County Executive Parisi: Dane County Regional Airport Moves Forward With Massive New Solar Development

March 05, 2018
Stephanie Miller 608-267-8845
County Executive

                                                           County to Build Biggest Solar Farm in Region

 

Dane County Executive Joe Parisi announced today  Dane County is taking another step forward towards developing the second largest solar project in the state of Wisconsin.  A request for proposal was issued today to seek partners to develop 41 acres of airport owned land into a large scale solar farm. 

 

“Dane County has been leading the state in generating cleaner renewable homegrown energy,” said Dane County Executive Parisi. “Given its role in sustaining and growing our local economy, we think the Dane County Regional Airport is a perfect fit for this bold project.”

 

Over the next 6 weeks, companies will submit proposals to develop a solar farm to offset energy use at the Dane County Airport. The project would have the ability to generate approximately 8 megawatts of power, almost three times more than the largest solar project currently operating in the region, a 2.25 megawatt facility in Beloit. This will be the 14th Dane County solar installation system.

 

Before coming online Dane County will secure the proper approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration. The Dane County Regional Airport is the latest in an across the board expansion of solar power for county government initiated by Parisi’s 2017 budget. He included over $2 million in the 2017 budget for solar generating capacity at the Alliant Energy Center, Lyman F. Anderson Agriculture & Conservation Center and the Dane County Job Center with additional money available for the new home of the Dane County Library Service, the former Blooming Grove Fire Department Station.

 

“This project will save taxpayers money, help address climate change and keep jobs in Dane County,” said Parisi.

 

This will be the third solar installation on the Airport Campus which the County already uses to offset energy costs. This new solar farm will be 80 times larger than the other two existing solar installations at the airport.  The new Dane County East District Highway Garage that opened  in 2016 has well over 800 solar panels and is the largest municipally-owned solar project in the state.