After purchasing $900 million of solar within the state, it would leave Alliant Energy as the leader in the Wisconsin solar industry. Over the next 30 years, these projects would produce $80 million in tax revenues and provide thousands of jobs to locals.
Alliant Energy is beginning the process to acquire and advance 675 MW of solar capacity in Wisconsin. The first step is to file a Certificate of Authority application with the Public Service Commission of Winsconsin, which they plan to do very soon. This project begins the endeavor to meet their goal to install 1000 MW of solar generation within the state by 2023. The PSC is expected to come to a decision by early next year, and if each step goes accordingly, the solar projects could be operating by 2023.
The three largest solar projects they are attempting to purchase are from NextEra Energy Resources, Ranger Power and Savion. NextEra Energy Resources has a 200 MW site, while Ranger Power and Savion both are developing 150 MW projects. All of these solar acquisitions would be new solar plants or finish being developed by Alliant Energy.
| LOCATION | SIZE | DEVELOPER |
|---|---|---|
| Grant County | 200 megawatts | NextEra Energy Resources |
| Sheboygan County | 150 megawatts | Ranger Power |
| Wood County | 150 megawatts | Savion |
| Jefferson County | 75 megawatts | Ranger Power |
| Rock County | 50 megawatts | Geronimo Energy |
| Richland County | 50 megawatts | Savion |
After purchasing about $900 million of solar power plants within the state, Alliant Energy would become the largest solar operator in Wisconsin. This solar goal was also announced only days after Alliant announced their plan to close their 380 MW Edgewater plant in Sheboygan, which shows their commitment to their goal of cutting 80% of the carbon emissions by 2050. Both of these announcements are part of the company’s Clean Energy Blueprint. This is their plan to transition into renewable energy in a cost-efficient manner, ultimately aiming to reduce carbon emissions.
Collectively, these solar endeavors would create more than 1,200 local jobs and power 175,000 homes per year once in operation. Over the next 30 years these projects would also be producing about $80 million in local tax revenues. On a smaller scale, these projects could amount to 2.7% of Wisconsin’s electricity consumption. It is estimated that $5 million would be paid annually in land leases paid to landowners for leasing property for the solar projects, and $4 million annually for local governments where the projects are located.
David de Leion, the President of Alliant Energy is very excited about this opportunity for the company to expand further into renewables and develop an economy in a location local to them. David de Leon described the opportunity as providing the ability to “create new construction, operation and maintenance jobs, and provide our customers with reliable and sustainable energy for years to come.†He also explained that these renewables will help customers avoid $2 billion in long-term costs. Ultimately, it seems that this renewables endeavour would benefit the state of Wisconsin in various ways, especially economically. Although these acquisitions are very expensive, it will leave Alliant Energy in a very powerful position within the solar market of Wisconsin.
