Alliant Energy announced the successful completion of its Wautoma Solar Project, a milestone in the company’s transition to cleaner and more sustainable energy solutions. The 99-MW solar array in the Waushara County town of Dakota and city of Wautoma, is a facility that spans 624 acres and is composed of nearly 240,000 bifacial solar panels. It can produce enough energy to power approximately 26,000 homes annually.
Wautoma Solar Project. Alliant Energy
“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 solar array uses points modules toward the sun with trackers to maximize energy generation. On-site weather sensors enable the system to adjust to changing conditions.
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, keeping project dollars in the community.
“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.”
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.
Wautoma 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 project is a step forward for the company as it works toward its goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from utility operations by 2050.
News item from Alliant Energy
