A technical powerhouse for Wisconsin's clean energy transition: Slipstream to provide expertise to multiple Energy Innovation Grant projects

Last month the Office of Energy Innovation (OEI) at the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin announced a new slate of projects funded through the Energy Innovation Grant Program (EIGP).

Several of the new projects involve Slipstream as a lead or key partner. Slipstream’s technical know-how and energy planning expertise will help communities build climate resilience and solidify Wisconsin and its committed communities as leaders in the clean energy transition.

Among the projects Slipstream to which will contribute:

Heat pump market transformation (State of Wisconsin): Slipstream will work with partners CEE and Elevate to jumpstart market policy and action for air source heat pumps in Wisconsin. The plan will include a playbook for supply chain actors and industry stakeholders—including program managers, implementers, marketers, educators, and contractors—to accelerate market adoption with equitable outcomes.

Compiling a collaborative energy plan (Green Bay): The City of Green Bay, Green Bay Metro Transit, and Green Bay Water Utility will work together to develop an actionable energy plan. The plan will build on the energy work that each entity completed to move their sustainability goals forward. Slipstream will help develop a road map of discrete next steps for the city and its partners, as well as toolkits and educational materials to help drive community-wide energy action.

Upgrading a school's controls to ASHRAE Guideline 36 (School District of Lodi): As part of a project to upgrade its old pneumatic thermostats and HVAC controls, Lodi Middle School will adopt new controls to follow the applicable control sequences in ASHRAE Guideline 36. The new system would give the school facility management more flexible control of the building heating and cooling and airflow, saving energy while improving operations.

Slipstream will conduct the measurement and verification and data analysis for the project to evaluate the actual energy savings and overall project cost-effectiveness. We’ll also collaborate with the school’s facility team and controls contractor to document their experience of implementing ASHRAE Guideline 36.

A group study in energy planning (Dane County Schools): Monona Grove School District (MGSD), Sun Prairie Area School District (SPASD), Oregon School District (OSD), and Middleton Cross-Plains Area School District (MCPASD) will engage in a collaborative energy plan to reduce energy use across multiple districts. The effort will result in an energy plan for each district, with a specific focus on demand-response opportunities. As leaders in this space, each district recognizes the value of sharing their previous and future lessons learned, and the project will also create several fact sheets to share with other districts across the state.

Building a regional sustainability plan (North Rock County): The northern Rock County cities of Edgerton, Evansville, and Milton will collaborate to develop near-term energy savings plans. The goal is to design a roadmap for future energy implementation and to establish a regional sustainability network. These three cities hope to amplify the benefits of the planning grant by creating a municipal network to share lessons learned, generating economies of scale for technical planning, and developing an energy planning blueprint for communities of similar size across the state.

Taking the next step in reducing energy use (City of Waupun): The City of Waupun will develop an extensive energy plan, including the development of an energy use baseline and identification of energy reduction opportunities. The City has taken first steps in reducing municipal energy use, including upgrading all lighting in municipal buildings to LEDs. With a commitment to hit larger and more ambitious energy reduction goals, the city now seeks to develop and prioritize energy-saving measures for municipal operations. It will also serve as a blueprint for communities across Wisconsin that want to start energy planning and implementation for themselves.