Clean energy industries are booming and powering Wisconsin’s economy, with Donald Trump and his Big Oil allies still trying to pull the plug. Since the passage of the clean energy plan, Wisconsin has benefited from new clean energy projects that have invested $940 million and announced 1,962 jobs across the state, with many more to come. Not only are these companies creating new good-paying and unionized jobs, but some have invested in workforce training and skills development programs – building Wisconsin’s workforce for the future. These jobs build on Wisconsin’s established leadership on clean energy; the state is home to 87,929 clean energy jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. 

Most Energy Jobs in Wisconsin are in Clean Energy

• 60% of Wisconsin’s energy jobs are in clean energy.

Wisconsinites Want Clean Energy

• 65% of Wisconsin voters say that climate change and clean energy will be important issues in their vote for President.
• The majority of voters in the blue wall states—94% of Democrats, 71% of Independents, and even 52% of Republicans— say it is important for the US to increase its use of clean and renewable energy sources.
• VP Harris leads Trump by +21pp in WI and other blue wall states on the issue of expanding clean energy (Harris 51% v Trump 30%) and by +24pp on the issue of climate change (Harris 51% v Trump 27%).

While Donald Trump has made false claims about Vice President Harris threatening energy jobs and production, there is no dispute that Trump is waging a war against clean energy nationwide as part of the “deal” he proposed to the oil executives funding his campaign. In addition to promising to repeal the clean energy investments in the Inflation Reduction Act, which he consistently derides as a “scam,” he speaks obsessively about destroying the wind, solar, and electric vehicle industries, which would decimate domestic supply chains and raise costs for American families. While Trump poses an immediate threat to Wisconsin energy jobs and production, Vice President Harris and President Biden are growing the clean energy economy.

Here are ten clean energy projects in Wisconsin that are supported by the Biden-Harris administration – and that are threatened by Donald Trump, JD Vance and their radical anti-clean energy agenda.

Ten Clean Energy Projects That Are Revitalizing Wisconsin Communities

1. Eaton Is Expanding Electrical Transformer Manufacturing In Waukesha

In April 2024, Eaton announced it received $1.3 million in tax credits from the Qualifying Advanced Energy Project program, which was funded by the clean energy plan. The company used its tax credits to expand its Waukesha, Wisconsin, electrical transformer manufacturing facility to provide support for the integration of renewable energy and EV chargers. The expansion will create 150 new jobs that pay up to $29 per hour. Eaton was collaborating with the Waukesha County Technical College to create a dedicated training center focused on grid modernization.

2. Clean Power Revitalizes Rural Wisconsin

La Crosse, Wisconsin will be developing over 1,000 MW of clean energy from solar and wind, thanks to a $579 million grant made possible by the Biden-Harris clean energy plan The grant, from the Empowering Rural America program, is expected to bring down the cost of electricity in the area, create jobs, and expand economic opportunity for the rural, farming county. The project, led by Dairyland Power Cooperative, was approved after extensive consultation with the community on benefits, workforce, and environmental responsibility. 

3. ABB Will Manufacture Electric Drive Units In New Berlin

In April 2023, ABB announced plans to invest $100 million to build a new Drives and Services facility in New Berlin, Wisconsin. The new facility will create 100 new jobs manufacturing industrial electric drives. An ABB press release said the Inflation Reduction Act influenced the company’s decision to invest in the U.S.

4. Wisconsin Students Get A Clean Bus Ride

38 Wisconsin school districts received over $35 million ​​from the EPA’s Clean School Bus Rebate Program to purchase low- and zero-emission school buses. In addition, two Wisconsin school districts received over $81 million in funding through the first Clean School Bus Program Grants Competition. 

5. Clean Water Comes To Wisconsin Communities 

As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, 106 Wisconsin municipalities will receive $402 million to build water infrastructure projects, replace lead service lines, and address emerging contaminants such as PFAS.

6. Wisconsin Households Save Money on Clean Appliances 

In August 2024, Wisconsin launched its Home Energy Rebates program, which was supported by the clean energy plan. Wisconsin was the first state to launch the Home Efficiency rebates program, which helps households make upgrades to improve energy efficiency. Wisconsin received nearly $150 million to support the program, and 73,250 Wisconsin households have saved $91 million, or $1,252 per household on average.

7. Wisconsin Builds Out An Electric Vehicle Corridor 

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) allocated $78 million of funds from the Biden-Harris clean energy plan across 53 projects aimed at making electric vehicle (EV) charging accessible for all Wisconsinites, urban and rural, and established a functional network of charging stations within the state. Wisconsin was the first state to award Tribal projects as part of this program, with two Tribal Nations receiving over $800,000 in funding. Thirteen selected sites will be installed in disadvantaged communities, and many sites will be located at Wisconsin-founded businesses. 

8. Wisconsin Schools Lower Costs By Going Solar 

Two Wisconsin schools are transitioning to net-zero energy, utilizing innovative elective pay tax credits from the Biden-Harris clean energy plan. Forest Edge Elementary in Dane County, which opened in 2020, is the state’s first net-zero energy school, using 1,700 solar panels and 90 geothermal wells. The Menasha Joint School District is constructing a similar net-zero middle school, set to open next year. The solar panels and wells not only provide a low-cost source of electricity for the school, they also provide a first-hand learning opportunity for the students as part of the state’s environmental curriculum. 

9. Siemens Is Building Solar String Inverters In Kenosha

In August 2023, Siemens announced a new facility to manufacture solar components in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The facility is expected to create up to a dozen jobs initially. In a press release announcing the move, Siemens’ VP of Electrification and Automation Business noted that the clean energy plan’s tax credits will increase the demand for solar.

10. Unions Win In Wisconsin’s Clean Energy Boom

Apple River Solar Project is a 100-megawatt solar project under construction by union workers in Polk County. Construction began this summer, one of the first utility-scale clean energy developments to break ground following a historic pledge from four major Wisconsin utilities to hire a union workforce for all of their solar, wind, and battery projects for years to come. Apple River is expected to offset nearly 150,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year.