Last month I talked about beneficial electrification – converting more end uses to electricity generated from renewable sources to help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Some might think last month’s article on beneficial electrification and the need for fossil fuels are contradictory, but they are not. As the extreme weather showed us in mid-February, we need fossil fueled power plants. 

The generation mix of regional transmission organization MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator) for February 15 showed us that at 10:10 am, only 5,429 megawatts (MW) of the 92,861 MW MISO online in the footprint were coming from solar and wind. That is less than 6% of the electricity provided by MISO – whose boundary stretches from Manitoba, Canada to the Gulf Shores.

SCEC is one of 24 member distribution cooperatives that receive power from Dairyland Power Cooperative, which is headquartered in La Crosse. The Dairyland system serves over 255,000 meters across our region, providing the benefits of electricity to nearly 600,000 consumers. 

Reducing carbon intensity through diversification of generation resources is central to Dairyland’s power supply planning, as it is to most electricity providers. But we also need to be realistic and accept that we cannot “throw the baby out with the bathwater.” The transition to a significantly reduced carbon generation fleet or carbon free generation fleet will take many years, and we need fossil fuels to make the transition. In my opinion, also central to that transition will be the role of nuclear energy, but I will save that discussion for later.

A sustainable, reliable, and less carbon-intense energy future means:

• Steady, measured investments in renewable energy
• Bridging resources, such as natural gas, that can ramp up quickly to produce energy when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow
• Infrastructure investments to support intermittent energy resources, and Beneficial electrification technologies, such as electric vehicles and emerging energy storage solutions

We all share the same goal of reducing our carbon footprint to lessen the impact on the environment and global warming. However, we may not all agree on how to achieve that goal and over what period of time. But hopefully we can agree to keep rowing in the same direction toward that common goal.
Until next month,