The 21st Century: Opportunities for Clean Energy in Wisconsin
Page Two

As Figure 1 shows, implementing the Clean Energy Development Plan in Wisconsin means:
  1. Energy efficiency measures reduce electricity demand, and therefore the need for generation.
  2. Generation from renewable resources and efficient natural gas increases.
  3. Generation from older, less efficient and highly polluting coal plants decreases.
The Clean Energy Development Plan in Wisconsin Will Also Produce:

  1. Dramatic improvements in environmental quality by 2020, compared to business-as-usual practices, by reducing: sulfur dioxide (SO2) pollution, which causes acid rain, by 55 percent; nitrogen oxide (NOX) pollution, which causes smog, by 72 percent; and carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution, which causes global warming, by 53 percent.
  2. Improved electricity reliability thanks to a diversified power portfolio.
  3. Economic development and job growth through wind and biomass power "cash crops" for farmers, increased business for energy efficiency and renewable energy manufacturers, and new skilled jobs in installation and maintenance of this equipment.

Reaping Energy Efficiency Opportunities:
Wisconsin has tremendous opportunities to invest in energy efficiency technologies that will reduce pollution, save money, and create jobs. This will produce the benefits summarized below.
  1. Reduces net electricity costs by $468 million by 2020.
  2. Saves 23,895 GWh of electricity - equal to about eight large power plants - by 2020.
  3. Reduces electricity demand by 16 percent in 2010 and 28 percent by 2020.
  4. Costs less - at an average investment of 2.2¢/kWh - than generating, transmitting and distributing electricity from power plants.