Residents of the town of Christiana who were opposed to the first phase of the Koshkonong Solar Farm were not able to stop it, and now the developer of that farm hopes to add acreage to it.
After a lawsuit failed to stop the first solar farm, which is still under construction, opponents fear they might not be able to prevent the expansion either, according to an article in the Wisconsin State Journal.
The developer, Chicago-based Invenergy, wants an expansion that’s about half the size of the first farm, but some residents of this eastern Dane County community believe the first phase already gobbles up too much farmland.
The second solar farm, Koshkonong Solar Energy Center II, would be a 110-megawatt facility that would occupy about 770 acres. It would also include a 350-megawatt storage facility.
Invenergy said the second phase, which is under review by state regulators, is needed to meet Wisconsin’s growing energy demands.
Not everyone in the area is opposed, citing the need to fight climate change and the economic advantages for farmers who enter into lease agreements with the solar developer.
The agreements provide farmers with a predictable, long-term source of income that can exceed profits from traditional crops.
