MGE Partners with City of Madison and School District on Solar Project

Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) today filed an application with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) for approval of an agreement to partner with the City of Madison and the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) on an 8-megawatt (MW) solar array in Madison.

If approved, the electricity generated by this local source of clean energy will increase renewable energy use in City operations by nearly 20%.

“We have partnered with the City of Madison and the school district on a number of projects over the years. This new solar partnership, which provides another source of locally generated clean energy, is another step toward our shared energy goals,” said Jeff Keebler, MGE Chairman, President and CEO. “Another 8 megawatts of locally generated, cost-effective, carbon-free energy on our electric grid will help MGE achieve our goal of net-zero carbon electricity for all customers by 2050.”

“We are working hard to have 100% of our municipal operations on renewable energy by 2030,” said Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway. “Projects like these are critical to achieving that goal. We are happy for the partnership we’ve had with MGE and MMSD on this project and look forward to continuing that partnership in the future.”

“MMSD is being very intentional about our commitment to renewable energy, with goals to meet 50% of all District operations’ energy needs with renewable energy by 2030, 75% by 2035 and 100% by 2040,” said MMSD Superintendent Dr. Carlton D. Jenkins. “We cannot do this alone, and we thank the City of Madison and MGE for their partnership, and for the opportunity to come together to work collaboratively in achieving a common goal, to mitigate climate change and ensure a healthier environment for our students and community.”

Details of 8-MW solar project

The solar array will consist of about 28,000 solar panels and will cover approximately 53 acres of land north of Dane County’s Rodefeld Landfill in southeast Madison. If approved, the project will be developed by NextEra Energy Resources Development, LLC.

The City will take 5 MW of the output and MMSD will take 3 MW of the output under Renewable Energy Rider (RER) agreements with MGE.

The cost of the project is estimated to be approximately $15.3 million. If approved, it is expected the solar array will begin generating electricity by the end of 2021.