State pledges annual renewable energy buy

Doug Shore  —  7/09/2008 5:05 pm

Gov. Jim Doyle announced Wednesday state plans for an annual purchase of renewable energy, which he said will make Wisconsin a nationwide leader in clean energy.

The state will purchase 92,400 megawatt hours (MWh) of renewable electrical energy each year over 10 years from MG&E (40,000 MWh) and Wisconsin Public Power Inc. (33,000 MWh) and over 15 years from We Energies (19,400 MWh). Doyle made the announcement at a news conference at WPPI's headquarters in Sun Prairie. According to the governor's office, it is one of the largest government purchases of renewable energy in the country.

The majority of the renewable electric energy will come from wind, solar and water sources from Wisconsin, though some of the energy will come from a wind farm in Iowa owned by MG&E.

"Working together, we can trade Mideast oil for Midwest know-how," Doyle said.

Taxpayers will pay a penny more per kilowatt hour (KWH) for the renewable energy, resulting in an additional yearly cost of about $1 million. Despite the cost, Doyle said the state will benefit in the long run.

"In seven years, we'll be saving money on these contracts," Doyle said.

In 2006, Doyle signed the Energy Efficiency and Renewables Act into law, which requires certain state agencies and universities to purchase 20 percent of their energy from renewable sources by the end of 2011.

According to the Doyle, the purchase equals 10 percent of the energy collectively consumed by the Department of Health and Family Services, Department of Corrections, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Administration, Department of Public Instruction and the UW System.

The energy purchased from WPPI will be used by the Waupun, Kettle Moraine and Boscobel state prisons and University of Wisconsin campuses in Richland Center, River Falls and Menasha.

The average homeowner in Madison pays $85 to $90 for about 600 kilowatt hours (KWH) per month, according to Steve Kraus, MG&E spokesman. Customers do have the option of buying renewable energy through the company's "Green Power" program, which was initiated this past January. Using renewable energy will add about $6 per month to the average customer's bill, Kraus said.

For more information on Doyle's energy plan, visit www.cleanenergy.wisconsin.gov.

Doug Shore  —  7/09/2008 5:05 pm