Business of the Week: Xcel Energy

​While Xcel Energy didn’t get its current name until 2000, customers in the Eau Claire area have been relying on the company for more than a century to provide safe, reliable electricity and natural gas to fuel growth in the Chippewa Valley.

​Xcel Energy’s Wisconsin and Michigan operating company, Northern States Power-Wisconsin, can trace its predecessor companies back to the Chippewa River Improvement and Log Driving Company, incorporated in 1872. However, the history truly begins when Northern States Power Co. of Minnesota purchased the Wisconsin-Minnesota Light and Power Company in 1923 to capitalize on hydroelectric power available in Wisconsin and renamed the newly-acquired company NSP-Wisconsin in 1924. In Eau Claire, NSPW and its forbearers established electricity generating facilities in 1877 and 1902 and did business on Barstow Street from 1923-1958. Employees also worked at the Farmers Store Building until 1993.

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Xcel Energy operates 19 hydro facilities on eight Wisconsin rivers. Hydro is a clean, renewable energy source, and collectively these plants avoid carbon dioxide emissions equal to the output of more than 83,000 cars.
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​Today, Xcel Energy powers millions of homes and businesses across eight Western and Midwestern States – including 251,000 electricity and 110,000 natural gas customers in Wisconsin.
 
Cleaner energy matters to you. It matters to us, too. That’s why we were the first energy company in the nation to announce a goal to serve customers with 100% carbon-free electricity.  
 
How we’ll get there while keeping bills low and ensuring reliable energy
We will continue leading the clean energy transition by:

• Closing all of our coal plants in the Upper Midwest by 2030, a decade ahead of schedule.
• Increasing wind and solar energy
• Extending the use of carbon-free nuclear energy at our Monticello plant
• Using cleaner natural gas

Together these elements will enable Xcel Energy to continue to provide reliable electric service while keeping bills low. In fact, our Wisconsin customers’ average combined electric and natural gas bill is lower than five years ago and will be below 2018 levels through 2021.
 

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The electricity our Wisconsin customers receive today is generated from 26% renewable energy resources. But, we know some customers want to go further faster and want 100 percent renewable energy. For these customers, we offer an industry-leading portfolio of renewable and energy efficiency programs, empowering them to achieve their goals, while serving all customers with increasingly clean energy at an affordable cost. ​

Solar*Connect Community, Wisconsin’s largest community solar program, includes three 1-megawatt community solar gardens. This sign at the Eau Claire garden recognizes the program’s Founding Members. While Solar*Connect Community is fully subscribed, Xcel Energy now offers Renewable*Connect, which features a blend of wind and solar energy and flexible, low-cost subscriptions terms.  
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Building the future is also about building stronger communities. Giving our time, talent and financial resources is fundamental to how we do business. Watch a short video highlighting Xcel Energy’s annual Day of Service. 

On Sept. 7 more than 5,400 volunteers across Colorado, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin united to support Xcel Energy's Day of Service. Employees, family, friends, contractors, retirees and customers contributed more than 21,000 volunteer hours, resulting in an economic impact of over $500,000. Pictured here is a group that volunteered at a Hope Gospel Mission facility in Eau Claire. 
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For more information, visit our website at xcelenergy.com or check out our Connect blog.