Construction is nearing completion on the 110-megawatt (MW) battery storage facility at the 200-MW Paris Solar-Battery Park in Kenosha County. The battery is expected to come online this year.
What happened to the Paris Solar-Battery Park in Kenosha County?
We Energies announced Tuesday that the last major piece of the Paris Solar-Battery Park in Kenosha County was online. The 110 megawatts of storage will complement the site's 200 megawatts of solar energy generation. The solar portion of the site came online in December and generates enough energy to power more than 55,000 homes annually.
Who owns Paris?
We Energies is the majority owner of the Paris site, while Wisconsin Public Service and Madison Gas and Electric both have an ownership stake. The project came in more than $100 million over initial projections. It initially had a $400 million price tag when it was proposed to the Public Service Commission in 2021.
Conway said solar and batteries will continue to be important pieces of the company's energy mix in the coming years. He said solar energy is very reliable on a bright and sunny day, but generation drops “almost off a cliff” when the sun goes down. The batteries are meant to help “stabilize the grid” during those times.