The City of La Crosse has begun the next phase of solar panel installations at municipal facilities. These projects include three solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays installed on the two newest fire stations and the renovated North Hall of the La Crosse Center, totaling 285 kW. Along with several other energy-saving projects in this phase, these installations are expected to generate $2.4 million in total cost savings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2,000 metric tons over 20 years.

These projects build on two phases of solar PV array installations. The first phase in 2019 included four 100 kW arrays at City Hall, the La Crosse Center, the main public library and the Municipal Service Center. The second phase included two fire stations and Copeland Park. These arrays are expected to generate $7.98 million in total savings and reduce energy consumption by 35 percent in those buildings.

These three phases will bring the City’s total solar capacity to 811 kW. All four fire stations will have solar PV arrays and the La Crosse Center will be able to generate enough energy to power the building during peak sun times of the year.

Grants and Self-Funding

These initiatives are partially funded with locally available incentives totaling over $360,000. These resources include Wisconsin's Focus on Energy and Xcel Energy’s credits and incentives.

The city also reduced its financial risk by leveraging a performance contract with Johnson Controls. This contract transfers the risk to Johnson Controls by using operational energy cost savings over time to help fund the improvements. In total, over $11.4 million in investments will be made without diverting from the city's capital budget.

The La Crosse Climate Action Plan includes programs and ideas that businesses and individuals can implement to reduce energy consumption and realize energy cost savings. You can learn more at lacrosseclimateactionplan.org.