Powering a Cleaner Energy Future

Solar and battery storage projects will help us advance our sustainability goals and achieve net-zero carbon electricity.


Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) continues to transition our energy supply to more renewable energy to power our households and businesses. Here’s a look at recent projects that will help us advance our sustainability goals and achieve net-zero carbon electricity by 2050.

 

Paris-Solar Battery Park

MGE will add our first utility-scale battery storage with construction of the Paris Solar-Battery Park in southeast Wisconsin. We’ll own 20 megawatts (MW) of solar energy and 11 MW of battery storage from the 200-MW solar park. MGE’s share of the project is enough to power about 6,000 households. Construction is expected to begin this year with the project expected online in 2023.

This is one of several clean energy projects that will help us meet our customers’ needs as we continue our transition away from coal-fired electricity with the planned retirement of the Columbia Energy Center in Portage by the end of 20241.

 

Hermsdorf Solar Fields

MGE’s 8-MW Hermsdorf Solar Fields became fully operational earlier this year. The project provides locally generated solar energy to the City of Madison and the Madison Metropolitan School District under MGE’s innovative Renewable Energy Rider for large customers.

Most of the panels in the array are bifacial, which means they produce energy from both sides as they track the sun throughout the day. MGE also is adding pollinator plantings in certain areas of the site to provide habitat for dwindling monarch and honeybee populations.

 

Working toward net-zero carbon electricity

MGE has a goal to reduce carbon emissions at least 80% by 2030 as we work together toward net-zero carbon electricity by 2050. To achieve deep decarbonization, we’re growing our use of renewable energy, engaging customers around energy efficiency and working to electrify transportation.

 

Video tours of MGE solar arrays

Interested in learning more about other MGE solar energy projects? Visit www.mge.com/solartours to watch tours of the O’Brien Solar Fields and Morey Field Solar.

In June 2022, the co-owners of Columbia announced plans to shift the full retirement of Columbia by 18 months to June 2026. The updated timeline addresses need for capacity as the energy industry, like many industries, experiences supply chain challenges in bringing replacement generation resources online. The updated timeline has no impact on MGE’s carbon reduction goals or aggressive transition to greater use of cleaner energy. MGE is committed to our transition away from coal while maintaining safe, reliable, affordable and sustainable energy to serve our customers.

published: May-25-2022