Raising the Bar in Wisconsin

The Union of Concerned Scientists finds that increasing Wisconsin's renewable electricity standard to 25% by 2025 is achievable and affordable. Under the most likely 'No Hydro Imports' scenario, the state would see a $59 million reduction in electricity bills (when accounting for carbon savings), the creation of 2,650 new jobs, and a reduction in CO2 emissions equivalent to removing 2.1 million cars from the road. The analysis highlights Wisconsin's significant technical potential in wind, solar, and biomass to meet these targets while reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels.

• Increasing Wisconsin's renewable electricity standard to 25 percent by 2025 is technically feasible, as the state has the potential to generate nearly five times its current electricity needs from renewable energy, with wind, solar, and biomass offering the greatest potential.
• Under the 'No Hydro Imports' scenario, the 25 percent standard would result in a cumulative reduction of $140 million in electricity bills by 2025, including a $59 million reduction in 2025 alone, provided that the value of reducing CO2 emissions is included.
• The transition to a 25 percent renewable standard would significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cutting power plant CO2 emissions by more than 13 million metric tons by 2025, which is a 30 percent reduction from 2007 levels.
• The proposed standard would drive substantial economic growth and job creation, adding 2,650 new long-term jobs by 2025, which is five times the number of jobs that would be created by producing the same amount of electricity using coal and natural gas.
• The 'No Hydro Imports' case would generate significant capital investment and rural economic benefits, including $2.4 billion in new capital investment, $630 million for farmers and rural areas from bioenergy, and $36 million in new local property tax revenues.
• Comparing different scenarios, the 'No Renewable Energy Imports' case provides the highest level of in-state development (3,390 MW) and job creation (3,120 jobs), while the 'Hydro Imports' case results in fewer local jobs and higher cumulative costs due to the expense of the Manitoba Hydro project and transmission lines.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (n.d.). Raising the Bar in Wisconsin. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Wisconsin-renewable-portfolio-standard.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Raising the Bar in Wisconsin. n.d. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Wisconsin-renewable-portfolio-standard.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Raising the Bar in Wisconsin |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Wisconsin-renewable-portfolio-standard.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientistsndraising, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Raising the Bar in Wisconsin}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/Wisconsin-renewable-portfolio-standard.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }