New 8-Acre Solar Panel Farm Planned In Oak Creek Near 13th Street

OAK CREEK, WI — A new We Energies solar power farm is being planned for 8 acres of land at 10600 13th Street in Oak Creek, according to planning documents submitted to the city.

The solar farm would come as part of the Solar Now Pilot Program which uses customer land to host solar arrays. We Energies would own the solar panels and customers would get the benefits while the land would be paid for under a lease, according to documents submitted to the city.

The project would bring 400-watt solar panels to the land on a fixed rack, with the expectation of generating 3,600 megawatt-hours per year.

Alongside the construction of the solar array, We Energies plans on establishing a pollinator-friendly native prairie land with diverse vegetation in the area, planning documents say. At the end of a 30-year lease, the landowner would be able to purchase the array for market value.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the Oak Creek Plan Commission approved an amendment to a conditional use permit as We Energies pursues the project.