Governor Evers signed an Executive Order (EO #38) in August, 2019, that established a state goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050 under the purview of a newly created Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy. The Office will ensure that the State is fulfilling the carbon reduction goals (EO #52) of the 2015 Paris Climate Accord as well. The EO is designed to move the state to a clean energy economy to create thousands of family-supporting jobs, support Wisconsin’s agriculture industry, improve health, and help mitigate the costly impacts of climate change to the state’s economy, natural resources and quality of life.
Local governments and tribes are engaged in moving to energy independence already and their success will be an important factor in helping the state to reach its clean energy and carbon reduction goals . In 2020, Energy On Wisconsin conducted a survey of Energy Independent Communities to learn of their progress, approaches, challenges, and needs.
Energy Independent Communities
Many Wisconsin municipalities and tribal nations have a history of supporting clean energy with more than 140 local governments having passed Energy Independent Community resolutions beginning in 2008. These communities have adopted the goal of generating at least 25 percent of their energy for local government operations (buildings, infrastructure and fleet) from renewable sources locally by 2025. This includes implementing energy efficiency measures as a strong aspect of achieving clean energy goals.
Some of the EI Communities have revisited their resolutions and increased their goals as high as 100 percent by 2030 to 2050. Some have expanded their goals community-wide to include residents and businesses as well. EI Communities are listed and shown on the map below.
EI Community Planning
Wisconsin communities first started planning to become energy independent in 2009 with the onset of state funding support and assistance. Funding for comprehensive clean energy planning and assessments of government operations continues to be available through a competitive grant process from the Wisconsin Public Service Commission’s (PSC) Office of Energy Innovation Energy Innovation Grant Program (EIGP)
The process to develop a comprehensive, strategic EI Community plan involves measuring and analyzing energy use and costs, determining how to improve energy efficiency cost-effectively, and identifying options for replacing the energy used with renewable sources. This is done in a participatory team with city staff from many departments, the utility, and key community stakeholders. The steps are outlined below:
See how it’s done; watch this UW-Madison Extension YouTube Video: Power Through Partnerships: Brown County and The Oneida Tribe Working Toward Energy Independence
Counties
Ashland County 
Barron County
Bayfield County 
Brown County
Chippewa County
Crawford County
Dane County
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Door County
Eau Claire County 
Green Lake County
Iowa County
Kenosha County
La Crosse County
Outagamie County
Polk County
Sauk County
Shawano County
Vernon County
Walworth County
Waukesha County
Cities
Altoona
Amery
Appleton
Ashland
Baraboo
Bayfield
Beaver Dam
Berlin
Chetek
Clover
Columbus
De Pere
Delafield
Durand
Eau Claire
Evansville
Fennimore
Fitchburg
Green Bay
Green Lake
Hudson
Janesville
Jefferson
Kaukauna
La Crosse
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Lancaster
Lodi
Madison
Manitowoc
Marshfield
Menasha
Menomonie
Merrill
Middleton
Milwaukee
Monona
Muskego
Neenah
New London
New Richmond
Oconomowoc
Pittsville
Platteville
Plymouth
Prairie du Chien
Princeton
Reedsburg
Rice Lake
River Falls
Shawano
Sheboygan
Sheboygan Falls
Shell Lake
St. Croix Falls
Stevens Point
Stoughton
Sun Prairie
Thorp
Two Rivers
Viroqua
Washburn
Waterloo
Waunakee
Waupun
Wausau
Wauwatosa
West Allis
Westby
Whitewater
Wisconsin Dells
Wisconsin Rapids
Towns
Courtland
Fairfield
La Pointe
Levis
Menasha
Princeton
Rome
Sanborn
Seneca
Yorkville
Villages
Ferryville
Gays Mills
Gresham
Howard
Kingston
La Farge
Marquette
Muscoda
Osceola
Oxford
Richfield
Spring Green
Soldiers Grove
Viola
Tribes
Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians
Lac Courte Oreilles Lake Superior Band of Chippewa
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Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Oneida Nation of Wisconsin
Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
School Districts
Green Lake School District
Osceola School District*
Princeton School District
Reedsburg School District
River Valley School District
Whitewater Unified School District
For assistance contact:
Sherrie Gruder, LEED AP
UW-Madison Extension
Sustainable Design Specialist & Energy Program Manager
(608) 262-0398 | sherrie.gruder@wisc.edu
