In Wood County, Wisconsin, the sun shines brightly on a 1,200-acre field. This isn’t a field of coneflowers or pine trees. Standing tall on 7-foot piles, solar panels face the sky to soak up the sun. The photovoltaic (PV) cells in a solar panel are made up of silicon semiconductors, absorbing sunlight to produce an electric current that will power homes throughout the state.

Wood County is home to one of nine solar sites being built for Alliant Energy, a public utility holding company that provides power to residents and businesses in Iowa and Wisconsin. To generate cleaner energy for Wisconsin, Alliant Energy is developing a solar program to transform its energy portfolio. Alliant Energy hired Burns & McDonnell in 2020 to provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for its Wisconsin solar program. The program comprises 12 projects, nine of which Burns & McDonnell is executing. Three projects that are actively under construction include Bear Creek, Wood County and North Rock. All three projects will be operational by the end of 2022.

“We’ve developed a Clean Energy Blueprint to accelerate our transition to cleaner, renewable energy in Wisconsin,” says David de Leon, president of Alliant Energy’s Wisconsin energy company. “Building and expanding our solar assets is a smart investment that will provide revenue for Wisconsin communities, new jobs and sustainable energy for the foreseeable future.”

Burns & McDonnell created electrical designs and conducted environmental studies for permitting purposes. The firm also created civil and structural designs for the PV modules, substations, and transmission and distribution power lines. AZCO, a Burns & McDonnell subsidiary that provides heavy industrial construction and prefabrication services, is performing pile driving, as well as equipment and electrical installation. AZCO is also fabricating and delivering substation steel.

“Nationally, we have been seeing growth in the solar renewable energy sector,” says Brendan O’Brien, a business development manager at Burns & McDonnell. “In January 2012, less than 100,000 megawatt-hours of energy was produced using utility-scale solar. In comparison, more than 8 million megawatt-hours of energy was produced using utility-scale solar in January 2022. Our work with Alliant Energy is a great example of the larger transformation taking place across the country.”

This program exemplifies the national energy transition, but external circumstances — such as supply chain issues, the pandemic and inflation — had the potential to delay the first three solar projects. The project team successfully procured 1.5 million bifacial monocrystalline PV modules in the spring of 2021, during an extremely volatile market for solar panels.

“In the renewable energy industry, it is unique to have a company with a fully integrated engineer-procure-construct team working on a project from start to finish. We are fortunate to have multiple divisions and a robust team of qualified professionals supporting Alliant Energy’s program,” says Seth Hanebutt, EPC program manager at Burns & McDonnell. “We leveraged diverse skills and the insights that come with managing procurement, installation and commissioning execution to streamline the process. Despite headwinds from market volatility and supply chain issues, the fully integrated EPC approach is delivering safe and predictable outcomes for Alliant and this program.”

Project priorities extend beyond maintaining a steady timeline and staying on budget. Building positive relationships with community members was essential for the Wood County project, as well as the other sites in the program.

“We were actively involved with the community before the Wood County project started,” says Drew Powers, a construction project manager at Burns & McDonnell. “We provided educational opportunities and tours for students attending Mid-State Technical College’s renewable energy technician program. This project supports the community by creating job opportunities, improving the natural environment and providing reliable energy for Wisconsin residents.”