Alliant Energy completes 624-acre solar project in Wautoma

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Madison-based Alliant Energy announced on Thursday the completion of a 99-megawatt solar array in Waushara County.

“The completion of this project is a major accomplishment that will deliver safe, reliable, cost-effective energy to our customers for decades,” Ben Lipari, assistant vice president of resource development at Alliant, said in a statement.

“This project has been, and will continue to be, a collaborative effort with our participating landowners, local officials and the broader Waushara County community,” he added.

The project is a 624-acre solar energy facility with nearly 240,000 solar panels in the town of Dakota and the city of Wautoma, energy company officials said. The facility will power around 26,000 homes each year, officials added.

The solar arrays in Wautoma will track the movement of the sun to maximize energy generation, and sensors will allow the system to adjust to changing weather conditions, officials said. The project uses bi-facial panels, which can be rotated remotely to avoid high winds or snow, officials added.

Construction kicked off in 2022 and employed nearly 150 carpenters, electricians, operating engineers and laborers, company officials said. More than 80% of the workers were Wisconsin residents, officials added.

Ted Gumieny, executive director of NorthEast Wisconsin Building & Construction Trades Council, praised the company’s use of local contractors and union craft workers. Project workers logged more than 210,000 work hours without any lost-time accidents, he added.

“The Wautoma Solar Project is a high-quality site that Alliant Energy‘s customers and community can all be proud of,” he added.

Waushara County, Dakota and Wautoma are expected to receive $12 million in new shared revenue over the project’s 30-year life, officials said.

The Wautoma Solar Project was one of 12 utility projects Alliant Energy has planned for Wisconsin through its Clean Energy Blueprint. The company has a goal for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from its operations by 2050.