White River Jct., VT, and Columbia, MD – August 1, 2017 – groSolar, CMS Energy, Dairyland Power Cooperative, and Price Electric Cooperative, are pleased to announce the commercial operation of the 3.4-megawatt (MW DC) Flambeau Solar project in Flambeau, Wisconsin. The Flambeau Solar Project features single-axis trackers that track the sun from east to west throughout the day, greatly increasing the efficiency of the project. Throughout the design and construction, groSolar utilized numerous local contractors and small businesses to assist in the development of the project.
The Flambeau Solar Project will produce approximately 5,000-megawatt hours (MWh) of clean, renewable energy in its first year of operation; enough electricity to power more than 600 homes. The project also provides significant environmental benefits including a carbon offset approximately equivalent to planting more than 90,000 trees or taking more than 700 cars off the road each year1.
A project dedication, hosted by groSolar, is scheduled for August 3rd and will welcome partners from CMS Energy, Dairyland Power Cooperative, Price Electric Cooperative, and local stakeholders. “CMS Energy is pleased to support the development of new solar energy in the Midwest,” said Richard Mukhtar, Executive Manager – CMS Enterprises for CMS Energy, which owns the Flambeau Solar project. “We look forward to seeing this solar power plant create energy that will power homes reliably and sustainably.”
“The Flambeau project is an excellent example of a public-private partnership that is delivering clean, renewable, low cost energy to Price Electric and the Dairyland Power Cooperative system,” said Myles Burnsed, groSolar Vice President of Business Development, who led the origination and development of this project. In addition to providing valuable clean, renewable energy to residents of Price County, the project has also helped the community’s younger residents learn about solar energy; earlier this summer, students from the Phillips Middle School visited the project and learned about the importance of renewable energy from groSolar’s CEO, Jamie Resor.
1According to US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies calculations.