Alliant Energy news release

Alliant Energy partners with Sheboygan on the city’s first customer-hosted solar project

Solar facility will add clean energy to the grid and help power the community for decades

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. – January 15, 2021 – Alliant Energy and the city of Sheboygan have reached an agreement to install a 1-megawatt (MW) solar facility in the Sheboygan Business Center. On Monday, January 18, a lease will be introduced during the Common Council Meeting.

“We are excited to partner with the city of Sheboygan utilizing our Customer-Hosted Renewables program,” said Ben Lipari, Director of Resource Development at Alliant Energy. “This project is a win-win, benefiting both the local Sheboygan economy and environment for many years to come. It represents our vision of providing a clean energy future for our customers and the communities we serve.”

By adding the customer hosted solar facility, the city of Sheboygan will gain steady revenue in the form of leased land payments for the next 25 years. Renewable energy is expected to attract new businesses to the area, especially companies looking to achieve their environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) goals.

“The City of Sheboygan is excited to host the first solar facility in the Sheboygan Business Center. Sheboygan’s sustainability goals and plans have included solar projects for some time, and it is a win for the city to see this renewable project in our community,” said Chad Pelishek, Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Sheboygan.

This unique partnership provides Alliant Energy and the city of Sheboygan an opportunity to create a clean energy future. The solar facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2021.

The Alliant Energy® Customer-Hosted Renewables program enables customers with extra land to host solar facilities and receive annual lease payments. It is part of the company’s Clean Energy Vision, advancing toward the aspirational goal to attain net-zero carbon dioxide emissions from the electricity it generates by 2050.

Last year, Alliant Energy announced their plans to acquire Onion River Solar, a 150-megawatt (MW) solar field in Sheboygan County, expected to be completed in late 2022. Once operational, it will generate enough energy to power approximately 25,000 homes. Onion River Solar will help offset the energy previously generated by Edgewater Generating Station.

As residents may recall, Alliant Energy recently announced plans to retire their local coal-fired Edgewater Generating Station in 2022. A decision based on detailed analysis that’s outlined in the company’s Clean Energy Blueprint – a roadmap for accelerating their transition to renewable energy while helping customers avoid more than $2 billion in long-term costs.

NOTE: On June 23, 2022, Alliant Energy updated the target retirement dates for the Edgewater Generating Station and Columbia Energy Center.