RETF's History

Don and Judy subsequently agreed to take a leadership role in creating a DCEC renewable energy working group. The group, adopting the name the Renewable Energy Task Force (RETF), met for the first time in October of 2003 at Don & Judy's home.

In May of 2004, just as the group was picking up steam, a heart attack interrupted their schedule. Following Don’s recovery, RETF’s early discussions centered on what the group of six to ten volunteers could do to encourage renewable energy in Door County.

To promote the use of renewable energy by the people of
Door County in their homes, businesses and public facilities. 

That said, the scope of the discussion soon narrowed to the topic of electrical consumption in Door County. We soon realized that no one really knew how much electricity was used annually in Door County. We decided to find out.

Much time was spent composing a questionnaire for Sturgeon Bay Utilities, Wisconsin Public Service Corp, and Washington Island Utilities. All three responded with specific data that allowed us to calculate total electrical use in the county. 

This meant we could calculate the degree to which utility-scale wind turbines could offset Door County’s usage with a non-polluting local source of electricity.

In February of 2005 an initial public program was presented in Forestville. 125 enthusiastic people filled the town hall and showed strong support for wind energy in Door County.  Several more meetings throughout the county were met with equal enthusiasm.

Those initial meetings gave rise to a working group within RETF, known as Door County Community Wind (DCCW). We applied for and received a $10,000 grant from Wisconsin Focus on Energy to promote the group’s work.

After a year of frequent meetings and hard work, it became obvious that continuing the work, including finding funding mechanisms for local investment in wind turbines, required a for-profit status. 

So, DCCW left the non-profit umbrella of DCEC and became Community Wind Energy (CWE), a limited liability corporation. Today CWE continues the painstaking groundwork necessary to make commercial wind energy a reality in Door County. 

All this time, we were also involved with other projects. Meetings were moved to the Sturgeon Bay Library, a more central location. Our Renewable Energy Resource Directory was a major project we completed in November of 2006. It is the first compilation of the many renewable-energy residences that exist in our county.

Our idea was to alert the wider public that there already was a considerable base of renewable-energy homes and businesses in Door County. So far, over 600 copies of the directory have been distributed to town and county officials and the general public.

We also keep busy with the National Solar Home Tour every October. We participate in the annual Door County Home Builders Show. We teach a class—Renewable Energy in Door County - Is it realistic?—at The Clearing twice a year. Along with DCEC, we sponsor public awareness programs to educate our community about renewable energy.

Early on, RETF arranged for a UWGB class to visit Door County renewable-energy homes. Newspaper articles and radio talk shows were used to familiarize the community with the concepts and reality of renewable energy, both for thermal (water) and electrical production.

Door County Environmental Council
P O Box 114, Fish Creek WI 54212
Phone: 920-743-6003 | FAX: 920-743-6727
Info@dcec-wi.org