The Public Service Fee (PSCW) of Wisconsin has permitted development of a $2 billion solar energy challenge that would have greater than 1,300 MW of era capability. The Vista Sands Photo voltaic Challenge, sited on greater than 6,000 acres in Portage County, was greenlighted by a unanimous vote of the PSCW on Dec. 12.
Vista Sands as presently designed can be greater than 4 occasions the dimensions of the state’s largest present photo voltaic array, the 300-MW Badger Hole Photo voltaic Park within the southwestern a part of the state. The primary part of that photo voltaic farm entered business operation in late 2021. Vista Sands additionally is anticipated to have 300 MW of battery vitality storage.
The challenge, situated close to the cities of Plover and Grant in central Wisconsin, is being developed by Vista Sands Photo voltaic LLC, a subsidiary of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based Doral Renewables. Building is anticipated to start in 2026, with business operation anticipated in 2028 or 2029. Doral officers stated they’ve had discussions with utilities that would purchase energy from the photo voltaic farm. Portage County is a part of Wisconsin Public Service Corp.’s service territory; Wisconsin Energy & Mild and a few electrical cooperatives even have prospects within the area, in keeping with the PSC.
Agrivoltaic Set up
Wisconsin Public Radio reported that Vista Sands additionally would convey greater than $6 million in annual utility assist funds to Portage County different areas across the challenge. It’s an agrivoltaic growth, with Doral leasing the land from the homeowners, who’re largely farmers.
“We’re thrilled with the approval of the Vista Sands Photo voltaic Challenge by the PSCW,” stated Jon Baker, vice chairman of growth at Doral Renewables and challenge supervisor for the Vista Sands Photo voltaic Challenge, in an announcement. “This milestone marks an thrilling new chapter for clear vitality in Wisconsin.”
Katie Nekola, normal counsel for the nonprofit Clear Wisconsin, in an announcement stated the Vista Sands challenge represents the “largest step towards curbing Wisconsin’s carbon emissions” within the state’s historical past. Quantum Vitality in a report filed earlier this 12 months with the PSCW stated Vista Sands in its first 12 months of operation would offset greater than 1.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.
“That is important as a result of Wisconsin can’t meet its carbon discount targets or include buyer prices with out acknowledging and certainly embracing the necessity to put money into the least-cost, cleanest era obtainable,” stated Nekola. “Deployment of unpolluted vitality on this scale will do extra to advance state vitality coverage than has any development challenge in Wisconsin thus far.”
Summer time Strand, chair of the PSC, instructed Wisconsin Public Radio that “This could be by far the biggest photo voltaic challenge within the state of Wisconsin and one of many largest within the higher Midwest. This is among the most helpful and impactful renewable vitality tasks ever proposed in Wisconsin.”
Doral Renewables is creating a number of renewable vitality tasks within the U.S., together with the 1,300-MW Mammoth Photo voltaic set up in Indiana. The primary part of that challenge, the 400-MW Mammoth North, got here on-line in October.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.
