The Kegonsa Research Center has been named 2025 North American Agrivoltaics Dual-Use Plan of the Year. The award recognizes the UW-Madison Kegonsa Research Center Agrivoltaics Field, part of Alliant Energy’s Customer-Hosted Renewables program, for “outstanding excellence in innovation, design, performance and/or function of a planned, but not yet constructed, dual-use (agrivoltaics or ecovoltaics) solar development project.” Agrivoltaics is the use of land for both agriculture and solar generation.  

Located on university-owned land just west of Lake Kegonsa, UW-Madison and Alliant Energy partnered on the solar and agricultural research project, raising awareness about opportunities to co-locate renewable energy and agricultural activities.  

At maximum output, the 2.25-megawatt solar project is expected to generate enough energy to power more than 450 homes. UW–Madison will receive renewable energy credits generated by the solar project, which will provide proof that power was generated from a renewable energy resource, distributed to the electric grid and the University is entitled to its attributes.    

The project is advancing sustainability, research and energy goals by allowing students and faculty to study soil, water, plant and animal interactions between the solar array and its immediate area. These studies will help inform costs and benefits associated with future solar energy projects in Wisconsin and beyond.  

The site includes the UW Physical Sciences Lab, a research and development lab that provides a range of services, including the design, fabrication and calibration of scientific instrumentation for research projects.