Clean Energy Works is RENEW Wisconsin’s initiative to get into the field with our business members and learn directly from those doing the work each day. By shadowing installers, technicians, and staff across the clean energy industry, we gain a deeper understanding of what goes into the work. These experiences directly inform how RENEW supports and advocates for the people and companies driving clean energy forward.

Battery storage is a newer part of residential clean energy, and is slowly becoming an important way for homes to manage power. We use batteries every day, whether in our phones, laptops, or cars. Now that same technology is being installed in Wisconsin homes to help families stay resilient during outages and make the most of the solar energy they produce, even after the sun goes down.

To see how an installation comes together, I spent the day with the crew at Home Team Energy. They are a tight-knit group of seven employees based in Brookfield, Wisconsin, completing about 100 projects a year since opening in 2019.

On this job, I followed Stefan and Josh as they installed a Tesla Powerwall in the basement of a newer home outside Burlington.

Meet the Crew

Stefan began his career in northern Minnesota doing residential electrical work. Moving to Wisconsin gave him the chance to keep doing what he loved while stepping into an industry with room for advancement. Home Team Energy provided the path for him to earn his master electrician license. 

On this job, that expertise showed in the way he worked with both the battery panel and the home’s main electrical panel open. This setup let him see exactly how each system and component connected, ensuring the wiring was installed correctly and the disconnects were set to meet electrical and building codes. 

As he worked, he explained each step, highlighting how these details keep the system safe, reliable, and ready for inspection. He made sure everything fit neatly on the homeowner’s wall so it looked like it belonged there. He pointed out how they were planning to run the conduit, the reasons for running it where it needed to be, and how they were making efficient use of equipment. Every line was leveled, the wiring was tidy and presentable, and everything was ready to meet the requirements for inspection later that day.

Josh grew up in Waukesha and Lake Geneva before moving to California to work in a high-volume solar market. He eventually returned to Wisconsin to be closer to family and the communities he knew well. On the job, he measured and cut conduit so the line from the roof to the electrical meter and into the basement would be straight, clean, and easy to follow. His precision ensured the installation looked as good as it performed.

As we worked, the conversation turned to their love of Wisconsin’s outdoors. They traded stories about trout streams, favorite fishing spots, and the quiet places in state parks where they hunt in the fall. 

About the Technology

The Tesla Powerwall is a rechargeable home battery that stores energy for later use. It can be charged from solar panels or directly from the grid. When solar panels produce more power than the home needs, the extra energy goes into the battery. Later, when the home needs electricity, especially during the evening when demand is high, the battery supplies that power instead of drawing it from the grid.

This is where the home and the grid work together. For example, on a hot July evening when air conditioners, TVs, lights, and electric stoves across the neighborhood are turned on, this Burlington homeowner can run their home on energy stored in the Powerwall earlier in the day. That means they are not pulling from the grid during its busiest hours, which reduces strain on the system and frees up power for their neighbors.

At rural homes like this one, batteries are especially valuable. They provide backup during outages, keep essential systems running, and offer peace of mind in places where grid reliability can be less certain.

Why It Matters

Battery storage benefits more than just one home. It supports the neighborhood by reducing strain on the grid during high-demand times. This Burlington installation will help the homeowner use their own clean energy while also supporting the wider system.

Clean energy also pulls and keeps talent. Contractors like Home Team Energy, along with other RENEW Wisconsin members, attract skilled workers from other states, bring experienced people back to Wisconsin, and provide high-paying careers that keep those workers here. These jobs bring in people who want to build something meaningful while staying connected to their communities.

Looking Ahead

Battery storage is becoming a central part of Wisconsin’s clean energy future. Systems like the Tesla Powerwall allow homeowners to use solar power when it matters most, provide backup during outages, and prepare for future utility programs such as virtual power plants and advanced grid management.

My day with Home Team Energy was not only about the technical side of the installation. It was about Stefan explaining the “why” behind each choice, Josh taking the extra moment to make each cut exact, and both of them speaking about the land, water, and wildlife they want to protect. These systems are more than equipment on a wall. They represent the work of skilled people building a cleaner, stronger energy future for Wisconsin, one home at a time.

