The City of Jefferson contracted with Half Moon Ventures to develop a 1MW, 3,600-panel solar park on 7 acres of city-owned land in its North Industrial Park. Half Moon Ventures plans to own the project over its lifetime, and pre-paid the city $130,000 for a 20-year lease, with options for two five-year extensions. The power is sold to WPPI Energy and distributed by Jefferson Utilities, the city-owned municipal utility. The project is expected to generate 1.57 million kWh annually, and provide 4-5% of the city’s electricity needs.
The Jefferson solar park is the second largest solar field after Epic’s in Verona, WI. Solar panels are mounted on fixed racks and inverters made by Ingeteam, a Wisconsin company, are used. The permitting process began in September of 2013, and construction began in November. The solar park was completed and operational by the end of December 2013.
