Wisconsin installs first park solar canopy
Stevens Point, Wis., has won a number of accolades for its charm and amenities. In 2023, The Crazy Tourist Magazine named it one of the 15 best places to live in Wisconsin. It has been called a Top 10 Dream Town and one of the best places to retire in the state.
Now Stevens Point has a new accolade, marking a “first in the state” moment with the October dedication of a solar canopy shelter in Groholski Park. It is the first solar canopy in a municipal park in the state of Wisconsin.
The solar canopy shelter is the newest addition to the 10-acre John Groholski Park on the southwest side of Stevens Point. The land was donated in 2020 by Groholski’s widow, Judy, after his death in 2018. The terms of the donation were that the land would remain undeveloped forever so that it would be a place where local residents could enjoy the greenspace, the surrounding wetlands, and all that nature has to offer.
At the time of its gifting to the city, the land was zoned as a conservancy. The city immediately began to plan for the development of a neighborhood park with a net-zero impact on the energy grid.
Planning for the canopy started two years ago and construction took place this summer. The shelter provides shade while collecting energy from the top and underneath the solar panels.
“They are bi-facial panels, which means they collect rebounded energy from the ground below as well as from the sky above,” explained Dan Kremer, director of Parks Recreation and Forestry in Stevens Point.
The energy collected from the panels is used for a charging station for electric vehicles that is free to the public. The energy also generates power that can be sold to Wisconsin Public Service, which serves electric and natural gas customers in northeast and central Wisconsin.
According to Kremer, the city expects the canopy to generate about 25 to 30 kilowatt hours a day which is more than is needed to operate the site.
The canopy was made possible by a grant from the Couillard Solar Foundation through the Midwestern Renewable Energy Association, Kremer said. The Couillard Foundation supports the development of solar in Wisconsin through its Solar for Good and Solar on Schools programs for nonprofit organizations. The foundation donates 50 percent of the cost of solar panels to energy-conscious projects.
“Like many cities, we are trying to reduce our carbon footprint, “Kremer added.
In keeping with that plan, he said the city wanted to avoid erecting another steel structure. The canopy is made of wood timbers, which also reduced the price tag.
The total cost of the structure, concrete footings, construction, and installation of the electric pedestal for car charging, was expected to be about $85,000. However, with a 30 percent tax rebate for the solar panels and constructing the canopy from wood brought the price down for the city.
The park is part of Stevens Point’s “10-minute walk to a park” initiative started by Mayor Mike Wiza when he took office in 2015. Kremer said the donation of the land for Groholski Park filled a gap in the city’s 32 parks by creating a green space in the underserved southwest quadrant of the city.
Known as the City of Wonderful Water, Stevens Point is home to about 25,000 residents and is the county seat of Portage County. It sits at the confluence of the Wisconsin and Plover Rivers. The area was part of the part of the Menominee tribal homelands, which were ceded to the United States in an 1836 treaty.
The city was named for George Stevens, who operated a grocery and supply business on the Wisconsin River during the extensive logging of interior Wisconsin in the first half of the 19th century. Logging companies used the river to float logs to market.
In addition to the solar canopy, the five-year plan for the park’s development includes a 1/3-mile walking and biking trail through the park’s two-acre green space, as well as a boardwalk over the wetlands area.
Kremer said other solar projects are planned for 700 acres of wooded parkland, including a bathroom shelter.
“In all of our new builds in the city, we are using as much renewable energy as possible.”
