Wisconsin’s largest solar park is now fully operational, featuring 830K panels

The largest solar project in Wisconsin history is now fully operational in Iowa County, its developers announced Thursday.

The second phase of the Badger Hollow Solar Park began powering homes and businesses last month. The first phase came online in December 2021.

Badger Hollow is a partnership of We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service and Madison Gas and Electric. The utilities say the 830,000-panel site will generate 300 megawatts of electricity, enough energy to power roughly 90,000 homes.

Officials say the panels used also capture solar energy on both sides, which could prove useful in the winter when the sun reflects off snow and onto the panels.

The utilities partnered with Chicago-based clean energy company Invenergy to develop the project.

In a statement, Madison Gas and Electric Chair Jeff Keebler said Badger Hollow is another step in the transition toward carbon-free energy in Wisconsin.

“By 2030, we expect every MGE electric customer will have 80% fewer carbon emissions from their electricity use simply by being an MGE customer as we work toward our goal of net-zero carbon electricity,” he said.

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin estimates that between 2023 and 2024, 11 utility-scale solar projects will come online. The commission also approved six future large-scale solar projects in 2023.