Energy & Climate

Heating Season

• The heating season is defined from 1 July through 30 June of the following year to capture the entire season when spacing heating would occur.
• A heating degree day unit is used to estimate energy requirements for space heating and represents the difference between 65 degrees Fahrenheit and  the daily average temperature.
   
• Heating Degree Data for Major Wisconsin Cities:
   

  Eau Claire	Green Bay	La Crosse
  Madison	Milwaukee	Wausau

•  Heating Degree Days (base 65F) Statewide and
   

  Northwest	North central	Northeast
  West central	Central	East central
  Southwest	South central	Southeast

• From Climate Prediction Center (CPC)
  • Heating Degree Day Departure From Normal Outlook (Seasonal Product)
  • Heating Degree Days (Total) Outlook (Seasonal Product)
  • Heating Degree Days for Full 1999-2000 Season (November-March)
  • Heating Degree Days for Full 2000-2001 Season (November-March)
  • Heating Degree Days for Full 2001-2002 Season (November-March)
  • Heating Degree Days for Full 2002-2003 Season (November-March)
  • Heating Degree Days Outlook Tables (State)
  • Heating Degree Days (Weekly, Monthly & Archives: Tables)

    

•  State Map of Heating degree day units (1971-2000 normals)
   
• Weekly summaries of total heating degrees by:
  • major city
  • population weighted by state (from Climate Prediction Center)
• Monthly summaries of total heating degrees by:
  • major city
  • population weighted by state (from Climate Prediction Center)
  • Archives of last three weeks and last three months of total heating degrees
     
  • List of weekly total heating degrees forecasts by state (from Climate Prediction Center)
     

Cooling Season

• The cooling season is defined from 1 January through 31 December to capture the entire season when spacing heating would occur.
• A cooling degree day unit is used to estimate energy requirements for air conditioning and represents the difference between the daily average temperature and 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
   
• State Map of Cooling degree day units (1971-2000 normals)
   
• Weekly summaries of cooling degree day units by:
   
  • major city
  • population weighted by state (from Climate Prediction Center)
     
• Monthly summaries of cooling degree day units by:
   
  • major city
  • population weighted by state (from Climate Prediction Center)
     
• Archives of last 3 weeks and last three months of cooling degree day units
   
• List of weekly cooling degree day forecasts by state (from Climate Prediction Center)
   
• Cooling Degree Days (base 65F) Statewide and:
  

• From  Climate Prediction Center (CPC)
  • Cooling Degree Days Outlook Tables (State)
  • Cooling Degree Days Outlook Graphic: 7-day Totals (Seasonal product)
  • Cooling Degree Days Departure From Normal Outlook Graphic: 7-day Totals (Seasonal product)
  • Cooling Degree Days Graphics for Most Recent Week (Seasonal Product)
  • Cooling Degree Days Graphics (Statistics: Season-to-date)
  • Cooling Degree Days Graphics (Statistics [Projected & Observed]: HTML) (Seasonal Product)
  • Cooling Degree Days Graphics (Statistics [Projected & Observed]: ASCII) (Seasonal Product)
  • Cooling Degree Days (Weekly, Monthly & Archives: Tables)

Wind

• Monthly Wind Rose Plots from NRCS
  (National Resources Conservation Service)
  • Description of NRCS wind rose diagrams (wind vector probabilities)
  • Wind Rose Diagrams for  Wisconsin

• Entry for wind rose diagrams for other states

• Daily Wind Data Statistics From NRCS

  • Daily Wind Data for Wisconsin

  • Daily Wind Data for US
     

• Wisconsin Wind Energy Information, Energy and Environmental Research Center

  • Wisconsin Wind Resource Map (at 60m), Energy and Environmental Research Center
  • Wisconsin Wind Projects Map
• Wind Energy Resource Information  National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL)
  • Wind Energy Resource Atlas of the US
  • Dynamic Wind Maps, GIS Data and Analysis Tools

Solar Energy

• WI-MN Cooperative Extension Agricultural Weather
  • Solar Radiation Data
  • Volunteer Weather Observers around Wisconsin
   
• Solar Radiation Resource Information  National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL)
  • National Solar Radiation Data Base (1961-1990) and (1991-2005) update
  • Dynamic Solar Maps, GIS Data and Analysis Tools
• Focus on Energy
  • Wisconsin Solar Electric Energy Projects Map
  • Wisconsin Solar Thermal Projects Map
 
• Extra-atmospheric irradiance information
  Plot of average irradiance as a function of season and latitude (in W/m²)
• 
  From "A First Course In Atmospheric Radiation," by permission and courtesy of Prof. Grant Petty (Dept. of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, UW-Madison)
  Plot of average irradiance as a function of season and latitude (in W/m²)
  Plot of insolation for the solstices and equinoxes as a function of latitude (in W/m²)
   
• Solar Position Calculators
• US Naval Observatory
  • Sunrise/sunset times, seasons, and lunar information
  • Official US Time

Other Energy Information

• National Association of State Energy Officials


• Energy Information Administration, US Department of Energy
• Historical Data
• Forecasts & Analyses