We Energies has filed plans with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to build a bevy of new clean generation that would add more than 500 megawatts (MW) of solar power and 180 MW of wind power to the grid. The projects also include 100 MW of new battery storage, which would be charged during the day to provide customers with “sunshine after sunset,” as the company eloquently puts it.
The projects referenced in We Energies’ GRP Phase 2, Tranche 1 filings include five recent additions, highlighted in bold:
–Badger Hollow Wind: A 111.6 MW wind farm in Iowa and Grant Counties expected to come online 1/1/2028. Badger Hollow Solar Farm, billed as the largest solar project in the state of Wisconsin, became operational about 10 months ago.
–Dawn Harvest Solar: A 150 MW solar and 50 MW battery installation in Rock County targeted to begin operations by 10/1/2027. It will include 350,000 silicon PV modules fixed to horizontal single-axis solar trackers. Its total cost is estimated to be approximately $443 million, comprised of about $337.2 million or $2,248 /kW for the solar facilities and $105.8 million or $2,116 /kW for the BESS. Dawn Harvest will be developed by Dawn Harvest Solar Energy Center LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Invenergy, North America’s largest independent, privately-held renewable energy provider.
-Good Oak Solar: A 98.4 MW solar installation in Columbia County with a targeted operational date of 1/1/2028.
-Gristmill Solar: A 67 MW solar installation in Columbia County also expected online by 1/1/2028.
–Saratoga Solar: A 150.3 MW solar and 50.3 MW battery project in Wood County that should come online by 6/1/2028.
–Ursa Solar: A 200 MW solar farm in Columbia County expected to be operational by 1/1/2027.
–Whitetail Wind: A 67.2 MW wind farm in Grant County also expected to be operational by 1/1/2027.
If approved, the facilities would be jointly owned by We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service (WPS), and Madison Gas & Electric (MGE). The power produced would serve customers across the state, enough energy to power about 250,000 homes.
“These renewable energy projects are part of our commitment to build a bright, sustainable future and provide customers affordable, reliable, and clean energy,” said Mike Hooper, president of We Energies. “As we close our older, less-efficient fossil fuel plants, projects like these — along with our proposed highly efficient natural gas plants — will help power the grid and make sure customers have the energy they depend on.”
Wisconsin Electric and WPS seek approval of these projects as part of a larger effort to transition their combined generation fleet. The companies plan to its older retire fossil fuel plants and invest more than $8 billion in low-cost, highly efficient natural gas generation, renewable generation, and storage resources in Wisconsin.
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), through the second quarter of 2024 Wisconsin has about 2,593 MW of solar generation capacity, the 18th-most in the United States. Target, IKEA, and Brookfield Properties Retail have all gone solar in Wisconsin. IKEA’s 2 MW project in Oak Creek is one of the largest corporate solar projects in the state.
Originally published in Renewable Energy World.
