Solar Panels

Solar Resources

Check out the Solar Resources page for more information about installing solar arrays on your residential or commercial property in Fitchburg, WI.

City-owned Solar Panels

Fitchburg installed 361.6 kW of solar photovoltaic (electric or PV) panels on the roofs of the Library, City Hall, Public Works Maintenance Facility and the West Fire Station late in 2017. An additional 12.3 kW of panels were previously installed on City Hall's roof in September 2009, and 9.9 kW of ground-mounted solar PV panels were installed at the Public Works Maintenance Facility in 2011. In 2020, the East Fire Station project was completed with the addition of 101.6 kW of roof-mounted solar PV panels, bringing the City total up to 485.4 kW of capacity that produces over 500,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity (nearly 10% of the City's total municipal use) in a year.

See live energy production rates!

The information at this monitoring link shows the amount of energy being generated at city hall and the corresponding carbon savings. Please note that electric production data below does NOT include the older City Hall and Public Works solar panels.

Library Solar Panel
City Hall Solar Panel
Maintenance Facility Solar Panel
West Fire Solar Panel
East Fire Solar Panel

O'Brien Solar Fields

Starting in 2021, the City of Fitchburg is purchasing additional solar energy from the O'Brien Solar Fields, an MG&E-operated solar farm located in Fitchburg and constructed by EDF Renewables. The electricity from this solar array is purchased under a Renewable Energy Rider (RER) agreement, setting a specific purchasing price over the 20-year life of the contract.

The O'Brien Solar Fields is a 20-megawatt array utilizing over 60,000 bifacial solar panels on ground-mounted supports, and Fitchburg is purchasing the electricity produced by 1/40th of the project (the equivalent of 500 kilowatts of capacity). This purchase is projected to cover nearly 20% of Fitchburg's municipal electricity usage, taking the City up to nearly 40% of its electricity coming from renewable sources by the end of 2021.