Project Overview
The Wautoma Solar Project in Wautoma, Wisconsin, earned an Envision Platinum award for its sustainability achievements. Owned and operated by Alliant Energy, this project is a 99-megawatt solar array that spans approximately 721 acres. The company estimates the project will generate enough clean, low-cost energy to power approximately 25,000 homes and serve as a significant source of new local tax revenue for the Town of Dakota and Waushara County in Wisconsin.
The Wautoma Solar Project is one of a portfolio of projects supporting Alliant Energy’s transition to a more diverse energy mix. This portfolio, totaling nearly 1,100 MW of solar generation, represents a key initiative of Alliant Energy’s Clean Energy Blueprint, which serves as a roadmap to accelerate the company’s transition to renewable energy. Alliant Energy chose to use the Envision Sustainable Infrastructure Framework for this portfolio of projects to align its project development practices with the company’s sustainability goals.
Envision was designed to promote more sustainable, resilient, and equitable infrastructure projects. It is comprised of 64 sustainability and resiliency indicators (called credits) which are organized within five categories: Quality of Life, Leadership, Resource Allocation, Natural World, and Climate and Resilience. Together, the categories and credits address materials, energy, conservation, community development, planning, collaboration, human well-being, mobility, and more. Completing the third-party verification process and earning an Envision Platinum Award for the Wautoma Solar Project serves to validate and recognize this project team’s dedication toward sustainable outcomes that consider people, planet, and prosperity.
Verified Sustainability Achievements
Leadership in Sustainability – Alliant Energy embraced the Wautoma Solar Project as an opportunity to not only support state- and county-level community development plans calling for increased capacity for solar energy generation, but also to advance its own corporate long-term clean energy goals. From the outset, the project team assessed potential environmental, economic and social impacts of the project to inform sustainability objectives, and then developed and implemented a comprehensive sustainability management plan with detailed strategies to fulfill them.
Transition to Renewable Energy – Alliant Energy has an aspirational goal to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from its utility operations by 2050 through diversifying its mix of energy sources and transitioning to cleaner fuels. The Wautoma Solar project will support this goal by generating approximately 208,000 megawatt-hours in its first year of operation.
Protect Natural Resources – The project team engaged with Central Wisconsin Trout Unlimited to implement robust measures and controls during construction to protect the region’s surface and groundwater, which included limiting potential contamination from the project’s construction and operation and preventing off-site sediment migration. The project team also fully balanced the site in terms of cut, fill, and settlement calculations so that no fill material was imported to the site and no excavated materials were removed from the site.
Preserve and Restore Ecological Value – The project team conducted multiple studies to identify areas of high ecological value relative to the project site and was able to fully avoid those areas for project development. Taking it a step further, the project team mapped invasive species populations and followed best management practices for their control and suppression before replanting native and pollinator-friendly vegetation. The measures expanded habitat for various native species, including several threatened and endangered species identified by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Improve Air Quality – As Alliant Energy continues to transition to cleaner energy sources, it has demonstrated a commitment to improve air quality by reducing air emissions from its portfolio of assets. Operating solar energy systems does not produce air pollutants, and the energy generated by the Wautoma Solar Project offsets electricity that would have come from fossil fuels, thus resulting in a significant net reduction in air pollution emissions.
Quotes
“The Wautoma Solar Project is another successful milestone on our path to create a more diverse energy mix. This verification process showcases how we partnered with the local community to minimize impacts and worked collaboratively to overcome challenges during the development and construction process.”
– Dave Herkert, Alliant Energy, Director of Strategic Projects
“We partnered with Central Wisconsin Trout Unlimited to monitor water quality during construction, prioritizing environmental stewardship. And, through collaboration with the Midstate Snowdrifters, we maintained snowmobile trail access throughout the project, demonstrating our commitment to preserving community recreation and minimizing disruptions.”
– Drew Powers, Burns & McDonnell, Construction Project Manager
“ISI congratulates Alliant Energy on an impressive Envision verification for the Wautoma Solar Project. By adopting Envision to guide its portfolio of clean energy projects, the company continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainability and to the communities of Wisconsin. Alliant Energy is proving projects like these can produce sustainably-sourced energy and also provide economic, environmental, and social benefits.”
– Kristi Wamstad, ISI, Verification Director
PROJECT DETAILS AT-A-GLANCE
Title: Wautoma Solar Project
Location: Wautoma, Wisconsin
Envision Rating: Platinum
Envision Award Date: October 9, 2024
Project Owner: Alliant Energy
Lead Envision Firm: Burns & McDonnell
Total Cost of Project: US$124.5 million
Project Delivery Method: Engineer, Procure, Construct (EPC)
Project Status: Complete and operational
Project Website: Alliant Energy – Wautoma Solar Project
