One of the most wasteful elements of Wisconsin’s global warming bill (AB 649/SB 450) is the Advanced Renewable Tariffs (ARTs) provision, other wise known as “feed-in tariffs.”

The provision would force Wisconsin utilities to pay a premium for energy generated by, among other things, small home wind turbines or photovoltaic solar panels.  Wisconsin utilities currently purchase a limited amount of this energy voluntarily.  The bill would mandate that utilities purchase this expensive, inefficient energy and pass the cost on to retepayers.

A look at the failure of “feed in tariffs” in Europe could save Wisconsina lot of expenses and headaches.

“So while the electricity you might generate from large wind turbines and hydro plants will earn you 4.5p per kilowatt hour, mini wind turbines get 34p, and solar panels 41p. In other words, the government acknowledges that micro wind and solar PV in the UK are between seven and nine times less cost-effective than the alternatives.”