Wisconsin customers and communities benefit from investment in clean, reliable, cost-effective energy generation
Contact: Tony Palese (608) 458-3132 | tonypalese@alliantenergy.com
MADISON, Wis. (Dec. 14, 2023) – Alliant Energy announced the successful completion of its Wautoma Solar Project, a significant milestone in the company’s transition to cleaner and more sustainable energy solutions. The 99-megawatt (MW) solar array, in the Waushara County town of Dakota and city of Wautoma, is a cost-effective generating facility that spans 624 acres and consists of nearly 240,000 solar panels. It can produce enough energy to power approximately 26,000 homes annually.
“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 vice president 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.’”
Using only sunlight for fuel, the state-of-the-art solar array automatically tracks the movement of the sun to maximize energy generation. On-site weather sensors enable the system to adjust quickly to changing conditions. The durable, high-performance bi-facial panels can also be rotated remotely to protect against high winds, snow or hail.
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. That kept project dollars in the community to maximize the local economic benefits of the project.
“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.”
In addition to generating clean, zero-fuel-cost electricity for Alliant Energy customers, 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.
The Wautoma Solar Project 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 increasingly diverse and resilient energy portfolio, combined with recently approved battery energy storage systems, is a major step for the company as it works toward its aspirational goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from utility operations by 2050.
About Alliant Energy
Alliant Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: LNT) provides regulated energy service to 995,000 electric and 425,000 natural gas customers across Iowa and Wisconsin. Alliant Energy’s mission is to deliver energy solutions and exceptional service customers and communities count on – safely, efficiently and responsibly. Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL) and Wisconsin Power and Light Company (WPL) are Alliant Energy’s two public energy companies. Alliant Energy is a component of the Nasdaq CRD Sustainability Index, Bloomberg’s Gender-Equality Index and the S&P 500. For more information, visit alliantenergy.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X.
This release includes forward-looking statements. These statements can be identified because they include a word such as “expect” or other words or expressions of similar import. Similarly, statements that describe future plans or strategies, our Clean Energy Vision, transitioning our energy resources, planned resource additions and future emissions reductions are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the statements. Actual results could be materially affected by the following factors, among others: The inability to obtain necessary equipment and labor in a timely manner; access to and cost increases of materials, equipment and commodities including due to tariffs, duties or other assessments, such as any additional tariffs resulting from U.S. Department of Commerce investigations into the sourcing of solar project materials and equipment from certain countries, labor issues or supply shortages, the ability to successfully resolve warranty issues or contract disputes, the ability to achieve the expected level of tax benefits based on tax guidelines and project costs, and the ability to efficiently utilize the renewable generation and storage project tax benefits for the benefit of customers; governmental actions that delay or reject the proposed generation construction plans, or that include terms that make the future generation construction plans uneconomical; unanticipated construction issues, delays or expenditures; failure of equipment and technology to perform as expected; political conditions in Alliant Energy’s service territories; changes to Alliant Energy’s access to capital markets; adverse impacts resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and responses to the pandemic; current or future litigation, regulatory investigations, proceedings or inquiries; and economic conditions in Alliant Energy’s service territory. These factors should be considered when evaluating the forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. The forward-looking statements included herein are made as of the date hereof and Alliant Energy and Wisconsin Power and Light Company undertake no obligation to update publicly such statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
