University of Wisconsin-Madison

As of April, The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin has approved 4,176 megawatts of solar projects, encompassing over 29,000 acres. This spring, the U.S. Department of Energy announced it’s awarding UW-Extension $1 million to educate communities about large-scale renewables to make siting and developing those projects smoother.

Over the past two months the deadlines for both tracks of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) passed. And now we’re in the waiting game, while applications are reviewed.

The center, led by Humphrey School faculty, has goals of equitable funding and hands-on help for underserved communities.

The UMN is home to a new federal office intended to get as much climate investment into environmental justice communities as possible. As part of this effort, Minnesota political leaders, officials from the Environmental Protection Agency, and university staff held a roundtable discussion Wednesday highlighting the initiative.