An Appleton manufacturer of firetrucks, Pierce, has produced a zero emissions battery-electric fire truck- the Pierce Volterra Pumper that has been piloted with the City of Madison Fleet Service and Fire Department (MFD). MFD and …
Newsletter Blog Post
Large Scale Solar Grows in Dane County
In June 2021, Dane County’s largest solar array became operational. The 20MW O’Brien Solar Fields owned by Madison Gas & Electric encompasses 160 acres and over 60,000 panels on farmland in Fitchburg. The arrays consist of bifacial …
Federal Infrastructure Bill Would Provide $79 Million for Wisconsin EV Charging
The federal infrastructure bill would provide Wisconsin $79 million over 5 years for electric vehicle charging stations should it pass the House. It passed in the Senate in early August. This would be key to …
US DOE Pumps Up Efficiency with Advanced Water Heating Initiative
Water heating by US homes and businesses can account for up to one third of their energy use. To cut energy use and carbon emissions drastically from heating water, the US Department of Energy (DOE) announced a nationwide campaign spotlighting heat …
The Digital Age is Coming to a Building Near You
The US Department of Energy set a national goal to triple the energy efficiency and demand flexibility of the buildings sector by 2030, relative to 2020 levels. It is based on new smart technologies and …
Wisconsin Bipartisan Bill on Community Solar
The community solar bill (LRB -1902/2) announced mid-July by two Repulican legislators is designed to stimulate growth of subscription-based community solar to all Wisconsin customers. It allows private market competition for the development of these 5MW or less grid-connected projects and provides energy savings …
Wisconsin Local Governments Form Climate Coalition
Communities with substantial climate goals have established the Wisconsin Local Government Climate Coalition (WLGCC.org) in order to advocate for necessary changes to achieve their clean energy targets with the PSC, utilities, and statewide forums. Initial members include the Cities of …
Midwest Clean Energy Jobs Rebound Second Half of 2020, Wisconsin Ranks Fifth
The annual Clean Jobs Midwest report shows 677,919 clean energy jobs in 12 Midwestern states in 2020 with 69,343 in Wisconsin. This puts Wisconsin 5th in clean energy jobs following IL (115,133), MI (113,456), OH (103,437), and IN …
Lawns Become Greener with Market Upswing in Electric Lawn Equipment
The electric lawn maintenance movement is gaining ground as lawn care companies and individuals choose electric equipment to get the job done. The US market jumped in five years from 32 percent in 2015 to …
Summer 2021 Director’s Note
Stories of our power outages from extreme weather on our vulnerable energy infrastructure and their impacts on Wisconsinites were captured by local news media August 8-12, 2021: – Storms Leave Thousands Of Customers Without Power In Southeastern …