A Wisconsin conservation group is challenging approval of one of the nation’s largest solar and battery storage projects because of the potential impact on the greater prairie chicken — a threatened species in the state whose population is at an historic low.
The Wisconsin Wildlife Federation (WWF) filed a complaint in state court last week appealing the state Public Service Commission’s approval of the Vista Sands solar project in December. The project includes 1.3 gigawatts of solar and 300 megawatts of battery storage in central Wisconsin.
The case is among a growing number of conflicts over land use and renewable energy development as projects require more acreage near parks and conservation areas.
The Vista Sands project under development by Philadelphia-based Doral Renewables would span more than 7,100 acres in Portage County, Wisconsin, easily the largest renewable energy project in the state. At issue is the project’s proximity to the Buena Vista Wildlife Area and grasslands used by the greater prairie chickens for nesting and mating.
