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Solar in Milwaukee

City of Milwaukee's Solar Installations

To date, the City has invested in 18 renewable energy projects, including solar electric, solar hot water, and a wind turbine.

These projects are part of a broader initiative by Mayor Tom Barrett to reduce energy consumption in City facilities. The City of Milwaukee is also participating in the US Department of Energy's Better Buildings Challenge, which will further reduce energy use and costs to taxpayers while improving the entire community.

Below is a list of the City's current installations:

  • Cameron Yard - 2919 W. Cameron Ave. - Solar Hot Water
  • Central Repair Garage - 2142 W. Canal St. - Solar Electric and Solar Hot Water
  • Engine House #4 - 9511 W. Appleton Ave. - Solar Hot Water
  • Engine House #5 - 1313 W. Reservoir Ave. - Solar Hot Water
  • Engine House #13 - 2901 N. 30th St. - Solar Hot Water
  • Engine House #23 - 2130 W. Oklahoma Ave. - Solar Hot Water
  • Engine House #35 - 100 N. 64th St. - Solar Hot Water
  • Engine House #36 - 4060 N. 27th St. - Solar Hot Water
  • Recycling Education Facility - 1313 W. Mt. Vernon Ave. - Solar Electric
  • Central Library - 814 W. Wisconsin Ave. - Solar Electric - This project was the result of collaboration between Milwaukee Public Library, City of Milwaukee's Office of Environmental Sustainability, We Energies, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and Focus on Energy. It includes a 30,000 square-foot green roof on the Central Library annex and solar panels which generate about 36,000 kilowatt hours per year. Update! ECO and MPL partnered in 2019 to install an additional 115 kW of solar on Central Library! 
  • Tippecanoe Library - 39.8 kW of solar electric was installed on the roof of Tippecanoe Library
  • Center Street Library - 54.28 kW of solar electric was installed on the roof of Center Stree Library 
  • Fondy Farmers Market - 1.8 kW of solar was installed at the Fondy Farmers Market in partnership with HOME GR/OWN and Walnut Way 
  • Bayview Art Stop - at the intersection of Howell and Lincoln, the LED lights on the Art Stop are solar powered! 
  • Port of Milwaukee Adminstration Building - 2323 S. Lincoln Memorial Dr. - Wind Turbine - City of Milwaukee's Office of Environmental Sustainability and Port of Milwaukee partnered on the project. A 100 kilowatt wind turbine was installed which generates more than 100% of the electricity needed for the administration building.
  • NEW! Solar Now project in partnership with We Energies. This 2.25 MW ground mounted installation on a City-owned former landfill site is a great example of clean energy and resiliency in Milwaukee. This is the largest solar installation in the City to date and we are excited to utilize the funds generated from this installation for futhre climate change action and projects in the City! 



Solar hot water system on Engine House 23.          Milwaukee Central Library's green roof and solar electric array.


Community Projects

Solar Flower at the Green Corridor


On May 8, 2015, OES, Milwaukee Shines, Alderman Terry Witkowski, Simon Landscaping and the Garden District Neighborhood Association unveiled Milwaukee's newest solar installation - the solar flower - at the Garden District Farmers' Market and Community Gardens at the Green Corridor.

Funded by a grant from Milwaukee Shines, the solar flower will power outlets in stalls at the farmers' market and will power the pump that provides the community gardens with water from the rainwater stream.

The 1.5 kW solar flower is just one of the many green features in the Green Corridor. Other features include green infrastructure to capture and manage storm water runoff, solar-powered pedestrian crossing signs and a solar-lighted bus shelter, an urban orchard, a recycled rainwater stream and community gardens.

Check out the solar flower for yourself by visiting the Garden District farmers' market!  

Photo Green InfrastructurePhoto of Milwaukee "Solar Flower"
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo of Green Corridor Sign

Solar School Swap


Riverside High School and Bayview High School have developed a friendly learning partnership, facilitated by the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee Shines. Highlights of the swap, completed in 2012, included:

  • Installation of solar electric and solar hot water heating system on each school.
  • Students learned the basics of solar site assessments, financing, and installation of solar systems.
  • The project also educated the community about the benefits of solar energy.

The program was funded through a Recovery Act "Special Projects Award" for solar market transformation through the US Department of Energy Solar America Cities.

Riverside High School

The school is located at 1615 E. Locust St. in Milwaukee. Installation included a solar electric system with products made by companies located in the Menomonee Valley: Helios Solar Works for solar panels and an Ingeteam inverter.

Bayview High School

Pictures below show the installation of the project at the school, which is located at 2751 S. Lenox St. A solar hot water system with components from Caleffi Solar in Milwaukee was installed. The project was featured in an article in the Bayview Compass.

Cream City Farm

Cream City Farm is a brownfield redevelopment that transformed an environmentally impacted site in Milwaukee's 30th Street Corridor into a 1.25 acre urban farm incorporating large installments of bioswales, a 40,000 gallon cistern for rainwater harvesting and a pole mounted solar installation to power the pump so the farmer, David Johnson, can pump water from the cistern to water his crops.

 

Partners on this project included: the City of Milwaukee, the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Shines, HOME GR/OWN, MMSD, EPA, GZA, City of Milwaukee Strong Neighborhoods, UW Extension, Reflo and Arts @ Large.
 

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