Solar Project with City and School District Approved

In mid-June, our utility subsidiary, Madison Gas and Electric (MGE), received approval from state regulators to move forward with construction of an 8-megawatt (MW) solar array to serve the City of Madison and the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD). Known as the Hermsdorf Solar project, the array will provide locally generated solar energy under MGE's innovative Renewable Energy Rider (RER) program for larger customers.

"Clean energy is important to MGE, to our partners on this project and to our community. Hermsdorf Solar will add 8 megawatts of locally generated, cost-effective carbon-free energy to our electric grid," said MGE Chairman, President and CEO Jeff Keebler. "This partnership between MGE, the City of Madison and MMSD is another great example of how working together we can advance shared energy goals and achieve net-zero carbon electricity for all of our customers by 2050."

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. The City will take 5 MW of the output and MMSD will take 3 MW of the output under separate RER agreements with MGE. Construction is expected to begin this summer with the solar array generating electricity by the end of the year.

Renewable Energy Rider 

MGE's RER enables MGE to partner with a large energy user to tailor a renewable energy solution to meet that customer's energy needs. The City of Madison and MMSD have entered into RER agreements with MGE, which were approved by regulators. RER customers are responsible for costs associated with the renewable generation facility and any distribution costs to deliver energy to the customer. The RER model grows clean energy in our community.

MGE's net‐zero carbon electricity goal

In May 2019, MGE announced its goal of net-zero carbon electricity by 2050, making it one of the first utilities in the nation to commit to net-zero carbon by mid-century. MGE's net-zero goal is consistent with the latest climate science from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) October 2018 Special Report on limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. To achieve deep decarbonization, MGE is growing its use of renewable energy, engaging customers around energy efficiency and working to electrify transportation, all of which are key strategies identified by the IPCC.