Alliant Energy holds ribbon cutting ceremony for new solar energy program
Alliant Energy held a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 3 for its new energy education and research initiative in Madison, Wisconsin, that will focus on the development of innovative solar energy and storage solutions.
Alliant Energy’s energy lab will partner with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to study solar energy and new energy storage technologies at the Madison campus. Together, EPRI and Alliant Energy researchers will work toward the development of various solar structures, battery energy storage systems and electric vehicle charging stations. The initiative intends to design solutions specific to the Midwestern climate, and seeks to encourage local residents to invest in electric vehicles.
“Our experience and shared knowledge will benefit customers, communities and others in the energy industry,” Patricia Kampling, Alliant Energy chairman, president and CEO, said. “We’re gaining valuable information on how to best integrate these technologies into the power grid.”
The Madison project is one of six EPRI solar energy projects underway. EPRI intends to study the impact of on-site renewable energy sources and energy storage on the grid. The institute will be responsible for studying how the new technologies affect the grid at the Madison site.
The ribbon cutting ceremony was attended by more than 100 representatives, including customers, energy groups, environmental organizations, business owners and government agencies.
