MGE is partnering with the City of Madison and the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) on a 7-megawatt (MW) solar array in the town of Blooming Grove.

The array will consist of about 26,000 solar panels and will produce enough renewable energy to serve nearly 20% of City operations and about 16% of MMSD operations. The City will take 5 MW from the project while MMSD will take the remaining 2 MW.

If approved by state regulators and local officials, construction is expected in spring 2021 with the solar array generating electricity by the end of 2021.

Innovative program grows clean energy

The project is being developed under MGE's Renewable Energy Rider (RER). RERs enable 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. The innovative model grows clean energy in our community. To learn more about how an RER works, visit mge.com/RER. 

First two RERs approved in 2019

Last year, state regulators approved MGE's first two RERs. One is with the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District for a 1-MW share of the solar array under construction at Morey Field in Middleton. The other is with the City of Middleton for a 0.5-MW share of the same solar array. The Morey Field Solar project, which also will be part of MGE's Shared Solar program, is expected to be operational this year.

Building local solar to serve our customers is one of the many ways we are working together to reach our shared energy goals, including MGE's goal of net-zero carbon electricity by 2050. 

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