We Energies, an electric utility serving Wisconsin and Michigan and a subsidiary of WEC Energy Group, has announced the start of construction on three energy projects across Wisconsin designed to support the grid during periods of peak demand. The buildout comes as utilities across the Midwest face rising electricity needs driven by data center expansion, manufacturing reshoring, and electrification trends, adding urgency to new generation and storage deployment.

The three projects are:

• Darien Battery Storage: A 75-MW energy storage facility located in Walworth County. Construction broke ground in July. The facility is part of the broader Darien Solar and Battery Park, where a 250-MW solar project came online in 2025.

• Dawn Harvest Solar and Battery Park: A 150-MW solar project paired with 50 MW of battery storage in Rock County. Construction broke ground in June.

• Badger Hollow Wind Energy Center: A 110-MW wind project spanning Iowa and Grant counties. Construction broke ground in July.

All three projects received prior approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. The co-located solar-plus-storage model reflected in two of the projects mirrors a broader industry shift, as developers increasingly pair battery storage with intermittent renewables to provide dispatchable capacity during evening peak hours and improve grid resilience.

"These renewable energy projects are part of our strategy to strengthen reliability through a balanced mix of Wisconsin-based energy sources, including renewables and state-of-the-art natural gas plants," said Mike Hooper, president of We Energies. "In addition to helping meet growing electricity demand, the three projects will employ hundreds of workers with good-paying, union-first jobs."

In total, We Energies has more than 3,000 MW of solar and wind energy and 600 MW of battery storage projects in service, under construction, or filed for regulatory approval. That pipeline positions the utility among the more active clean-energy developers in the Upper Midwest, where states and grid operators are working to bring new capacity online to replace retiring coal plants.

We Energies will serve as the majority owner of the new projects, with Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) and Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) participating as co-owners. Both WPS and We Energies operate under WEC Energy Group, which has committed to major carbon-reduction targets across its generation fleet. The projects were developed and are being constructed by Invenergy, one of the largest privately held renewable energy developers in the United States.

"Bringing these projects into construction is an important milestone for Wisconsin's energy future, especially in a moment when electricity demand is growing and all energy sources are needed to meet it," said Daniel Litchfield, senior vice president of development for Invenergy. "We're proud to help We Energies, WPS and MGE deliver these solar, wind and battery storage projects and continue our record of investment in Wisconsin. These projects not only deliver needed energy, they invest directly in local communities with new, good-paying jobs and consistent revenue."

Source: We Energies via Solar Power World