MIDWESTERN BRIEFING ON AMERICA’S POWER PLAN Summary Report

This summary report details a September 2013 briefing in St. Paul, Minnesota, regarding 'America’s Power Plan' (APP), a policy roadmap for achieving a high-renewables energy future. The document outlines the regional context of the Midwest, discusses the need for new utility business and regulatory models to accommodate distributed energy resources (DERs), and highlights Xcel Energy's experience in integrating variable wind power.

• The U.S. DOE National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Renewable Electricity Futures Study found that existing renewable technologies and a flexible electric system could provide 80% of total U.S. electricity generation by 2050.
• In the MISO region, installed wind capacity grew ten-fold over the five years leading up to May 2013, reaching 12,238 megawatts (MW).
• Minnesota's 2007 Next Generation Energy Act set a Renewable Electricity Standard of 25% renewable generation by 2025, with a higher target of 30% for Xcel Energy, and an Energy Efficiency Resource Standard requiring a 1.5% annual reduction in retail sales.
• America’s Power Plan identifies three potential regulatory models for utilities to accommodate distributed technologies: a minimal role focusing only on wire operation, a 'smart integrator' role coordinating energy services, and a maximum role where the utility owns and operates all delivery systems.
• The cost of solar PV installation in the U.S. dropped from over $10/W in 2000 to under $5/W by 2013, with module prices falling below $1/W. Consequently, 'soft costs'—including permitting, installation labor, and customer acquisition—now account for 80% or more of total system costs.
• Xcel Energy manages approximately 5,000MW of wind generation across three regions (Northern States Power, a southern system in New Mexico and Texas, and a system in Colorado). In 2012, wind served between 0% and 40% of the load on the Northern States Power system hourly, with an annual average contribution of 12%.

APA

Energy Innovation (2013). MIDWESTERN BRIEFING ON AMERICA’S POWER PLAN Summary Report. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Midwestern_APP_SummaryReport.pdf

Chicago

Energy Innovation. MIDWESTERN BRIEFING ON AMERICA’S POWER PLAN Summary Report. 2013. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Midwestern_APP_SummaryReport.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Energy Innovation |title=MIDWESTERN BRIEFING ON AMERICA’S POWER PLAN Summary Report |date=September 2013 |url=https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Midwestern_APP_SummaryReport.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{energyinnovation2013midwestern, author = {{Energy Innovation}}, title = {{MIDWESTERN BRIEFING ON AMERICA’S POWER PLAN Summary Report}}, institution = {Energy Innovation}, year = {2013}, month = sep, url = {https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Midwestern_APP_SummaryReport.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }