Cheq Bay Renewables
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to make renewable energy more accessible in Ashland and Bayfield counties
About us
Key Initiatives

Recent News

June 3, 2022, Ashland Area Development Corporation completes solar project.  The new 120kW DC solar installation goes online as another example of a community-based project in Ashland.  Read the full story here.
May 25, 2022: Ashland County's first electric vehicle dc fast charger goes live.  The 50kW EV charger is located at Clam Lake Junction.  Read CBR's press release here.
May 14, 2022: SolarShares Wisconsin cooperative's website is online and is seeking new members.  Cheq Bay Renewables has partnered with RENEW WI and others to offer a community solar alternative to Wisconsin residents.  Read more on SolarShares website or watch this explanatory 1 minute video here.
May 8, 2022:  Bayfield Electric Cooperative is set to update their solar energy policy.  If you are a BEC member, be sure to attend their annual meeting on Saturday May 14th at the Bad River Casino.  See the flyer here.
April 16, 2022:  CBR presents an update on the Value of Solar and its impact on Bayfield Electric Cooperative's net metering policy to the local chapter of the Citizen's Climate Lobby.  Watch the recording here.
April 15, 2022:  WI Office of Energy Innovation announces grant awards.  Three area organizations receive funding including Bayfield County, BART, and Northland College.  Read more here.  
RENEW Wisconsin's January 2022 Renewable Energy Summit Programming Videos Are Now Available On-Demand!  See them here.
Nov. 30, 2021:  Cheq Bay Renewables Community Solar Project receives Wisconsin Rural Partners' 2021 Top Rural Development Initiative.  Read more about the award and project here.
Nov. 19, 2021:  New Wisconsin SolarShare Cooperative seeks director.   A new WI cooperative is being formed to promote, finance and install community solar projects throughout the state.  They are seeking  a director.  Read the job description and about the organization here.
Oct. 26, 2021:  Ashland Area Development Corporation begins solar installation.  The 120kW dc solar PV installation will be the area's largest rooftop installation and a great example of private sponsorship.  Read the story here.
Oct. 19, 2021:  Wisconsin Public Radio reports on third-party financing bill for renewable energy.  Read the news story here.
Oct. 13, 2021:  Third-party financing bill for renewable energy projects is introduced today in the WI legislature.  Read RENEW Wisconsin's press release here.   Please encourage our local representatives to support this bill.  A FAQ sheet can be found here,  and the draft bill can be read here.
Oct. 12, 2021:  Illinois passes massive energy and equitable jobs bill.  On Sept. 15th, 2021 Illinois Governor Pritzker signed into law one of the most progressive energy bills in the country.  Read more here.  Short on time?  A short summary can be found here.

Sept. 29, 2021:  Bayfield County's first EV fast charger gets a ribbon-cutting start.  Xcel Energy, BART, Bayfield County and the City of Washburn celebrate to start of a new electric vehicle era.  Read The Ashland Daily Press article here.

Sept. 22, 2021:  Washburn EV fast charger now fully operational.  Read about it on our EV page here.

Sept. 16, 2021:  Three area microgrid feasibility studies get funding.  Bayfield County, Bad River Tribe, and Madeline Island all receive funds to study advanced microgrids.  Studies were funded by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission's Office of Energy Innovation.  This memorandum was released today describing all the projects funded.

Sept. 10, 2021:  Bayfield County dc fast charger is energized.  It is the first dc fast charger in Northern Wisconsin!  Check out a photo and our EV page here.
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Sept. 7, 2021:  Community Solar in Wisconsin is in the news as a new bill is being introduced to the State Legislature.  CBR has taken a look into the state's community solar history and what might lie ahead, what is the controversy, and will we see more local community solar options in our area.  Read CBR's commentary here.
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Sept. 6, 2021:  In an unprecedented show of unity, 220 international medical journals and health organizations have jointly published an editorial on the health effects of the climate crisis.  Read the editorial here.   Acknowledging the health benefits in clean energy is directly related to the Value of Solar as discussed in CBR's net-metering paper.
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August 25, 2021:  Bayfield Electric Co-op has sent a letter to its members requesting input about its net-metering policy.   Read the letter here and CBR's input here.  For more information check out the Bayfield Electric Net-metering Page.   
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August 20, 2021:  First Electric Vehicle DC fast charger in northern Wisconsin is being installed today.  Read more on our Electric Vehicle page.

