As the world pushes towards a future of renewable energy, there are plenty of questions that need to be answered about where that energy comes from.
One of those questions is how energy providers can pursue reducing their carbon footprint while consumers continue to use power at an ever-growing rate. In 2019, an executive order established the state Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy and set a goal that all electricity consumed in the state come from 100% carbon-free sources by 2050.
We Energies Executive Vice President of Infrastructure and Generation Planning Dan Krueger and Director of Media Relations Brendan Conway joined Wisconsin’s Morning News for a discussion on where renewable energy originates from on the journey from plant to plug, and how the production of that energy can grow in a green way while consumer demand increases.
“We have a plan that takes us through these goals which meets all of these requirements” says Krueger. “To have the power plants ready, to have the energy ready to go, and to reduce [carbon dioxide] by 80 percent by that time. What we need is time to execute the plan.”
This comes as We Energies is pursuing a new solar project southeast of Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, hoping to help the City of Milwaukee reach its goal of generating 25 percent of the electricity it uses for city buildings, streetlights and The Hop streetcar from renewable sources by 2025.
Krueger and Conway also shared how plant operation is determined, what happens to EV batteries once they’ve reached the end of their lifecycle, how natural gas production is adapting to policies targeting gas stoves, and more.
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