Community Energy Workshop

MGE's Community Energy Workshop was held the evening of April 19, 2016, at Monona Terrace in downtown Madison as part of a multistep engagement effort to advance the goals identified in our Energy 2030 framework.

Community Energy Workshop

The Workshop was facilitated by an independent firm, Justice and Sustainability Associates (JSA), and provided an opportunity for deliberative dialogue from a comprehensive cross section of differing perspectives from throughout our community and the 146,000 electric customers we serve. We invited leaders and representatives from a broad and diverse set of organizations and interests, including nonprofits, neighborhoods, businesses, educational institutions, advocacy, environmental and sustainability groups, which also include racial, cultural and linguistic perspectives. About 200 community members attended, representing hundreds of organizations and affiliations.

The multiple presentations shared at the Workshop as well as a summary of the themes generated by participants are now available. We encourage you to review the full range of information and share your thoughts with us by email.

How the Workshop was Conducted

During the course of the Workshop, participants engaged in three discussion rounds. Each round featured a live introduction and video presentation followed by facilitated discussion at each table. The topics included MGE's Energy 2030 framework, new products and services and community engagement. Participants answered a short series of questions at their tables and engaged in discussion after each video.

Scribes at each table forwarded participants' comments electronically to a "theme team." The "theme team" synthesized participants' anonymous comments and identified themes generated during each discussion round. The themes from the three rounds comprise the content of the summary.

Community Energy Conversations

In developing our Energy 2030 framework, JSA also held nearly 100 small group discussion sessions throughout the community last summer and fall. In addition, MGE also participated in numerous stakeholder discussions; collaborated with the Citizens Utility Board and Clean Wisconsin; and conducted an independent, random survey of customers. The feedback we received from our participating customers resulted in significant public input that has informed MGE's long-term direction.

Energy 2030 Resources

There are multiple resources from our engagement efforts currently online—including our Energy 2030 framework, report from the Community Energy Conversations, our customer survey, discussion guide and other materials—at mge.com/Energy2030. Anyone may submit comments about our collective energy future at their convenience.

We'll be looking to our customers throughout this process to inform our efforts as we build out our Energy 2030 framework throughout the next 15 years and we appreciate ongoing customer and stakeholder input.