IN FOCUS — Energy Concepts is a company headquartered in Hudson that specializes in the engineering and installation of solar energy systems. 

President Russel Gilberg said demand for residential solar energy panels really jumped in 2020 and 2021. He thinks that's because the federal investment tax credit (ITC) for solar is set to decrease soon, and there's uncertainty regarding whether it will be lowered or even continued at all. 

But Gilberg noted that, while demand is also up for solar energy systems in commercial buildings, Wisconsin as a whole lags behind the national numbers on solar power. 

He said one way to increase solar energy use around the state is to make it more accessible to people with low incomes - perhaps by developers leasing systems to customers instead of selling them.