SolarShare Wisconsin Cooperative
Clean, Local Energy for Our State.
A Clean, Local Investment for You.
Through our co-op, Wisconsin citizens, businesses, and foundations can invest in, and profit from, solar projects throughout the state.
Who We Are
SolarShare Wisconsin Cooperative was established in 2021 and is dedicated to helping the solar industry grow and thrive in Wisconsin. We are powered by two types of members:
SolarShare’s Community Members are Wisconsin citizens, businesses, and foundations who invest in the cooperative…and earn dividends.
To date, more than 200 Community Members have collectively invested more than $2 million toward solar projects throughout the state.
SolarShare’s Contractor Members are Wisconsin-based companies that turn Community-Member investments into solar farms.
To date, our five Contractor Members have used Community Member investments to develop and build 25 solar projects. These projects produce enough electricity annually to power more than 17,500 average Wisconsin households with clean, local energy.
What We Do
Provide Solar Investment for Regular People
We provide Wisconsin citizens, businesses, and foundations with a way to invest in solar projects located within their communities.
Strengthen Wisconsin’s Solar Economy
Our solar projects support good-paying jobs while providing utilities with affordable renewable energy. Keeping energy dollars home boosts our local economies.
Develop Community-Scale Solar Projects
Our projects typically power 250 to 1250 homes (1 to 5 megawatts) and are located on between 5 and 40 acres of land.
Create New Opportunities for Wisconsin's Farmers
Our projects provide opportunities for grazing, beekeeping, and other activities in the fast-growing field of agri-solar (also known as agrivoltaics).
How It Works
Who We Serve
Our Community Members
Individuals, businesses, and foundations can invest in locally produced solar energy through our cooperative. Our goal is to provide stable returns from an asset that is also providing significant benefits to communities throughout the state. When we talk about local impact investing, this is what we mean.
Our Contractor Members
We offer solar developers and contractors a forum to collaborate on purchasing, hiring workers, and obtaining materials. We enable local economic benefits to be broadly shared in the communities where solar projects are located. We help solar businesses communicate the benefits that our solar projects can provide to communities and utilities across the state.
Utilities
Utilities are looking for cost-effective solutions to add clean energy to their resource mix. Our cooperative offers local renewable energy delivered to utility substations, reducing dependence on fossil-fuel resources. Because our resources are local, utilities and ratepayers save money on transmission costs.
Farmers
Solar can be viewed as “just another crop” that can help farmers diversify their operations. Our cooperative’s community-scale solar farms provide opportunities for grazing, beekeeping, and pollinator plantings that can benefit the entire local ecosystem. A solar farm doesn’t have to be the end of agriculture on a farmer’s land…just a new type.
Partners
Join Us
Your SolarShare membership ($25 for life) provides an opportunity to support clean, local energy in Wisconsin and participate in a new wealth-generation activity that, up to this point, has been reserved for banks, accredited investors, and utilities.
