Committee passes measure to boost city’s renewable energy supply

The Public Works Committee today recommended approval for a resolution that could create assets to provide Milwaukee with the capacity to have an estimated 25% of its electric power needs for general city operations generated from renewable solar energy.

The legislation – Council file #231608 – is sponsored by Alderman Scott Spiker and Alderman Robert J. Bauman, and is expected to now go to the full Common Council on March 19.

The measure authorizes a lease and service agreements for the construction and operation of an additional solar photovoltaic system on a City-owned closed landfill at 1600 E. College Ave. (located in Alderman Spiker’s 13^th Aldermanic District) and an additional site in Racine County that will allow the City to source an estimated 25% of its electric power needs for general city operations from renewable energy.

Alderman Spiker, chair of the Public Safety and Health Committee, said the legislation is just “part of the start of Milwaukee’s journey” in harnessing significant sustainable energy. “City departments would execute electric service agreements under the Renewable Pathway program with We Energies to construct and operate up to 11 megawatts of solar energy, including approximately 4.6 megawatts on a portion of the city-owned closed landfill located at 1600 E. College Ave. and an additional 6 megawatts at a site in Racine County,” he said. “I want to thank our co-sponsors on the file and the Public Works Committee members for their support as this is vital green energy infrastructure and gets us closer to our goals of significantly increasing our use of renewable energy.”

Alderman Bauman, chair of the Public Works Committee, said the move is line with the City’s Climate and Equity Plan, approved by the Council in June 2023 after nearly four years of community engagement through the City-County Task Force on Climate and Economic Equity.

“This is an important time in our city’s history because of the climate issues that are affecting us and causing grave concerns across the globe,” Alderman Bauman said.

“We are doing our part in ongoing efforts for a more sustainable future by advancing the capacity of the City of Milwaukee to generate energy from renewable sources – all in line with our Climate and Equity Plan.”

Additional cosponsors of the file are Alderman Jonathan Brostoff and Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa.

The full Council meeting on Tuesday, March 19 will start at 9 a.m. in the third floor Council Chamber at City Hall, 200 E. Wells St., and will be televised live on the City Channel (channel 25 on Spectrum Cable and channel 99 on AT&T U-Verse in the City of Milwaukee) and via streaming video on the city website at www.city.milwaukee.gov/Channel25.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.