ALBANY — The 50-megawatt Albany Solar Project in Green County is part of Alliant Energy’s Clean Energy Blueprint, a strategic roadmap to cost-effectively accelerate our transition to renewable energy and reduce carbon emissions. Once complete, the project will positively impact the environment and generate enough energy to power around 13,000 homes.
Construction update
In late May, the Albany Solar Project welcomed a group of Evansville High School students to the site to learn about solar energy, the construction process and more. They heard about the various career opportunities in renewable energy and the planning and engineering work necessary to keep these projects moving forward.
Crews accommodated the site tour as they continued to advance construction activities this spring and summer.
They are currently focused on installing piles, the metal posts that support the solar arrays. As of mid-June, they are approximately 15% finished with pile installation.
As they complete sections of piles, they begin to install the tracking system that holds panels in place and rotates them with the sun.
Crews are approximately 75% finished installing the underground AC cable that carries electricity from inverters to the substation. As they install solar panels, they’ll continue to install DC electrical cable that carries electricity from the panels to the inverter boxes.
The project substation that connects the array to the electrical grid will sit next to the newly constructed transmission substation along Wis. 104 north of the project. Crews will begin to build the substation this summer and expect to complete it later this year.
Alliant expects the Albany Solar Project to be operational by the end of 2023.
Water quality and solar projects
Solar energy projects improve the environment, and not only as clean energy sources that make the grid more reliable. The native grasses and seed mixes they plant at solar farms provide habitat for pollinators and other wildlife while also reducing stormwater runoff and erosion.
These prairie grasses and plants have a root structure that naturally enhances groundwater filtration, reducing the amount of pollutant in the groundwater that ends up in local bodies of water.
Learn more at alliantenergy.com/waterquality.
Celebrate Engineer’s Week 2023
Engineers consider many factors to assess parcels of land for renewable projects. They evaluate topography, the soil and bedrock, flood zoning and water runoff. They investigate archeological, historical and tribal significance. They think about access to communication networks, how to connect the project to the grid and much more.
“When our teams design renewable energy projects, we focus on environmental impact, cost and reliability to create a sustainable future in clean energy for our customers,” said Steve Greidanus, Alliant Energy’s manager of generation engineering.
Find out more at alliantenergy.com/engineersweek2023.
Find out what’s next
Alliant will share additional updates, photos and details for the Albany Solar Project throughout the construction process online at alliantenergy.com/albanysolar.
Sign up for email
Sign up to receive our updates via email. They’re better for the environment than print newsletters because they reduce paper waste and carbon emissions. Plus, readers will get updates faster. Contact solar@alliantenergy.com to request newsletter e-delivery.