Alliant Energy will soon break ground on a 900-acre solar farm in northeastern Lee County.
The utility will install 300,000 solar panels for its Wever Solar Project on farmland along Highway 61 in the Green Bay Bottoms.
The estimated cost is between $200 million and $300 million.
Alliant spokesperson Morgan Hawk said the project should generate an estimated 150 megawatts, which will power as many as 35,000 homes in the region.
Hawk also said the field of panels will generate millions in property taxes in the region while providing a reliable energy source that will be better for the environment.
“As we transition to solar, there's certainly an environmental impact and it benefits the environment by adding cleaner cost-effective energy to the community,” Hawk said.
“There's also an economic impact as well. During construction, the project will create jobs in the area. We expect the project will generate millions of dollars for the local schools and as well as property taxes for Lee County and property taxes, in general, over the life of the project.”
Hawk said solar projects are also more cost effective for Alliant than continuing to maintain and operate traditional energy sources such as coal.
“By adding solar we can avoid ongoing expenses and investments that would be required to keep some units of our coal-generation fleet operational,” he said.
“So as we transition to solar and other renewable sources, it provides long-term savings for our customers moving forward.”
Landowners will receive payments for leasing their land to the utility.
Alliant expects the project to begin generating power by the end of next year.
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