Michael Pereckas (CC BY 2.0)

Series: Renewable Energy In Wisconsin

Energy is an essential necessity of human life that powers individual everyday needs and the economy as a whole. Its sources span millenia, from draft animals and wood to coal and oil to nuclear fission. Advancing technology continues to transform energy production, and renewable sources like solar, wind and biofuels are increasingly used. A growing number of homeowners, businesses and communities across Wisconsin are considering renewables as part of their own energy portfolios. The backdrop of a changing climate is one motivation for these shifts, as are changing consumer demand, investment opportunities and public policy incentives. As the state's energy landscape adapts to meet new opportunities, researchers are investigating the potential of renewables and evaluating challenges to pursuing sustainable and secure sources.
 
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As the Wisconsin Public Service Commission considers the proposed high-voltage Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line, residents of the corridor stretching from Dubuque, Iowa to Middleton voice concerns about its necessity and potential impacts.
Stagnant milk and crop prices are causing farmers to seek out new sources of revenue. Some farmers who are renting their land to put down solar panels in an effort to turn a profit.
Even with all the evidence that renewable energy has become less expensive than fossil fuels, it doesn't seem real until utilities start to stake their futures on it.
Wind turbines have become a familiar part of the landscape in the rural Midwest, and with them have come jobs, income for farmers and tax revenue for communities.
Two of Wisconsin's major cities, Madison and Eau Claire, have resolved to go carbon-neutral, by reducing their levels of energy usage and converting entirely to renewable sources.
Over the course of 2016, Wisconsin began construction on more solar energy projects than in any other previous year.
A national study shows jobs in the solar power industry are increasing in most states – including Wisconsin.
President-elect Donald Trump, an occasional climate change denier and outspoken critic of environmental regulations, has given environmentalists little reason for optimism, but some energy experts in Wisconsin agree renewable energy will continue to grow, even under a Trump presidency.
The early fall is the best time of year to do some planning for winter and keeping homes warm, and some may want to consider converting to wood energy, given Wisconsin’s great timber reserves.
Bruce Johnson has put a great deal of time and money into changing the way he uses energy — his house on the east side of Madison sports three rooftop solar-panel installations.