From Joseph Schulz via the Wisconsin State Farmer comes this report on the Vista Sands Project:
State regulators approve largest solar project in Wisconsin history
Vista Sands Solar Project in Portage County expected to generate enough energy to power 200K homes.
State regulators this week paved the way for the largest solar energy project in Wisconsin’s history, expected to generate enough electricity to power more than 200,000 homes.
The Vista Sands Solar Project will be built on more than 6,000 acres in Portage County. It will generate more than 1,300 megawatts and feature 300 megawatts of battery storage. It’s more than four times the size of the Badger Hollow Solar Farm, currently the biggest solar project online in Wisconsin.
The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin unanimously approved construction of the roughly $2 billion project Thursday. It’s being developed by Vista Sands Solar LLC, a subsidiary of Doral Renewables, a green energy company based in Philadelphia. The company hopes to begin construction by early 2026 and to complete the project in two to three years.
No electric utilities in the state are currently attached to the project, but developers say they’ve had early discussions with utilities that could purchase power from the site.
PSC Chair Summer Strand said the battery storage component would allow the project to improve reliability during peak demand. She also said the project would bring a host of environmental and economic benefits.
“This would be by far the largest solar project in the state of Wisconsin and one of the largest in the upper Midwest,” Strand said. “This is one of the most beneficial and impactful renewable energy projects ever proposed in Wisconsin.”The project will create roughly 500 jobs during construction and about 50 permanent jobs, according to Doral Renewables.
The solar farm will also result in more than $6 million in annual utility aid payments to Portage County and the municipalities hosting the site, the developer said.
“This would be a significant increase to their township budgets, and then a good proportion also goes to Portage County,” said Jon Baker, vice president of development for Doral Renewables and project manager for the Vista Sands. “What’s great about the $6.5 million that will be paid to the townships and county is that we don’t require any additional services as part of that.”
For more on the Vista Sands Project, click here.