Drive through the UW-Parkside campus today and you'll notice a new energy on campus—solar energy, to be exact. UW-Parkside just put Kenosha on the renewable energy map in a big way with the installation of a 26 kilowatt solar electric system.

Under the guidance of UW-Parkside's Task Force on Sustainability, Don Kolbe, the university's director of facilities management, oversaw the installation of three separate, highly visible solar electric systems across the campus. According to Mr. Kolbe, "We [UW-Parkside] wanted a visual representation of the sustainability initiative that our university has been actively pursuing." These three solar electric systems will convert the sun's energy into more than 34,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable electricity each year (view real-time energy production here) that will help power the campus for the next 30-plus years. This energy production is enough to power three average single-family homes in Wisconsin and offset the release of more than 75,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas that is a major contributor to global warming.

The environmental attributes of this project are undeniable, but just as attractive is the portfolio of incentives from which UW-Parkside was able to benefit. According to Don Wichert, director of the Focus on Energy Renewable Energy Program, "With the confluence of state, federal, and utility incentives that are available for the installation of renewable energy systems, now is an excellent time to install a solar system." A $50,000 incentive through the Focus on Energy Program, a $100,000 grant through the We Energies Renewable Energy Development Program, generous donations, and the annual revenue that this system will net, all made this project financially viable.

Less visible, but no less important, are the great energy efficiency strides that UW-Parkside has taken to help curb the electric appetite of its campus. By themselves, two recent lighting projects, which replaced older and less efficient lights with some of the most efficient lights available, will save the school more than $25,000 each year.

UW-Parkside's environmental leadership has resulted in a campus-wide effort to position the university as a champion of sustainability among Wisconsin universities. Recycling programs, green cleaning products, rain gardens, lighting upgrades and most recently, the installation of these solar electric systems, are all direct results of the conscious decision UW-Parkside has made to bring sustainability to the fore. Focus on Energy is proud to have collaborated with the university on such an outstanding project!

Focus on Energy works with eligible Wisconsin residents and businesses to install cost effective energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Focus information, resources and financial incentives help to implement projects that otherwise would not be completed, or to complete projects sooner than scheduled. Its efforts help Wisconsin residents and businesses manage rising energy costs, promote in-state economic development, protect our environment and control the state's growing demand for electricity and natural gas.

We Energies provides financial incentives ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 for select customer-owned renewable energy projects. The projects must be interconnected to We Energies' distribution system and meet eligibility criteria of ownership by a not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit educational/academic institution, unit of government, or special district or authority defined as government under Wisconsin law.

UW-Parkside is a four-year comprehensive liberal arts university that is part of the University of Wisconsin System. The university serves residents of southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois on 700 wooded acres located in Kenosha County.