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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%.
Madison hopes to have 100% of its municipal operations run with renewable energy by 2030.
MMSD has set goals to meet 50% of all district operations’ energy needs with renewable energy by 2030, 75% by 2035 and 100% by 2040.
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.
Renewable Energy Rider
The City and MMSD have entered into separate RER agreements, subject to regulatory approval, with MGE. An RER enables MGE to partner 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 any distribution costs to deliver energy to the customer.
Net-zero carbon goal
MGE expects to achieve carbon reductions of 65% by 2030, exceeding its goal of a 40% reduction by 2030. To reach its carbon reduction goals, MGE is growing its use of renewable energy, engaging customers around energy efficiency and facilitating the electrification of transportation, all of which are key strategies identified by the United States for achieving deep decarbonization.