Several solar projects have been proposed, approved, or completed in central Wisconsin. The arrays cover hundreds of acres of former farm, prairie, and forest land with hundreds of thousands of roughly 17-square-foot modular photovoltaic panels with the capacity to produce electricity for tens of thousands of homes.

Here is a summary of the current status of these projects:

Vista Sands Solar Farm

Developer: Doral Renewables

Location:  town of Plover, town of Grant, and village of Plover in Portage County

Project area: 9,500 acres

Generation capacity: 1.2 gigawatts, equal to the demand of 200,000 average Wisconsin homes

Construction start date: second quarter 2026

Date of activation: by the end of 2028

Annual payment in lieu of property taxes to local governments: $6.5 million total − town of Plover: $758,767, town of Grant: $1,955,633, town of Buena Vista: $140,400 and Portage County: $3,712,800

When completed, the Vista Sands Solar Farm project will be the largest solar array project in Wisconsin and among the largest in the country. Solar farm development is anticipated to take 56 high capacity wells out of normal operation and will greatly reduce the estimated 3 million pounds of fertilizer and 73,000 gallons of insecticide currently spread across the project area every year.

Saratoga Solar

Developer: Invenergy

Contracted purchaser: We Energies

Location: town of Saratoga in Wood County

Project area: 825 acres

Generation capacity: 150.5 megawatts, or 28,000 Wisconsin homes

Construction start date: spring 2026

Date of activation: spring 2028

Annual payment to local governments: $602,000 total − town of Saratoga: $250,833 and Wood County: $351,167

The Saratoga Solar project is a mirrored version of a project completed in 2022 on an adjacent property. Work to prepare the project site is underway, including pouring foundations and working with local officials on an emergency response plan, with construction set to begin in spring 2026, according to an Invenergy spokesperson.

Invenergy has completed 12 energy projects across eight counties in Wisconsin with an inventory of generation units including natural gas, energy storage, solar and wind, according to an Invenergy spokesperson. These projects contribute more than $20.8 million annually in local revenue and land costs across the state.

Wood County Solar

Developer: Alliant Energy

Location: Town of Saratoga

Project area: 1,200 acres

Generation capacity: 150 megawatts, or 40,000 homes

Construction start date: July 2021

Date of activation: late summer 2022

Annual payment to local governments: $600,000 total − town of Saratoga: $250,000 and Wood County: $350,000

Wood County Solar was the first of the two utility-scale solar projects in the town of Saratoga for which former Kansas-based developer Savion received initial approvals from the Public Service Commission before Alliant and Invenergy acquired each project.

Portage Solar

Developer: Geronimo Power (formerly National Grid Renewables)

Contracted purchaser: Microsoft

Location: towns of Grant and Plover in Portage County

Project area: 2,167 acres

Generation capacity: 250 megawatts

Construction start date: April 14, 2025

Date of activation: late 2026

Annual payment to local governments: $1 million total − town of Grant: $75,000, town of Plover: $341,667 and Portage County: $583,332

The Portage Solar project received its initial approval in April 2023. The company has announced a power purchase agreement with Microsoft. The company also days about $1.25 million to be committed over the first 20 years of the project’s life to a “community charity fund,” which will support local nonprofit groups and community initiatives.

Wautoma Solar Project

Developer: Alliant Energy

Location: city of Wautoma and town of Dakota in Waushara County

Project area: 624 acres

Generation capacity: 99 megawatts, or 26,000 homes

Construction start date: July 2022

Date of activation: December 2023

Annual payment to local governments: about $400,000 split between town of Dakota, city of Wautoma and Waushara County

The Wautoma Solar project was completed by Alliant Energy in December 2023 as a part of the company’s “Clean Energy Blueprint.” The initiative led to construction of 12 utility-scale solar projects built by the utility company in recent years including the first array in the town of Saratoga in Wood County.