Potential Savings from Integrated Resource Planning in Wisconsin

Wisconsin is one of the few states that does not have an integrated resource planning (IRP) process. On behalf of Advanced Energy United, Synapse conducted an analysis of potential savings that might have been achievable over the 2021 to 2024 period if Wisconsin had replaced existing fossil generation assets with cheaper replacement resources—a decision that could have been facilitated through an IRP.

We did not conduct full capacity expansion modeling; instead, this analysis is intended to illustrate the potential for savings that could be achieved through coordinated planning. For example, if We Energies had replaced the Elm Road power plant with renewables and storage, it could have saved residential customers $144 on their annual electricity bills in 2021. We find that on an annual basis, We Energies could have saved an average of $164 million per plant by replacing it with clean energy, and Alliant could have saved an average of $10 million per plant.

You can read the report here.