Wisconsin Continues to Make Progress in its Transition to Renewable Energy

Tuesday, December 19th, 2023 -- 9:01 AM

(Joe Schulz, Wisconsin Public Radio) Wisconsin continued to make progress in its transition to renewable energy in 2023, but environmental advocates say there’s still a long way to go.

According to Joe Schulz with Wisconsin Public Radio, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, or PSC, estimates that eight utility-scale solar projects will come online in the state by the end of the year, accounting for 639 megawatts of power.

The state’s utility regulator anticipates another three projects will come online in 2024, accounting for 650 megawatts. According to RENEW Wisconsin, each megawatt of electricity generated via solar powers 190 average Wisconsin homes.

That means the solar projects online this year and next will be able to power nearly 245,000 households. In addition to projects coming online, regulators also approved six future solar projects in 2023, estimated to generate 1,125 megawatts, according to RENEW Wisconsin. Five of those six projects incorporate battery storage systems.

Chelsea Chandler, Climate, Energy & Air program director for Clean Wisconsin, said it’s encouraging to see the state make progress on transitioning away from fossil fuels. But she said more needs to be done to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

To hit that goal, she said Wisconsin needs to build 31 gigawatts, or 31,000 megawatts, of solar and 21 gigawatts of wind power. That means the state needs to bring over 1,000 megawatts, or 1 gigawatt, of solar online each year through the middle of the century.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.