Alliant Energy (Wisconsin Power and Light)
Southern and central Wisconsin, including Madison, Janesville, Beloit and Wisconsin Rapids. The tightest size limit in the state at 20 kW, and avoided cost crediting on top.
- Type
- Investor owned
- Accounts
- 490K
What they credit you
Avoided cost, 20 kW ceiling
Published termsNet metering is offered for systems of 20 kW or less, with excess generation credited at an avoided cost rate reported to fluctuate typically between 3 and 7 cents.
- Month to month
- Credited within the billing period.
Published terms · checked 2026-09-05 · source
Battery backup is mandatory
in Alliant territory.
Alliant does not credit the power you send back at the rate it charges you to take it.
That does not make solar a bad idea in Alliant territory. It changes what you should build. When exports are worth a fraction of retail the credit stops being the return, and the job becomes using more of your own production inside the house, which usually means a larger array than a one for one utility would need.
Sizing is where that gets decided, so ask about it directly. Wisconsin sets the eligible system size per utility, not by statute: 20 kW at Alliant, 100 kW at Xcel and 300 kW at We Energies. Check your own utility’s limit before anyone designs to a number they heard elsewhere. Alliant sets its own limits. Ask Alliant what it allows before you accept that a bigger system is off the table.
A battery then does two separate jobs. It moves daytime production into the evening so you use it instead of selling it, and it keeps the house running when the grid goes down. That second job is not a bonus. Panels on their own shut off in an outage, by design, so a roof full of them powers nothing during a storm. That is the part we will not refer around.
So we treat it as a requirement, not an upgrade. We will not refer you for a panels-only system in Alliant territory, and you should be skeptical of anyone who quotes you one without raising storage first.
Our referral policy, not a legal or utility requirement
What your installer should be telling you
Ask Alliant for the last twelve months of avoided cost values, and confirm the 20 kW limit against your proposed system before you sign.
Applying to Alliant
What Alliant itself requires, as distinct from what the state rule requires. Read from its own published guidelines on the date shown.
- The size limit is 20 kW, not 100 or 300
- Wisconsin Power and Light offers net metering for systems of 20 kW or less. That is the lowest of the three large utilities, and it is a real constraint on a large house or a small farm.
- Excess is credited at avoided cost
- Reported to fluctuate typically in the 3 to 7 cent range. It moves, so ask for the last twelve months rather than a single figure.
- There is no statewide rate to appeal to
- Wisconsin sets these arrangements per utility. If Alliant’s terms do not work for your roof, no state rule overrides them.
From Alliant’s published guidelines · checked 2026-09-05 · source
Alliant net metering questions
- Does Alliant offer one for one net metering?
- No. Net metering is offered for systems of 20 kW or less, with excess generation credited at an avoided cost rate reported to fluctuate typically between 3 and 7 cents.
- What does Alliant pay for power sent back to the grid?
- Avoided cost, 20 kW ceiling. Credited within the billing period.
- Do I need a battery with Alliant?
- Yes, and we treat it as mandatory. Because Alliant does not credit exports one for one, the return has to come from using your own production rather than selling it, which after dark means storage and usually a larger array than a one for one utility would need. The other half is backup: panels alone shut off in an outage, so a battery is what keeps the house running in a storm. We do not refer panels-only systems in Alliant territory. This is our referral policy, not a legal or utility requirement.
- How do I find my Alliant bill?
- Sign in at alliantenergy.com. Open My Account, then Billing. Open the latest bill and save the PDF. Or screenshot the summary page. If you cannot get to it, a rough guess at your average monthly amount is enough to start.
- What is the catch with Alliant?
- Ask Alliant for the last twelve months of avoided cost values, and confirm the 20 kW limit against your proposed system before you sign.
Installers serving Alliant customers
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