Foxconn to join We Energies on solar farm in Mount Pleasant
Foxconn Technology Group and We Energies plan to join forces to install solar panels on Foxconn's property in Mount Pleasant, contingent on approval from the village board and Racine County.
In a statement on Thursday Foxconn said it is "is excited to launch one of the largest nonresidential solar projects in Racine County."
“Foxconn is committed to integrating green and sustainable practices throughout our operations to mitigate the impacts of climate change, thereby further achieving our responsibility of protecting the environment," the statement reads. "As Foxconn’s operations in Wisconsin expand in response to market demand, the presence of renewable energy resources within the park demonstrates our commitment to environmental stewardship across the manufacturing supply chain to our customers and the community.”
Under the proposed 30-year contract, We Energies will install, own, and maintain approximately 2,000 solar panels on the Foxconn campus in Mount Pleasant. The 1-megawatt project will be capable of producing enough energy to power 300 homes.
The solar panels would be installed around a retention pond on the west side of the property along County Highway H. The land is currently narrow bands of grass currently separating the pond from of the parking lot and other surrounding roads and highways.
Both parties plan to pay the cost of the project. We Energies would lease the land from Foxconn and pay for the installation and maintenance of the solar panels, and Foxconn would buy the energy generated by the panels from We Energies. Any energy that Foxconn does not use would go into the state's power grid.
There is no expected rate impact to other customers.
“We’re pleased to bring more clean energy to Wisconsin through this partnership with Foxconn,” said Gale Klappa, executive chairman of WEC Energy Group. “As Foxconn expands its operations, this project will deliver affordable, reliable and clean energy for years to come.”
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel asked We Energies how much the the company was spending to lease the land from Foxconn and it said it does not disclose individual project costs. Foxconn is paying We Energies through the company's Energy for Tomorrow program.
According to the announcement, the annual energy production from this solar project would offset more than 1,200 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to taking 260 cars off the roads or planting 20,000 trees.
If approved, this deal would be another solar project for We Energies in the area. The company is also a partner in a large solar and battery project in the town of Paris in Kenosha County, roughly five miles from the Foxconn site in Racine County.
Foxconn has been relatively quiet on deals with other companies after several high profile agreements eventually fell apart. The company has been criticized for scaling back its initial promise to bring 13,000 jobs and is now down to to 1,454 and invest $10 billion which has also now shrunk significantly.
Foxconn has stated it has invested more than $1 billion in the project.
Foxconn has been working with customers on server and motherboard production, although those customers have not been publicly identified. The company has been rumored to be assembling servers for Google.
Foxconn currently employs more than 1,000 people in Wisconsin and has received nearly $30 million in tax credits from the state in the last two years for meeting hiring and capital expenditure goals.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Foxconn to join We Energies on solar farm in Mount Pleasant
