Invenergy, a Chicago-based energy company is developing a 250MW solar plant in Walworth County, Wisconsin. The plant is expected to occupy 2,000 acres and will generate enough electricity for about 75,000 homes and include a battery that could discharge up to 75 megawatts for four hours. Three of Wisconsin’s largest utilities, including Madison Gas and Electric and the WEC Energy Group plan to spend US$446m on the Walworth County solar farm that will also have a battery storage facility. If approved, WEC subsidiaries We Energy and Wisconsin Public Service Corp. would together own 90% and MGE the other 10%. The utilities say in their application that the project will result in lower rates than continuing to run their existing generators.
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The state Public Service Commission has scheduled public hearings for April 22 on the Darien Solar Energy Center. A decision on the construction permit would likely come this summer. If approved, construction is expected to begin late this year with the project coming online by the end of 2023. This is the second solar-plus-battery project that MGE and WEC are pursuing, previously, the utilities announced plans to purchase a 310-megawatt solar and storage plant under development in Kenosha County in partnership with Madison Gas and Electric for a combined US$426 million.
“For the second time this year, we are demonstrating our commitment to a clean energy future with a major investment in renewable energy,” said Tom Metcalfe, president of We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service Corp. “Not only will these projects maintain reliability and deliver significant savings, building these facilities in Wisconsin will create green jobs and help drive the state’s economy.”
WEC last year announced plans to invest US$2 billion in solar, wind, and battery projects by 2025 while retiring 1,800 MW of fossil fuel capacity, which the company says will help reach its goal of cutting carbon dioxide emissions 70% by the end of the decade.
