New plan points Wisconsin toward energy independence with carbon-free electricity replacing out-of-state fuel sources

Wisconsin now has its first clean-energy plan aimed at promoting energy independence, lowering fuel prices, and reducing the harmful effects of global warming, Gov. Tony Evers office said Tuesday.

The plan, written in conjunction with the governor’s Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy, identifies dozens of strategies meant to reduce Wisconsin’s reliance on out-of-state energy sources, and at the same time, create thousands of jobs in new industries and technologies.

One of the goals is 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050, while some of the other goals are more immediate.

“There are historic opportunities presented by an influx of federal dollars to invest in once-in-a-generation efforts,” Evers office said in a news release.

For the most part, Wisconsin doesn’t have its own oil and gas. Instead, the state spends more than $14 billion a year on out-of-state energy, according to Evers.

“That’s money we could be using to invest in clean, made-in-Wisconsin energy to help lower energy bills while also creating good-paying job opportunities and apprenticeship training in innovative technologies and industries,” the governor said in a news release.

A study released in March by the Midwest Economic Policy Institute found if Wisconsin meets its goal of transitioning to 100% clean energy over the next 30 years, it could grow the state’s economy by $21 billion and create more than 34,000 jobs.

Jadine Sonoda, campaign coordinator with the Wisconsin Chapter of the Sierra Club, said it is becoming clear that clean energy is not just for people who care about the environment, which will benefit everyone in the future. 

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"It's for people who care about the economy and who care about their health, which is encouraging," Sonoda said. "Economically it is a really good decision. As that becomes even more clear, it just expands the base even broader as far as people who are interested in investing in clean energy or hosting it, like farmers." 

As the cost of clean-energy comes down, solar and wind power are becoming more affordable. At the same time, the new plan cautions that without urgent, meaningful action to address climate change, Wisconsinites will see higher utility bills as they use more energy to heat and cool their homes in response to extreme weather.

By investing in clean, renewable energy now, while costs are low, Wisconsin can reduce the burden of future energy costs, according to Evers. 

Updating commercial building codes, using local building products, protecting forests, developing low-carbon building materials, and scaling up renewable heating and cooling in industrial buildings, are among the objectives. 

The plan also calls for a transition to electric vehicles and leveraging federal funding to add charging stations.

Wisconsin now has roughly the same number of electric vehicles as Indiana and more than three times as many as Iowa, according to U.S. Department of Transportation figures. 

There were 7,521 electric vehicles registered in Wisconsin as of mid-2021, according to the most recent figures from the state Department of Transportation. That was up 156% from 2018 and more than eight times higher than in 2016. 

The White House has an EV strategy that includes a nationwide network of charging stations and $5 billion for states to build them. Last summer, President Joe Biden set a goal of making half of all new cars, trucks and SUVs sold in the U.S. zero-emission vehicles by 2030, including EVs and hydrogen fuel-cell cars. 

The majority of electric vehicle owners do most of their charging at home where it’s cheaper and convenient. But it’s getting easier to find public charging stations, said Eric Powers with EV Powers Hybrid Battery Service and Repair in Madison.

Grocery stores and gas stations have added chargers.

“There are still some challenges in rural areas,” Powers said, but charging is readily available in cities and suburbs.

Some of the largest dairy farms have installed anaerobic methane digesters that convert manure gas into fuel used to run vehicles like buses and trucks. The digesters have become a profitable sideline for farms seeking additional ways to use millions of gallons of livestock waste. 

Wisconsin has more methane digesters than nearly any other state, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data. 

The digesters work by sealing manure into a giant pit or tanks to keep oxygen out while microbes feed on the contents and produce methane that's captured and refined into renewable natural gas or is burned to generate electricity. 

The liquid and solid materials that come out of the process can be applied to fields as fertilizer in a more precise, focused way than raw manure, reducing but not eliminating the risk of pollution from phosphorous and nitrates that trigger algae blooms in waterways and contaminate drinking water in private wells. 

Some farms may create a future out of thin air with industrial-scale photosynthesis that captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and with sunlight, converts it into the fuel additive ethanol.

“Wisconsinites should have the opportunity to make their own decisions about their energy use,” Evers said in announcing the clean energy plan.

“By expanding and speeding up production of cheaper, cleaner energy...we can keep our money here at home rather than relying on unpredictable markets often disrupted by foreign leaders and conflicts,” he said.