Wind development in Wisconsin, stalled since 2011, is beginning to expand. The Public Service Commission in June ensured that the proposed 65 MW Sugar River Wind Project by developer EDF Renewables, in the Town of Jefferson in Green County, will move forward. They denied a request by some residents to halt the project. The wind farm, that would power nearly 20,000 typical Wisconsin homes, is projected to generate $250,000 in tax revenue annually to the town and county, and $300,000 annually for participating landowners. Green County adopted a wind siting ordinance in keeping with state standards, among other actions, to enable the project.
EDF Renewables was the developer for the Quilt Block project in Lafayette County, which started operating in 2017. There are 10 total wind projects currently operating in Wisconsin producing 737 MW of electricity, enough to power about 172,000 homes. An additional 10 wind projects totaling 1,196 MW are on the horizon in various stages of development in Wisconsin. These projects are sited in Eau Claire, Grant, Green, Iowa (2), Lafayette (2), Marathon (2), and Saint Croix County.
Compared with our neighbors, Wisconsin has one fifth the wind capacity of Minnesota, one eighth that of Illinois, and one fourteenth the amount of Iowa. Wsj, RENEW, WINDExchange