Alliant Energy deploys six new solar projects in Wisconsin 

Alliant Energy has deployed six new solar projects in Wisconsin, collectively amounting to 514 MW and tripling the utility’s solar generation capacity.

All six projects are online and operational, and are single-axis tracker systems, Tony Palese, a spokesperson for Alliant Energy, told pv magazine USA. They include durable, high-performance bi-facial solar panels, which can cope with severe weather conditions, like snow. The sites were constructed beginning in 2022, and employed almost 1,000 workers, according to the utility. 

The projects include the 50 MW Albany Solar Project in Green County; 50 MW Cassville Solar Project in Grant County, 150 MW Onion River Solar Project in Sheboygan County, 65 MW Paddock Solar Project in Rock County, 100 MW Springfield Solar Project in Dodge County and 99 MW Wautoma Solar Project in Waushara County. The modules at the six completed sites are primarily from Trina and First Solar, Palese said. 

Completing these projects is a huge milestone in Alliant Energy’s journey toward a “brighter energy future,” David de Leon, Alliant Energy’s Wisconsin president, said.

“We’re proud to leverage new technology and locally generated energy solutions to increase customer value and help avoid long-term costs,” de Leon added. 

The new batch of projects are among 12 utility-scale solar projects that are part of Alliant Energy’s clean energy blueprint in Wisconsin. The company deployed three projects, amounting to 250 MW, last year, and have three more that are in the final stages of construction. Once all the projects are online – expected to be by mid-2024 – they will collectively generate 1,089 MW.

The company is also making investments in energy storage. Alliant Energy has announced plans to construct battery energy storage systems at two of its solar sites, Palese said,  a 100 MW and 75 MW system that will be constructed at solar facilities in Grant County and Wood County respectively. Last February, the utility also announced plans to deploy a 99 MW battery system adjacent to its Edgewater Generating Station, which is scheduled to retire in 2025.

“We expect to begin construction on all three battery projects this spring,” Palese said. 

In September, Alliant announced it had been selected for an up to $30 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations for a planned 200 MWh energy storage system, with a 10-hour storage duration. The project would use a technology that compresses carbon dioxide gas into liquid to store energy, and then convert that liquid back into a gas to power a turbine, creating electricity when demand rises on the grid.