While generating clean, zero-fuel-cost electricity for Alliant Energy customers, the Beaver Dam Solar Project also delivers long-term benefits to the community, landowners and local residents. Alliant Energy expects the site will generate an estimated $6 million in new shared revenue for the county and local communities over the next 30 years. Native low-growth grass seeding and over 45 acres of newly planted native pollinator habitat will enrich the soil, improve surface water quality and support wildlife habitat diversity, all of which benefits participating landowners, farmers and community residents.
“I started farming early on in my life” said John Butterbrodt, one of the participating landowners. “When I was the president of the largest dairy co-op in the country, my friends and family all called me ‘the Dairy Farmer.’ Now when we get together, they call me ‘the Solar Farmer’ and I’m proud of that. In recent years, the corn grown on this land went to the ethanol plant. Now with solar panels, the electricity will help power homes and electric cars. It’s a new way of getting energy for the future of our country. This project is a great economic benefit to the community. It’s good for the taxpayers and it’s good for the future generation of our family.”
Construction on the Beaver Dam Solar Project began in September 2022 and employed over 120 carpenters, electricians, operating engineers and labourers. Over 80 percent of the workforce was Wisconsin-based. This kept project dollars in the community and maximised the project’s local economic benefits.
“The Beaver Dam Solar Project is a high-quality, zero-fuel-cost energy generation facility that will benefit our customers for decades” added Tim Kreft, senior manager of strategic projects at Alliant Energy. “This site leverages the latest in solar technology to deliver safe, reliable, cost-effective energy to our customers throughout the year. The Beaver Dam Solar Project is just one way we’re diversifying our electric generation portfolio to serve customers and help build stronger communities.”
Alliant Energy is advancing its Clean Energy Blueprint plan to add 1,089 MW of solar capacity to its energy mix. With the completion of the Beaver Dam Solar Project, the company has placed 11 of its 12 Wisconsin-based utility-scale solar projects into service. The company expects to complete the 200-MW Grant County Solar Project by mid-2024.
This increasingly diverse and resilient energy portfolio, combined with recently approved battery energy storage systems, is a major step toward meeting the company’s aspirational goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from utility operations by 2050.
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