TOWN OF GILMAN, WI – In 2019, it became public knowledge that Ranger Power, developer of the Western Mustang Solar Project had been contacting interested landowners in leasing land for a large-scale solar project. The proposed 74-megawatt photovoltaic (PV) solar facility would be parceled together through private leases to encompass roughly 1000 acres of land located in the Town of Gilman.
The town itself was selected for several reasons cited by the developer, including existing electrical infrastructure, which minimizes the project’s footprint and avoids the need for long transmission lines. According to proposed project specifications, the facility would produce enough clean energy to power 10,000 homes and provide a steady revenue stream for the county and town through the state’s Shared Revenue program.
Despite the outlined positives of the project, many adjacent landowners and concerned residents were outraged at the idea of the large commercial size facility. In January of 2020, following the official submission of a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) application by Ranger Power Company on December 6, 2019, the Gilman Town Hall was filled with standing room only for the town’s Plan Commission Meeting. Of the estimated forty residents in attendance, two-thirds were opposed to the project, expressing questions about the loss of property value, environmental impacts, road degradation, impacts to the reduction of tax income to the Spring Valley School District and much more.
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