If you are part of this work and would be willing to share your story, I would love to join you for a day. Feel free to reach out to me at ben@renewwisconsin.org.

Clean Energy Works is RENEW Wisconsin’s initiative to get into the field with our business members and learn directly from those doing the work each day. By shadowing installers, technicians, and staff across the clean energy industry, we gain a deeper understanding of what goes into the work. These experiences directly inform how RENEW supports and advocates for the people and companies driving clean energy forward.

When you think about Wisconsin’s clean energy jobs, it is easy to picture panels, wires, and policy charts. But the real story starts with people.

On a crisp spring morning, I joined a crew from Arch Solar as they set out to bring another rooftop solar project to life. They were a small team, each person coming from a different background: Dave, who leads the panel installs, once packed clothes at Lands’ End. Billy, two months into the job, fixed bikes in Fond du Lac. Leo, now installing panels with the crew, poured concrete in Milwaukee. Jenny, one of the lead electricians, farmed organically near Plymouth before entering the trades. TJ, now a master electrician, once trained for the police academy.

These are the people building Wisconsin’s clean energy future, one project at a time.

The Crew on Day One: Foundations First

The first day of the install was all about setup. I spent the full day with the rooftop solar crew, Dave and Billy, as we laid the foundation for the project. That meant attaching the structural supports and rails that hold to solar panels, along with all of the electrical infrastructure. The crew’s quick work ensured everything was set up for the next day’s panel work.

Dave, one of the lead solar panel installers, has been with Arch for a few years now, and his attention to detail is top-notch. After getting some hands-on experience in the field, he’s now hoping to enter Arch’s electrician apprenticeship program. His steady focus and thoughtful approach stood out, whether he was leveling rails, checking truss locations, setting supports, or making sure conduit was cleanly installed.

Billy, who is just two months into the job, was right there alongside him. It was immediately clear how much he had picked up in such a short time. He asked smart, timely questions and jumped into the work confidently.

While we worked on the roof, Don and Neil handled the electrical work below. Don, who is currently in his electrical apprenticeship, was paired with Neil, a master electrician. They were in charge of setting up the electrical components for the next day, and their coordination with the rooftop team was seamless. Questions moved quickly between us, and answers came easily.

The Crew on Day Two: Panels, Service, and New Faces

The second day brought new crew members and new tasks. Dave and Billy returned, and Leo joined them in handling the panel installation. It was the first time the panels were actually going on the roof, and the three of them worked with speed, care, and attention to every detail.

While the panel install team was up on the roof, I spent all of day two with the electricians, Jenny and TJ. That change in perspective gave me a full view of the project and helped round out my experience across both days. Day one was about structural layout, hardware, and module prep. Day two gave me a front-row seat to the electrical service upgrades, EV charging readiness, and system wiring that bring a solar project to life.

Jenny is a lead electrician at Arch. Before joining the team, she spent years working on an organic farm near Plymouth. Her path into the trades is a powerful example of how someone can have a long, successful career in one field and still pivot to something completely different when the time feels right. Jenny’s calm, knowledgeable presence made her a go-to for any electrical question on site. TJ, her counterpart, also took a unique path to the trades. He has thrived in his role at Arch and recently passed his master electrician exam.

This Is What a Good Job Looks Like

Clean energy conversations often focus on technology, investment, and carbon reduction. Those things matter. But being on-site reminded me that clean energy is also about people and good jobs.

Good jobs are at the heart of the clean energy transition. Jobs that pay well, teach real skills, and offer a pathway forward. Jobs for people from all kinds of backgrounds, whether from bike shops, concrete work, farming, or retail.

Everyone I met was doing skilled work they could be proud of, and every person was thinking about what came next. Whether it was Billy just getting started or TJ recently earning his master electrician license, there was a shared sense that this was about more than a paycheck. It was about building careers, strengthening communities, and creating a future they can stand behind.

Looking Ahead

For RENEW, site visits like this help us better support the people who do this work. We spend a lot of time writing comments, reviewing rate cases, analyzing permitting policy, legislative proposals, and advocating for changes at the Public Service Commission. That work is critical, but it is even more impactful when it is informed by firsthand experience.

