Saratoga solar energy battery projects get green light

Wood County solar panels will soon have some company. Alliant Energy has been approved to build a 75 mega-watt battery storage plant next to the Saratoga solar site. “We are really excited”， said Tony Palese, Spokesperson, Alliant Energy.
Wood County District 19 Supervisor Bill Leichtnam said there were concerns about battery acid leakage into the groundwater.
However, Leichtnam clarified the batteries will be housed in a containment facility, not in the elements.
When completed, the Wood County Plant will be able to power more than 80,000 homes for four hours.
“For years we have advanced the plans outlined in our clean energy blueprint that’s our road map to accelerate the deployment of more sustainable and more cost-effective and more reliable energy systems for our customers,” said Palese.
The project will also have costs saving benefits for customers. The combination of the battery systems with the existing solar arrays will help bring costs down in the long term while supplying safe and reliable energy.
“Really battery technology has really caught up to the point where these systems can really add extra value to those solar projects that we are developing and also improve the reliability our customers expect,” said Palese.
Construction is set to begin on the Wood County project in early 2024 and be completed by the end of 2024.
“The folks at Alliant Energy with the first project the Wood County solar project has been really upfront and I don’t see any negatives really,” said Leichtnam.