By Brooke Hrdlicka & Paul Mathewson, Ph.D.
Summary
There are important health benefits from renewable energy development. Electricity generation in Wisconsin is currently dominated by coal and methane gas, both of which release harmful air pollutants in addition to climate-warming carbon dioxide. In contrast, wind and solar produce no emissions while generating electricity, and there are little established direct health effects from the solar panels or wind turbines. Thus, by displacing fossil fuel-based electricity generation, renewable energy not only mitigates climate change but also results in improved air quality, providing a health benefit to everyone.
Key takeaways:
- Air pollution from fossil-fuel based electricity generation currently leads to hundreds of early deaths in Wisconsin each year and thousands of asthma incidences and other respiratory issues resulting in 29,000 days of missed school and 11,000 days of missed work every year.
- Total health burden in Wisconsin from electricity production is valued at $2.1-3.6 billion annually.
- Importantly, the air quality benefits of wind and solar are greatest here in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions of the United States, where there is a larger reliance on coal and closer proximity to population centers.
- Public health benefits from improved air quality from wind and solar deployment in Wisconsin are valued at approximately $60 per megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity production (range: $30 to over $100 per MWh).
- These public health benefits are more valuable than the cost of producing the electricity, which is $30-50 per MWh.
- In contrast to these substantial public health benefits, there is no established evidence of direct negative health effects to those living near solar panels or wind turbines.
