On Friday, Alliant Energy announced plans to add the first commercial-scale battery storage systems to solar farms in Wood and Grant counties.
The lithium iron phosphate batteries will provide a combined storage capacity of 175 megawatts, enough to power 180,000 homes for four hours.
This means that a backup power source will be available during periods of high usage or when other power plants are out of service. On a daily basis, the battery will also allow the company to manage power distribution by storing power overnight when power consumption is low and releasing it during the day when demand is highest, an Alliant spokeswoman said. Tony Palese.
"He said he was trying to be smart when we can produce the cheapest power and deliver that power."
Pales said Alliant accelerated its battery plan after the passage of a federal anti-inflation law. The legislation introduces new tax incentives for battery storage facilities, which Alliant plans to use to finance factories.
"Alliant Energy is well positioned to accelerate the development of this energy storage facility in Wisconsin," said David de Leon, president of Wisconsin-based energy company Alliant Energy. "For customers, this means increased reliability and long-term profitability as we move toward a cleaner energy future."
Other: Alliant Energy has approved six solar farms in central Wisconsin, enough to power 100,000 homes.
In other news: The US Department of Transportation has approved a plan to build a network of high-speed electric vehicle charging stations in Wisconsin. This is how it can be.
The Wood County Solar Project was recently completed.
These will be the company's first large-scale battery installations. Alliant has tested batteries with installations less than 5 MW at three locations in western and central Wisconsin.
The announcement comes just days after Alliant completed construction of the 150 MW Wood County solar plant in Saratoga. A 1,200 hectare solar power plant can produce enough electricity to power 40,000 homes.
Work recently began on the Grant County Solar Project on a 1,400-acre site in the city of Potosí. The 200 MW plant is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
Alliant Energy plans to build more commercial-scale solar farms in Wisconsin
The Wood County and Grant projects are part of the company's plan to build a dozen large solar farms in Wisconsin as the company aims to become a net producer of coal and carbon dioxide within four years. until 2050
Sheboygan's Edgewater coal plant is expected to close in 2025 and Columbia's Portage Power Center in 2026. Both dates were postponed this year due to concerns about maintaining adequate power levels.
The company's plan to add batteries in Grant and Wood counties was filed Friday with the Wisconsin Public Utilities Commission. The approval must last one year.
Pales said the Wood County battery facility is expected to be completed by the end of 2024, with the Grant County project starting next year.
Contact Karl Ebert at kebert@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @karlwebt.
Our subscribers make this report possible. Support local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.
DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more
This article originally appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Alliant Energy Develops Large-Scale Battery Storage Systems.