August 10, 2021:  The Cheq Bay Renewables Community Solar Project has been selected to receive the 2021 Top Rural Development Initiative award by Wisconsin Rural Partners, Inc.  Read the full press release here.   More about the project can be found on our website here.

August 6, 2021:  Three area municipalities have applied for the WI Public Service Commission Office of Energy Innovation "Critical Infrastructure Microgrid and Community Resilience Center Pilot Grant Program".   Bayfield County, Bad River and La Pointe have all applied for advanced microgrid feasibility studies for their respective infrastructure.  More can be read on the PSC website about these studies.

July 27, 2021:  State Treasurer, Sarah Godlewski visited the Washburn's solar array at their waste water treatment plant.  The visit highlighted that the project was funded by the Board of Commissions of Public Lands of which Sarah is the chair.  Read press release here.

July 21, 2021:  An encouraging piece of legislation will be introduced in the Wisconsin legislature,  sponsored by two republicans, promoting state-wide community solar.  Learn more here.  CBR has encouraged our local representatives to co-sponsor and support this legislation.  You can read a draft of the bill here.

May 12, 2021:  New Microgrid Is a Symbol of Resilience for Bad River Band | Department of Energy

April 1, 2021:  WI Office of Energy Innovation awards two area renewable energy projects.  Bayfield County and Red Cliff are recipients.  Read more here.

Cheq Bay Renewables completes research paper on net metering in Wisconsin's electric cooperatives.  Read the report here.
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Visit the News page for archived articles.

Upcoming Events & Calendar

Create your own event!  Ok, here is another podcast to showcase how our neighbor to the west (Minnesota) is taking the lead on reducing emissions.  Titled De-carbon-ize, it is amazing what the MN nonprofit Fresh Energy is achieving.  Enjoy the podcast here.
Create your own event!  The Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) has recently interviewed a regional energy and social justice hero, John Farrell, co-director of the Institute of Local Self-Reliance (ILSR).  The resulting podcast is part of a series called Rise Up Midwest.  This particular episode mixes clean energy initiatives in Minnesota and Wisconsin with politics, social justice, lessons from other states, and cross-industry examples.  Hear John's unique perspective in this fascinating podcast.
Create your own event!  The League of Women Voter's hosted a national webinar in January 2021 about the energy transition.  The webinar featured Dr. Martin Keller of the National Renewable Energy Lab.  Round up your family and a few friends and try watching the webinar some evening as an alternative to Netflix.  Fill in your name after clicking this link and you will be taken directly to the webinar.  Popcorn optional.

Featured Examples

Ashland Area Development Corporation's new 120kW dc solar installation goes live.  On June 3, 2022, the switch was flipped and AADC is now producing most of its electricity on an annual basis.  The system received donated solar panels from two sponsors, Solar for Good and Nokomis Energy.  This installation is another shining example of a community-based solar project.  Read the full press release here.
The BRICK and New Day Advocacy Center's Solar Installations are complete.  Read the full press release here about the two new community based projects.

​The Town of Bayfield has a new solar PV installation.  Part of Cheq Bay Renewables 2019 Group Buy with installation in the summer of 2020, the array is now up thanks to community volunteers who erected the RTI (Ready-to-Install) system developed by Next Energy Solution.  Final electrical connection was completed by Jolma Electric.  Check out photos on Cheq Bay Renewables' Facebook Page.
On February 29th, 2020 Governor Evers visited Bayfield and thanked Bayfield County for its work in achieving 100% carbon-free electricity.  Here is a short video clip as he references Bayfield County's Proclamation.  The County has also received a Certificate of Commendation from the Governor's office.
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Bayfield County's Board of Supervisors unanimously passed Resolution 2020-11 committing to 100% carbon-free electricity for all county infrastructure on February 25, 2020.  See CBR's presentation to the Board here.
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Cheq Bay Renewables, Madison Solar Consulting, and Robert Drevlow assisted Drummond School District with an energy efficiency and solar PV assessment:
​School Energy and Demand Reduction Opportunity Assessment and
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Site Assessment.   

Read more on the Drummond School District Initiative page.
Roy Settgas of Washburn's Ready-to-Install solar array was part of our 2019 Solar Group Buy and was featured on our 2019 Solar Tour.  Watch Roy install his array here.
Wild Hollow Farm was one of the installations from CBR's 2018 Solar Group Buy.  Read their profile here showing the financial details of this 32 panel 8.64 kW RTI installation