EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (May 14, 2020)- Xcel Energy received approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin on Thursday to begin offering the state’s first program to support microgrids and other resiliency projects for large business customers and governmental entities who require a higher than standard service reliability.

The Resiliency as a Service program provides support through Xcel Energy ownership, installation, operation and maintenance of resiliency assets such as battery storage, renewable energy arrays and back-up generators at a customer’s location. The program is technology agnostic and allows customers to choose resiliency options that best meet their needs and work with Xcel Energy and its contractors to design, construct and maintain their system.

In a letter to the PSCW, Bayfield County highlighted the benefits of the program as it plans to combine the electric service of the county courthouse and jail complex into a single microgrid that will benefit its 9-1-1 system and data server through increased resiliency. Earlier this year, the Bayfield County Microgrid Project received a $273,714 grant from the PSCW’s Office of Energy Innovation.

“Bayfield County is excited to partner with Xcel Energy on this project to create a county microgrid and improve reliability for essential county services,” said Bayfield County Administrator Mark Abeles-Allison. “We look forward to this step forward in achieving community goals.”

“We have had discussions with many different customers who, for various reasons, have significant resiliency needs, and in many cases, those needs are coupled with sustainability goals as well,” said Mark Stoering, president, Xcel Energy-Wisconsin. “This program greatly reduces the upfront cost for customers who would benefit from resiliency assets and provides our extensive support to operate and maintain these systems, so they are available in the event they are needed.”

Xcel Energy will begin offering the program later this summer.

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