratepayer per month.
