Sustainable Electricity
We take seriously our obligation to provide safe, reliable, affordable and sustainable energy.
Our energy supply mix is in transition. MGE is working toward greater use of renewable resources and targeting net-zero carbon electricity by 2050. Like most Midwest utilities, MGE has historically relied upon fossil fuels to serve its electric customers. Our fuel mix, however, is changing as renewable energy technology continues to improve in performance and decrease in cost. MGE is working aggressively to grow our use of cost-effective renewable energy to benefit all of our customers.
Our energy future
MGE's carbon intensity will decrease as we continue to transition further toward greater use of renewables and continue our transition away from coal-fired generation.
By 2030, we expect every MGE electric customer will have 80% fewer carbon emissions from their electricity use simply by being an MGE electric customer. By 2050, we expect all MGE electric customers will have eliminated their carbon footprint associated with their electricity use.
In February 2021, MGE and the co-owners of the Columbia Energy Center announced plans to retire the power plant earlier than initially planned. The plan represents another step in MGE's ongoing transition toward greater use of cleaner energy sources and net-zero carbon electricity by 2050.
Proposed energy storage project at site of Columbia Energy Center
In fall 2023, the Columbia Energy Storage Project was selected for a grant of up to $30 million from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations to support the construction of a compressed carbon dioxide (CO2) long-duration energy storage system. Learn more about the proposed project.
The power of working together
We’re continually evaluating current and new programs to help our customers advance clean energy and manage their energy use. Our voluntary Green Power Tomorrow and Shared Solar programs offer customers 100% renewable energy today.
Energy efficiency is considered a key strategy for deep decarbonization. Programs like MGE Connect® and MyMeter help us save energy, manage costs, reduce emissions and better understand the potential for managing energy use using smart technologies.
Learn more about MGE’s climate commitment.