Organic Valley Goes 100% Renewable through Community Solar

This case study describes how the Organic Valley agricultural cooperative partnered with OneEnergy Renewables and the Upper Midwest Municipal Energy Group (UMMEG) to source 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2019. By utilizing a community solar model in the U.S. Midwest, the partnership developed 12 MW of solar for Organic Valley and an additional 17 MW for local communities, totaling approximately 29 MW of new installations.

• Organic Valley committed in March 2017 to procure 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2019, aiming to become the largest food company globally to do so.
• Due to the regulated nature of the Wisconsin energy market, Organic Valley shifted from pursuing a direct power purchase agreement (PPA) for a 1 to 5 MW pilot project to a community solar partnership with OneEnergy Renewables and the Upper Midwest Municipal Energy Group (UMMEG).
• The partnership developed approximately 29 MW of new solar installations: 12 MW specifically for Organic Valley facilities and 17 MW for nearby communities, which is equivalent to powering about 3,000 homes. This initiative is expected to increase solar energy use in Wisconsin by 15 percent.
• The project incorporates pollinator-friendly solar standards, utilizing wildflowers and native plants to create bee and butterfly habitats equivalent to 30,000 families planting six-by-twelve-foot pollinator gardens.

APA

RMI (2017). Organic Valley Goes 100% Renewable through Community Solar. https://rmi.org/resources/organic-valley-goes-100-renewable-community-solar/

Chicago

RMI. Organic Valley Goes 100% Renewable through Community Solar. 2017. https://rmi.org/resources/organic-valley-goes-100-renewable-community-solar/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Organic Valley Goes 100% Renewable through Community Solar |date=8 November 2017 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/organic-valley-goes-100-renewable-community-solar/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2017organic, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Organic Valley Goes 100\% Renewable through Community Solar}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2017}, month = nov, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/organic-valley-goes-100-renewable-community-solar/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }