A portion of the solar panels are already up, with vegetation planted at the site and planned for all locations
Construction Site Manager Brandi Kruser gave the Leader Independent a tour of some of the finished sections of the solar farm in Christiana and Deerfield on April 21.
The solar farm in the towns of Christiana and Deerfield will cover 1,500 acres including all facilities like the substation and operations building.
A portion of the solar panels are already up, with vegetation planted at the site and planned for all locations
Construction on the Koshkonong Solar project in the towns of Christiana and Deerfield is about halfway done, with plans to finish by next year.
Construction Site Manager Brandi Kruser gave the Leader Independent a tour of some of the finished sections of the solar farm in Christiana and Deerfield on April 21.
When finished, the 1,500-acre solar farm will generate 300 megawatts, which is enough to power 90,000 homes. It will also bring in $1.5 million annually in new revenue that will be split between the towns of Christiana and Deerfield, and Dane County.
Sam Heagney, a manager on the Invenergy development team, said a great part about the construction process has been working with landowners. There are over a dozen local families hosting construction infrastructure for the project, which started last April.
Heagney said some landowners are a part of the project because they needed supplemental income for their dairy business, or because they wanted to retire and just retain some of their land. Heagney said he meets regularly with landowners because “they are our eyes and ears on the ground.”
When he gets calls with local updates or concerns about a part of the construction, he can address issues quickly from the connection.
Heagney said a major benefit of the project is the number of construction jobs Invenergy is creating. There are 350 workers on site during construction, and maintenance jobs will be required through the life of the solar panels.
“I’m very excited for this construction team to finish up the projects and for people to see how good of a neighbor solar is,” Heagney said.
Part of the project also includes vegetation on the land. Heagney said it was a priority to get that in with the solar panels at the beginning of construction, and what they have has come a long way.
Town of Deerfield board members spoke highly of the town’s working relationship with Invenergy.
Jim Maple, who serves on the Town of Deerfield plan commission, said Invenergy listened to feedback from the town. For example, they changed the setback from around 12 feet to 50 feet when asked.
The solar farm in the towns of Christiana and Deerfield will cover 1,500 acres including all facilities like the substation and operations building.
“Literally everything they wanted to do, they’ve worked with us,” Maple said. “Sam and the construction workers have done a phenomenal job of honoring everything we’ve said.”
Deerfield Town Board Chair Mike Schlobohm said the added revenue will greatly benefit the town, and agreed with Maple that Invenergy has been very flexible with the town.
Schlobohm pointed to the road agreement, saying Invenergy would study the roads ahead of construction, then make any necessary road improvements following construction.
“I don’t see any damage to the roads,” Schlobohm said.
The town of Christiana, however, fought the solar panels leading up to the beginning of construction. The town filed several lawsuits against the solar company, but eventually lost.
Christiana Town Board Chair Jim Lowrey told the Leader Independent he had no comments on behalf of the town due to continued pending litigation.
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