Diesel Generators — United States of America

Oil power plant in Wisconsin, United States of America. Approximate location 43.0802, -89.3747.

OilWisconsinUnited States of AmericaEngineCO₂ modelled

Diesel Generators is a 54 MW oil power plant in Wisconsin, United States of America. It is operated by Madison Gas & Electric Co. Based on reported annual generation of 1 GWh, it can supply roughly 200 homes. It ranks #3545 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2001, it is around 25 years old — relatively modern. Its modelled annual emissions are 35,468 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 8.3k cars driven for a year. In context, oil supplies about 0.7% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

54MW installed capacity
1GWh reported / yr
200homes powered
35,468t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2001commissioned (~25 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0056070.

Data status

Known data

FacilityDiesel Generators WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Wisconsin WRI
Coordinates43.0802, -89.3747 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity54 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000409212; operating plant capacity
Verification noteQuality label backfilled from existing source-backed capacity provenance on 2026-07-05; capacity value was not changed. source-verified
OwnerMadison Gas & Electric Co WRI
Commissioned2001 WRI
TechnologyEngine WRI
GWh reported / yr1 GWh·a⁻¹ WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions35,468 t CO₂·a⁻¹ modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#3545 / 10884 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#109 / 902 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers7.50× · 7.2 MW · n=902 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent200 calculated from reported generation
Climate7.7°C · HDD 3,976 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 36/100 derived from coordinates

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000409212; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 54 MW, Diesel Generators is well above the median oil plant in United States of America (7.2 MW). Technically it is described as Engine. Oil-fired plants burn heavy fuel oil or diesel, usually as peaking or backup capacity on islands and grids without gas pipelines; high fuel cost keeps their utilisation low.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

~35,468 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

82kbarrels of crude oil burned
4.8khomes' total energy use for a year
591ktree seedlings grown for 10 years

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Key facts

Load factor
0%, from 1 GWh of reported generation, in line with the 0% median for 469 oil plants in United States of America
Generation trend
0 GWh in 2013 and 1 GWh in 2019 (+40%)
Highest and lowest year
2019: 1 GWh; 2013: 0 GWh
Share of United States of America oil capacity
0.1% of 40,022 MW across 902 plants in this dataset
Age among peers
565 of 877 dated oil plants in United States of America are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Reported generation trend

2013: 0 GWh20132014: 0 GWh20142015: 0 GWh20152016: 0 GWh20162017: 0 GWh20172018: 1 GWh20182019: 1 GWh20191 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 43.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

7.7°Cannual mean temp
3,976heating degree-days (base 18°C)
233cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
272 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -9 °CJF: -6 °CFM: 0 °CMA: 7 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 20 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 10 °CON: 2 °CND: -5 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 62% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 84/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
36/100environmental-severity index
30.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
133 kmdistance to coast

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #109 largest oil power plant of 902 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 902 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 40,022 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 43.0802, -89.3747 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Diesel Generators?

Diesel Generators is a 54 MW oil power plant in Wisconsin, United States of America, commissioned in 2001.

How much electricity does Diesel Generators generate?

Diesel Generators generates about 1 GWh of electricity per year.

Who operates Diesel Generators?

Diesel Generators is operated by Madison Gas & Electric Co.

How much CO₂ does Diesel Generators emit?

Diesel Generators has modelled emissions of about 35,468 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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