Wisconsin unveils historic solar farm with battery storage for round-the-clock power

Wisconsin unveiled the Paris Solar-Battery Park in Kenosha County, a landmark project that pairs a large solar farm with a 110-megawatt battery storage system to deliver power around the clock. The solar farm began producing power in December 2024.

The park includes a 200-megawatt solar array that generates electricity during daylight hours to feed the grid. A newly added 110-megawatt battery storage system captures excess solar energy and releases it at night, during cloudy weather, or when demand spikes. The combined storage can power about 130,000 homes for up to four hours, helping smooth demand and reduce outages. We Energies, the project partner, says the development strengthens Wisconsin’s grid and can provide dependable, affordable power in any weather.

Mike Hooper, president of We Energies, called the project historic and emphasized that customers can count on reliable service even as storms, heatwaves and cold snaps strain power systems.

Energy use is rising, and nearly 79 percent of electricity in the United States still comes from fossil fuels. The Paris Solar-Battery Park is designed to reduce that reliance while expanding clean energy access and resilience.

Battery storage is becoming a cornerstone of the clean energy transition. Without storage, solar power is limited to daylight hours; paired with storage it becomes flexible, reliable energy that can lower emissions and, in some cases, reduce bills. Solar farms have been shown to cut electricity costs by roughly 5 to 20 percent, and projects like Paris are eligible for federal tax credits that can pass savings to consumers. Policy changes could alter those incentives in the future, but the combination of solar and storage remains a leading approach to modernize grids.

What this means for Wisconsin residents is cleaner air, fewer outages, and potential savings on utility bills as the state leans on predictable renewable energy. For residents of other states, the Paris project offers a blueprint showing that large-scale solar plus storage can be practical, reliable, and affordable at a scale that can back up the grid during extreme weather.

As Wisconsin’s example shows, the pairing of solar generation with large-scale storage can become the backbone of a dependable grid rather than a supplementary resource, potentially guiding future renewable-energy investments across the Midwest and beyond.

Looking ahead, energy planners say the model could be replicated in other regions seeking to improve reliability while cutting emissions, with storage helping to address intermittency and peak-demand challenges.

But to meet broader climate goals, continued investment and supportive policy will be needed to deploy more projects like Paris across the country.