Forward-thinking energy policies can enable Wisconsin to meet new load growth in ways that are cleaner and pose fewer harms for residents and businesses. Data centers are expected to be the main driver of load growth in the coming years, but the uncertainty of both their development and their cost to the electricity system must be confronted today. Wisconsin decisionmakers must enact policies that help meet new demand with clean energy resources and protect consumers from added costs brought on by data center growth.
Key highlights from the report “Data Center Power Play in Wisconsin” published by Union of Concerned Scientists are:
-With forward-looking policies that reduce harm and protect ratepayers, Wisconsin can avoid the risks of unmitigated growth of electricity demand from data centers. In the near term, data centers are the biggest driver of Wisconsin’s electricity demand growth.
-Wisconsin can meet the challenge of increased electricity demand with renewables and energy storage. By adopting a Clean Energy Standard and implementing a carbon dioxide reduction policy, Wisconsin can generate 83 percent of its electricity with clean energy technologies such as wind and solar by 2050.
-By adopting clean energy policies, Wisconsin can reach net-zero CO2 in the power sector by 2050, substantially reducing climate and health damages caused by pollution.
Access the report here