Badger Hollow Solar Farm
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Towns of Eden, Mifflin, Linden
Phase 2 - Commissioned
| Badger Hollow Solar Farm | |
|---|---|
 42°56'25.8"N 90°18'44.6"W | |
 | |
| Country | USA |
| Location | Village of Cobb Towns of Eden, Mifflin, Linden |
| Coordinates | 42°56′25″N 90°18′44″W / 42.94028°N 90.31222°W |
| Status | Phase 1 - Commissioned Phase 2 - Commissioned |
| Commission date | November 2021 |
| Construction cost | $422 Million (As of 1/14/23) $390 (Project Estimate, 2018) |
| Owners | MG&E WEPCO WPS |
| Employees | 17 |
| Solar farm | |
| Type | Flat-panel PV |
| Solar tracker | Single-axis |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | Phase 1 - 150 MW Phase 2 - 150 MW |
| Nameplate capacity | 300 MW |
| Capacity factor | 15.07% (2024) |
| Annual net output | 396 GWh (2024) |
The Badger Hollow Solar Farm is a 300 MW solar photovoltaic energy station in Iowa County in southwestern, Wisconsin. Ownership is shared between Wisconsin Public Service Corporation (WPS), Madison Gas and Electric (MG&E), and Wisconsin Electric Power Company (We Energies), with each utility owning 100 MW. It was the second utility-scale solar plant approved and constructed in Wisconsin.
The sites covers approximately 3500 acres, with between 2000 and 2200 acres used directly for the solar panel arrays.[1] The facility is located in the Village of Cobb and in the towns of Mifflin, Eden, and Linden.[2] It is located just south of Cobb and southeast of the nearby Montfort Wind Farm.
On April 18, 2019, WPS and MG&E purchased and acquired 150 MW of the Badger Hollow solar farm and the electrical tie in line for approximately $389.7 million. This purchase also included the acquisition of the 150 MW Two Creeks Solar Park. The total cost for this agreement was $1,299 per KW, or $194.8 million for the Badger Hollow component.[3] In March, 2020, We Energies and MG&E purchased and acquired the remaining 150 MW of the solar farm for approximately $194.9 million.[4]
As part of project application materials, the facility was expected to require 17 full-time staff once constructed. The facility is eligible for the Federal Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC). MG&E assumed that the facility would receive 30% of the ITC. The ITC would be normalized over the 30 year life of the project as required by the IRS.
Through an executive order, Governor Tony Evers charged the Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy to achieve a goal that all electricity consumed in Wisconsin by 2050 be 100% carbon-free.[5] According to analysis conducted by the International Panel on Climate Change, the lifecycle emissions of electricity generated by utility-scale solar facilities is 48 gCO2eq/kWh (median value).[6][7] By comparison, lifecycle emissions from electricity generated from coal and natural gas (combined-cycle plants) are 820 and 490 gCO2eq/kWh, respectively.[8]
The procurement and construction of utility-scale solar has also been justified by some in Wisconsin due to electrical generation supply concerns when several large coal-fired plants in the state were slated to close in the early 2020s. Coal-fired plant closures have since been delayed twice, once to 2025 and then again to the end of 2026 with major utility companies citing electricity reliability concerns and the delay in constructing new grid-scale solar.[9][10]
