Alliant Energy has wrapped up construction of the Wautoma Solar project in Waushara County, Wisconsin. The 99 MW solar array spans 624 acres in Dakota and Wautoma, and consists of nearly 240,000 solar panels. The generating facility can produce enough energy to power approximately 26,000 homes annually.
“The completion of this project is a major accomplishment that will deliver safe, reliable, cost-effective energy to our customers for decades,” said Ben Lipari, assistant VP of resource development at Alliant Energy. “This project has been, and will continue to be, a collaborative effort with our participating landowners, local officials and the broader Waushara County community. A unique aspect of our project design included the repurposing of land at the Wautoma airport, which allowed us to diversify the project layout and maximize the value of underutilized land. Our development and construction of this project demonstrated our core values to ‘Act for tomorrow’ and ‘Make things better.’”
The state-of-the-art solar array automatically tracks the movement of the sun to maximize energy generation. On-site weather sensors enable the system to adjust quickly to changing conditions. The durable, high-performance bi-facial panels can also be rotated remotely to protect against high winds, snow or hail.
Construction on the project began in July 2022 and employed nearly 150 carpenters, electricians, operating engineers and laborers. Over 80% of the workforce was Wisconsin-based. That kept project dollars in the community to maximize the local economic benefits of the project.
“Alliant Energy’s use of local contractors and the skilled craftsmanship of workers hired through local union halls ensured this project was completed safely, cost effectively and on time,” said Ted Gumieny, executive director of Northeastern Wisconsin Building Trades. “Logging over 210,000 hours work without a single lost-time accident speaks to the importance of safety and the skill that local union workers contributed to this project. The Wautoma Solar Project is a high-quality site that Alliant Energy’s customers and the community can all be proud of.”
In addition to generating clean energy for Alliant Energy customers, the Wautoma Solar Project delivers long-term economic and financial benefits to the town of Dakota, city of Wautoma and Waushara County. The county and local communities are expected to receive a combined $12 million in new shared revenue over the 30-year life of the project. Local officials can choose to use the funds to support schools, workforce development efforts, road improvements and other public services.
The Wautoma Solar Project is one of 12 utility-scale solar projects Alliant Energy has advanced as part of its Clean Energy Blueprint to deliver greater energy reliability, sustainability and customer value. This increasingly diverse and resilient energy portfolio, combined with recently approved battery energy storage systems, is a major step for the company as it works toward its aspirational goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from utility operations by 2050.
— Solar Builder magazine
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