MGE Breaks Ground on Shared Solar Expansion

Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) representatives were joined by leaders from the City of Middleton and the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District in late October to celebrate the groundbreaking for the company's 5-megawatt (MW) solar array at the Middleton Municipal Airport, also known as Morey Field.

The Morey Field Solar project will be the second array in MGE's popular Shared Solar program. The expansion of the program gives residential and business customers throughout MGE's electric service territory the option of powering their home or business with locally generated solar energy.

"Our first Shared Solar project in Middleton set the foundation for this expansion and for MGE's ongoing collaboration with the City and the school district," said MGE Chairman, President and CEO Jeff Keebler. "What started a few years ago has helped to grow locally generated clean energy in Dane County and serves as a great example of what can be accomplished when we work together around shared goals. Working together with our customers will help MGE reach our goal of net-zero carbon electricity by 2050."

MGE's first Shared Solar project is a 500-kilowatt array on the roof of Middleton's Municipal Operations Center. It began serving customers in January 2017. The more than $8 million Morey Field Solar project is expected to be operational in 2020.

Solar array powers city, school district facilities

Seventy percent of the solar array at Morey Field will serve Shared Solar participants. A 1-MW share of the array will serve the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District under a Renewable Energy Rider (RER) agreement. A 0.5-MW share will serve the City of Middleton under a separate RER agreement.

Under an RER, MGE partners with a large energy user to tailor a renewable energy solution to meet that customer's energy needs. RER customers are responsible for costs associated with the renewable generation facility and distribution costs to deliver the energy to the customer. The model advances shared sustainability goals and grows clean energy in our community.