Grant County Residents Concerned About Proposed Solar Project

A group of Grant County residents is concerned that Wisconsin’s utility regulatory agency is not sufficiently evaluating the environmental and social impacts of a proposed 200-megawatt solar project. The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin recently released an environmental assessment, which concluded the project will have “no significant impacts on the human or natural environment,” obviating the need to conduct a larger impact study. Potosi residents Brianna Frear and her husband, Henry Frear, have joined about 10 other landowners as a party to the proceedings before the PSC and said the agency’s review to date has been cursory. Developed by Grant County Solar LLC, an affiliate of NextEra Energy Resources, the project includes the installation of solar panels across just over 1,400 acres of leased land in Potosi Township, along Highway 61. The developer intends to sell the solar farm to Alliant Energy for approximately $250 million. Construction is planned to start in fall 2021, with an in-service date of December 2023. The facility’s expected lifespan is 30 years, with a potential 20-year extension. Residents have expressed concern that solar facilities cause a heat island effect, in which ambient temperatures increase.