Wisconsin Awards $11.5 Million in Clean Energy Innovation Grants: 36 Projects Funded Across the State
Governor Tony Evers of Wisconsin, together with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC), announced in Madison, the state capital in Dane County, on October 20 that 36 projects across the state will receive a combined $11.5 million from the Energy Innovation Grant Program (EIGP). The recipients include school districts, nonprofit organizations, local and Tribal governments, manufacturers and higher education institutions, and the funding will be used to reduce energy usage, expand the deployment of clean energy technologies, bolster preparedness and resilience, and advance comprehensive energy planning statewide.
In the statement, Gov. Evers said Wisconsin must embrace a future where it does not have to choose between mitigating climate change and protecting the environment or creating good-paying jobs and having a strong economy, adding that it must do both, and that the grants ensure schools, nonprofits, municipalities and others get the funding they need to improve their clean energy footprint. PSC Chairperson Summer Strand said the EIGP is available to a variety of entities including schools, manufacturers, and local and Tribal governments, that demand again greatly exceeded the funding available, and she encouraged the next state legislature to authorize additional EIGP funding so the work can continue.
According to the governor's office, funding requests exceeded the amount available in each of the prior five EIGP rounds, with 622 applications requesting nearly $200 million in total. In this sixth round, the PSC received 89 applications requesting nearly $35 million. In his 2025-27 biennial budget, Gov. Evers proposed investing $20 million to continue the EIGP, but the provision was ultimately removed by the Republican-controlled state budget committee. The PSC anticipates this sixth round is likely the last unless additional funding is authorized.
The EIGP is administered by the PSC's Office of Energy Innovation (OEI) and covers three project types: projects that increase the deployment of renewable energy and energy storage; projects that support energy efficiency and demand response; and projects that facilitate comprehensive energy planning. Since the program's inception in 2017, the PSC has awarded $51.5 million to 205 EIGP projects statewide, including this round. The full list of this round's awardees is published on the PSC's EIGP program page.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 威斯康星州一处太阳能发电场航拍，扩大清洁能源技术部署是本轮能源创新拨款的资助方向之一。照片：Wikideas1 摄，CC0，经维基共享资源／Aerial view of a solar farm in Wisconsin; expanding clean energy deployment is one of the priorities of the Energy Innovation Grant Program. Photo: Wikideas1, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
