Residents kept asking Walnut Way Conservation Corp. about ways they could keep money in their homes, so the Lindsay Heights nonprofit became a legal intervener a few years ago in We Energies utility rate cases, according to Executive Director Antonio Butts.
“We got in that fight to do what’s been announced today: for us to build our own renewable infrastructure that we own in our community,” he said on Oct. 3 during the organization’s annual Harvest Day event.
It was announced that Walnut Way has secured $1.1 million to fund the development of one megawatt of community solar power in Lindsay Heights.
Working with Sun Bear Industries, a Milwaukee area solar energy company that often works with underserved communities and tribal nations, Walnut Way plans to own and install solar infrastructure at various sites around the North Side and get them up and running by December 2027.
These “resiliency hubs” would make up the Milwaukee Interagency Resiliency and Access Centers for Learning and Equity, or MIRACLE. In addition to creating renewable energy, Walnut Way leaders say the sites would offer workforce development opportunities, a Healthy Homes Hub and other activities and resources designed to benefit the community.
“In order to build wealth, you’ve got to be able to own assets,” said Isaiah Ness, CEO and founder of Sun Bear Industries. “Power is an asset, and that’s what we’re looking to own here in Walnut Way.”
Creating eco-friendly stormwater solutions
The funding includes a $1 million recoverable grant from McKnight Foundation, in partnership with Communities First Fund, as part of its new Power & Place Fund.
“It has been a privilege to support the work of Walnut Way as they have championed environmental justice and advocated for healthier, more resilient communities across Milwaukee and throughout Wisconsin,” said Sacha-Rose Phillips, senior program officer at McKnight Foundation.
A $100,000 grant from Daybreak Fund will be used to incorporate eco-friendly stormwater solutions like bioswales and native plantings in photovoltaic gardens along parking lots and vacant lots, according to Chandra Ellis, Walnut Way’s development director.
“They deter heat islands, and they also provide flood and stormwater mitigation,” Ellis said.
Some utilities in Wisconsin operate community solar projects or pilot programs. But the state does not have a law that authorizes other community solar projects where households or businesses can subscribe and receive bill credits. This poses some limitations for how Walnut Way can operate a community-based model or provide benefits for residents.
For now, the solar energy generated would lower electricity bills at the locations, and the savings would be used for services and programming at the sites that would go back to the community, according to Butts.
Walnut Way will continue to advocate in the regulatory space to allow community solar and battery storage to be used to offset the grid and directly benefit residents.
“What we’re able to do now is demonstrate that we can develop a site, demonstrate that we can mechanize a tax credit, and then demonstrate the ability to replicate it,” Butts said.
One megawatt of solar-generated electricity can power between 150 to 220 homes, according to Walnut Way.
Over the next eight years or so, Butts said the organization is seeking to develop 50 megawatts of community-owned solar, which would require another $49 million.
Walnut Way contends that the buildout will relieve some pressure on Milwaukeeans struggling to keep up with rising electricity prices. We Energies, the city’s electrical utility, disconnected 36,653 households in Milwaukee-area ZIP codes for falling behind on bills in 2025, according to an NNS and Wisconsin Watch analysis.
More on the project sites
Walnut Way is first working on expanding solar infrastructure on properties it owns, including the Innovations and Wellness Commons on North 16th Street and West North Avenue and 12 vacant lots in the neighborhood.
To build out solar capacity, it is exploring creating hubs at other locations in and around Lindsay Heights and has already completed feasibility studies for North Division High School and the former Social Development Commission headquarters.
“We could deliver this project without working with anybody, but our preference is to do some partnerships,” Butts said.
Walnut Way is negotiating with Forward Community Investments to try to acquire the former SDC buildings and parking lots on West North Avenue near North 18th Street, which already have some solar infrastructure in place, by the end of the year, according to Ellis.
That space could be reactivated to provide residents weatherization and energy-related services, such as an energy-efficient appliance swap using Healthy Homes funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, she said.
Community involvement
Walnut Way is reaching out to the community or related board of each prospective site to discuss the project benefits and plans to establish a governance structure, Butts said.
Canaan Baptist Church, located north of Lindsay Heights at 2975 N. 11th St., is planned to be a flagship faith-based partner, Butts said.
The Rev. Fredrick Jones, the church’s pastor, said they are still working out the details, but the congregation supports the project because it will lower electricity costs in the church’s budget while allowing it to offer more resources to neighbors.
“I just thank God for it, because I know long range, it will benefit not only Canaan, but the community,” Jones said.
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
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