Wisconsin Energy Institute

The Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI) is the collaborative home of energy research and education located at the heart of the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. Together, we can move the state, nation, and world forward in energy.

WEI is tackling one of the most critical challenges of our time – the transition to new clean energy systems and solutions.

Led by scientists and engineers, WEI is committed to crossing traditional research boundaries and making major breakthroughs. A leader in clean energy research and a resource to the people of Wisconsin, the nation, and the world, WEI works closely with industry leaders to ensure that its technologies strengthen Wisconsin’s economy, create jobs, and improve the health and wellbeing of its citizens.

WEI also provides a place for the exchange of forward-looking ideas. We create a public forum in which to learn about and discuss energy challenges, and help prepare students and community members for leadership in the energy sector.

Whether unlocking the power of advanced biofuels, rethinking the electric grid, or bringing together critical stakeholders, WEI is proud to contribute to UW–Madison’s legacy of solving society’s most pressing challenges.

FORWARD IN ENERGY

Energy powers everything – our homes, our cars, our food systems, our economy, and our wellbeing. And yet our current reliance on fossil fuels carries high costs and risks for our economy, our health, and our environment. Fortunately, the task of transitioning our neighborhoods, highways, and markets to cleaner, more efficient energy systems is already underway.

Every day, new technologies, solutions, and policies are creating more resilient, reliable, and sustainable systems of energy. When we invest in energy research, we strengthen our local economies, improve our energy security, and protect the health and environment of future generations.

At WEI, our work is part of the solution. We have two primary areas of technology research expertise – electricity systems and transportation and fuels – that together account for more than two thirds of the United States’ total energy use. A third area of research, sustainability and society, focuses on the political, social, environmental, and economic contexts of our energy systems.

By crossing traditional research boundaries and creating valuable partnerships, we are transforming the way we think about energy and the way we use it.