There are more crews to meet, more technologies to explore, and more stories to tell. At the end of the day, clean energy is about the people behind it. The more we listen to them, the stronger the future we can build for the grid, for the climate, and for the communities doing the hard work.

If you are part of this work and would be willing to share your story, I would love to join you for a day. Feel free to reach out to me at ben@renewwisconsin.org.

Rick Zimmerman has witnessed dozens of renewable energy projects completed over the course of his career, and in recent years he’s seen about a gigawatt (GW) of solar energy projects in Wisconsin as Alliant Energy’s Manager of Resource Development.

His career in renewables started in the early 2000s and was driven by his knowledge of and appreciation for renewables, as well as a small amount of happenstance. His career path gave him the opportunity to work on projects from Vermont all the way to Hawaii, but lately, he’s been happy to keep his focus on Wisconsin with occasional visits to Minnesota or Iowa.

By staying in one area, he’s able to spend more time with his wife and kids and he’s also found himself with time to work on home projects, such as building out his basement during the COVID-19 pandemic or his latest woodworking project.

“I’m a, I’d say a DIYer,” Zimmerman said. “Working either on the house outside or inside the house.”

As a graduate of UW-Madison’s engineering program and an Eagle Scout, he’s been able to apply his knowledge from school and desire to spend time outdoors not only to home projects but also to his work.

He first got a taste for working on renewables while working at an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor, M.A. Mortenson. Not only does the large company work across multiple industries, but it also offered plenty of opportunities to get outside for wind turbine projects

M.A. Mortenson had a department specifically for wind projects, but Zimmerman said, “It was a rather small department, as they didn’t want to do layoffs and then huge hires.”

Instead, to manage the ebb and flow of workload in the industry, they had a core staff that managed the department, and then they would gather workers from different offices for projects.

“And then (for a new project) the call went out to the different offices, said hey we need three engineers from your group, what can you do to loan us those engineers?” Zimmerman said. “I was an engineer on loan.”

Through happenstance, he was available when the call went out and became one of the volunteer engineers who would play a role in building out wind energy in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa, the first hotbed of midwest construction.

“This was the first renewables from an energy perspective in the area where I lived and worked that I could be a part of,” Zimmerman said. “That was my first taste, I liked it.”

Though his time at M.A. Mortenson wasn’t solely focused on renewables, he didn’t stray far from the industry. By 2012 he would find himself much more directly involved in the energy world working at Alliant Energy.

He got his start at Alliant in the construction department. After some success in that role, he was promoted to project manager, and thanks to some good timing, he found himself working on wind projects once again.

“I got tapped to help with that wind program,” Zimmerman said. “Partly it was coincidentally luck, a couple of my projects had ended and I had some capacity. I had the wind background already from my EPC world so that obviously fit in really well and then I temporarily joined the development department and we didn’t stop.”

From 2018 to about 2020, Zimmerman oversaw the development of a GW of wind energy installed in Iowa. Once that was completed, Alliant turned its attention to Wisconsin to install an additional GW of clean energy, only this time it was solar.

After successfully implementing a GW of solar over 12 projects, he was promoted from project manager to manager of resource development, overseeing a team of 12.

Regardless of his position, Zimmerman says, “It’s an exciting time to be in the utility industry.”

“For the foreseeable future, everyone is going to need power, and as we’re seeing now, everyone is needing more power,” he said.

From increased need at the residential level to new data centers, Zimmerman said utilities are more regularly being seen as critical infrastructure for the economy to grow.

To meet the demands of the future, Wisconsin will need to continue increasing its clean energy portfolio. To meet our goals, utilities and advocacy groups alike will need to continue working with various communities where these projects are built.

Zimmerman has seen a full spectrum of responses to clean energy projects during his time in the industry. He’s found that particularly in Wisconsin, some love the projects, some hate them, and some even prefer wind turbines over solar panels.

With the variety of challenges faced in Wisconsin, Zimmerman said that at Alliant, “We just thread the needle as best we can. There are pros and cons to every decision we make, we try to make those decisions that give us more pros than cons.”

What it ultimately comes down to is clear and constant communication. Like RENEW, Zimmerman has come across plenty of disinformation on the internet that can be convincing. To learn more about projects and how communities can share their input, Zimmerman recommends going to reliable third-party sources that focus on sharing the facts.