Alliant Energy looks to add 675 MW of PV and quadruple Wisconsin’s solar capacity

As the first step in the company’s plan to install 1,000 MW of solar generation in Wisconsin by 2023, Alliant Energy has filed a docket with state regulators seeking approval to develop six solar projects in the state, totaling 675 MW in capacity.

The projects are set to be located in Grant, Jefferson, Richland, Rock, Sheboygan and Wood counties and are expected to create more than 1,200 local construction jobs. The Grant county project is anticipated to be 200 MW, while the Sheboygan and Wood projects will each be 150 MW, the Jefferson county project will be 75 MW and the Richland and Rock projects will each be 50 MW. The projects, once operational, will provide an estimated $80 million in local tax revenues over the next 30 years.

The portfolio represents a marked increase in the state’s solar generation capacity, with the Grant project nearly matching the state’s capacity thus far. According to SEIA, Wisconsin is currently home to 209 MW of solar, good for 34th in the nation. These six projects would bring that figure up to 884 MW of capacity, which would currently be the 19th most installed by any state.

Alliant expects a Public Service Commission of Wisconsin decision on the project applications sometime in the first half of 2021, meaning that there will have to be a tight development and construction schedule if the company wants to hit its 1,000 MW by 2023 goal.

These developments, along with the larger goal of installing 1,000 MW in the state by 2023 come as facets of Alliant’s Clean Energy Blueprint. The Clean Energy Blueprint serves as the company’s roadmap to cost-effectively accelerate renewable energy while reducing carbon emissions.