Elk Creek Solar project planned for Dunn County because of existing transmission lines
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
MENOMONIE — One of the main reasons the company proposing the Elk Creek Solar project wants to locate a 300 megawatt solar project on 1,600 acres in the Town of Spring Brook is because of existing infrastructure.
Xcel Energy has a transmission line running through the Town of Spring Brook, said Dylan Stickney, representing Tyr Energy Development Renewables, at the Dunn County Board’s September 21 meeting.
Stickney, along with Ian Edwards and Eric Callisto, an attorney with Michael Best and Friedrich out of Madison, appeared before the Dunn County Board to talk about the proposed solar project during the public comments portion of the meeting.
TED Renewables has been working on the project for about 18 months, Stickney said.
In the past, there were smaller solar projects, but now there are more utility-scale projects such as the proposal for Spring Brook, he said.
Solar arrays are a low-impact form of development that provide an opportunity to preserve farmland and to create a healthier environment, Stickney said.
If all goes according to plan, construction will start in the spring of 2024, and the Elk Creek Solar project will be operational in the fall of 2025, he said.
According to information Stickney presented to the county board, TED Renewables has already completed some of the work necessary to submit an application to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin.
Because the project is over 100 megawatts, the PSC must review and approve the application for a Certificate of Public Necessity and Convenience.
Work that has been completed so far includes wetland and waterway delineations; a threatened and endangered species consultation with the state Department of Natural Resources; a habitat assessment field survey; an environmental site assessment; a cultural, archaeological and historic resource survey; a glare hazard analysis; a road condition survey and a consultation with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation; a noise study and consultation with the PSC; an electric and magnetic forces (EMF) profile study; a geotechnical study; an economic impact and land use analysis; and a decommissioning plan and security use analysis.
TED Renewables has developed a preliminary layout of the solar panels and is working toward minimal impact on the ground, the environment, wildlife and wildlife habitat, Stickney said.
The plan is to submit the application to the PSC in October. The process for the PSC and the DNR to review the application takes about a year, he said.
Economic benefit
The economic benefit to the area is that the Elk Creek Solar Project will create 200 to 300 construction jobs for one to two years and will create three to five high-paying jobs for the 35-year lifespan of the project, Stickney said.
The Elk Creek Solar Project will represent a $292 million long-term investment in Dunn County, he said.
There will be an estimated $24.5 million in revenue to Dunn County over the 35 years and a $1.2 million benefit to the Elk Mound school district, Stickney said.
State law requires revenue sharing with the county and the Town of Spring Brook. Dunn County will receive $700,000 per year, and the Town of Spring Brook will receive $500,000 per year based on a formula included in state law. In addition, TED Renewables has volunteered to donate $60,000 per year to the Elk Mound school district, he said.
Recycling
How are the solar panels recycled? asked Vaughn Hedlund, county board supervisor from Boyceville.
Recycling solar panels is a growing industry that has become more economically feasible in the last 10 or 15 years, Stickney said.
Solar arrays are 80 percent glass and aluminum, and businesses are beginning to start up that are working to recycle the materials used in solar projects, he said.
Primary customer
Who will be the Elk Creek Solar Project’s primary customer? asked Tim Lienau, county board supervisor from Menomonie.
Solar energy provides a stable and predictable source of electricity that allows the developer of the solar project to offer a power contract to a utility that could be a 15, 20 or 25 year contract, Stickney said.
Xcel Energy and other power companies would be the customers, he said.
What about battery storage? Lienau asked.
Lithium-ion batteries are the industry standard, Edwards said, noting that the batteries have four hours of storage.
Larry Bjork, county board supervisor from Menomonie, asked if the battery storage would be part of the solar farm or if there would be a substation.
The battery storage will be across the site, Edwards said.
Hilary Robinson, county board supervisor from Menomonie, asked if the company had ever experienced any broken contracts.
TED Renewables has not had any broken contracts. There is huge liability on both sides, and the predictability of solar power is a benefit to the contracts, Edwards said.
35 years
Jim Zons, county board supervisor from Colfax, asked about the lifespan of 35 years.
Why stop at 35 years? Why not 40 or 50 years? he asked.
The solar panels have a 35-year warranty, Edwards said.
When the solar panels outlive their useful lives, they could be swapped out for new panels and the solar project could continue for another 35 years. On the other hand, landowners also sign a lease and may want the acreage to revert to farmland again after 35 years, he said.
Stickney invited county board members to contact him with additional questions and said he would continue to keep in touch with the county manager, Kristin Korpela.
This project will ruin our township taking 2500 acres of farm land out of production.