Research Themes +
Energy Technologies Area (ETA) researchers are continually building on the strong scientific foundation we have developed over the past 50 years. We address the world’s most pressing climate challenges by bringing to market energy-efficient innovations across the buildings, transportation, and industrial sectors. ETA is at the forefront of developing better batteries for electric vehicles; improving the country's aging electrical grid and innovating distributed energy and storage solutions; developing grid-interactive, efficient buildings; and providing the most comprehensive market and data analysis worldwide for renewable technologies like wind and solar.
Strategic Initiatives +
The Energy Technologies Area (ETA) Strategic Plan is the guiding force for our research and development for the next ten years. It clearly charts a path toward clean-energy solutions and focuses on five detailed Strategic Initiatives. The Plan provides an in-depth look at how ETA is accelerating research to provide affordable, clean energy to all while accomplishing deep, economy-wide decarbonization, looking to avoid a rise in global average temperature while simultaneously developing solutions to increase humanity's resilience to extreme weather volatility.
Publications
News +
For media inquiries,
please contact ETA
Interim Communications Manager
Kiran Julin

[email protected]
About Us +
The Energy Technologies Area (ETA) is unique in translating fundamental scientific discoveries into scalable technology adoption. Our approach combines an understanding of the marketplace and the role of state and federal regulation and policies. ETA's research drives real-world, practical results that affect and improve the everyday lives of Americans and those across the globe. Saving energy and battling the Climate Crisis are key to the foundation of our research, which is driven by technoeconomic analysis and in-lab experimentation and discovery.

Information, Training, Education, Project Facilitation, and Technical Assistance in Wisconsin

Publication Type

Case Study

Date Published

09/2002

Authors

Bolinger, Mark, Ryan H. Wiser

Abstract

Wisconsin has gone to greater lengths than most states to raise awareness and shepherd new renewable energy projects to completion through education, marketing, training, and project facilitation (technical assistance and project "hand holding"). This is especially true if one considers the small overall size of the Wisconsin fund. The Wisconsin fund believes that its efforts in these areas have been essential. This case highlights that experience. Innovative Features Wisconsin's program administrator identified a string of eight steps on the road to project success: awareness, information, training, facilitation, technical assistance, financing, finding a contractor, installation. The first five of these have received particular emphasis in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin's program features a full-time project facilitator that provides free phone consultations through a toll-free call center, offers on-site renewable energy audits and site assessments, and otherwise undertakes whatever "hand-holding" is necessary to bring a project to completion.
In addition, workshops and educational events provide training for both individuals and businesses.
This broad range of services support Wisconsin's other program components, including grants for feasibility studies and cash-back rewards on installed projects.

Results The 4-year pilot program in the Northeastern section of the state has proven the value of providing these services, with both the quantity and quality of potential projects coming through the pipeline increasing over time. As a result, virtually all of the programmatic elements in the area of project facilitation and technical assistance have been carried over into the new statewide program, which is just getting underway.

Journal

Case Studies of State Support for Renewable Energy

Year of Publication

2002