Original Shared Solar Program FAQ

Our original community solar program, Shared Solar, offered eligible customers the opportunity to lower their environmental impact and carbon footprint—helping us create a more sustainable energy future. Shared Solar participants purchase shares of solar energy produced by MGE solar arrays at Morey Field in Middleton and the City of Middleton Municipal Operations Center. Enrollment closed for the original Shared Solar program in August 2024.

No. Participants reserved a portion of the electricity produced from the solar arrays.

The power from the Shared Solar arrays is delivered to MGE's electric grid. It replaces electricity that would have been generated by fossil fuels and other sources.

We do everything we can to maintain and operate the system to maximize the amount of electricity. Changes in the energy generated are normal because the amount of sunlight changes with the weather and seasons. The system will generate the most electricity in the summer when the sun is higher in the sky and the days are longer. It also is normal for solar panels to generate less energy over time as they age (about one-half of 1% less per year). 

We do everything we can to make repairs and restore the solar system to optimal performance. Damage to the solar arrays will not cause participants to lose power. MGE will continue to meet the energy needs of the participants with other resources as long as there is no damage to the electrical system feeding their homes. 

Both of MGE’s renewable energy programs provide eligible electric customers with the opportunity to support electricity from clean energy sources. Under the original Shared Solar program, customers paid a one-time, up-front fee to reserve a portion (up to half of their annual electricity use) of the energy produced by MGE solar arrays at Morey Field in Middleton and the City of Middleton Municipal Operations Center. Participating customers pay a fixed price of $0.109 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for their share of the energy produced by these solar arrays. 

MGE's Green Power Tomorrow (GPT) program offers customers a flexible, affordable option for supporting regional renewable energy resources and offsetting their greenhouse gas emissions. Each kWh of electricity you are allocated from the GPT program will be from renewable energy resources in our area, including both wind farms and solar arrays. Those allocated kWh include the environmental benefits, or Renewable Energy Certificates, which are retired on your behalf. GPT is one cent** more per kWh.

Eligible electric customers can participate in both our Shared Solar and GPT programs.

MGE continues to grow our use of carbon-free generation to meet our community's energy needs while working to achieve our carbon reduction goals. By 2050, we expect to deliver net-zero carbon electricity.

Participation in programs like Shared Solar - Strix is a powerful way to help us go further faster to reach this goal.

Participants paid a one-time participation fee of $47.25 per share when signing up.  
 
The original Shared Solar program electricity rate is currently $0.101 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) and will not increase throughout the life of the program. Participants also pay a reduced transmission service rate (currently $0.008 per kWh) on all Shared Solar energy billed. This is 50% of the standard transmission service rate and reflects the benefit of local solar in reducing transmission costs. This rate will be periodically reviewed by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. Including all rates, the Shared Solar rate is $0.109 per kWh.

Each billing period, MGE will calculate how much of the solar electricity is allocated based on the total generation of the Shared Solar arrays. This is the Customer Solar Output. The electricity allocated from Shared Solar replaces that from our standard electricity mix and will be shown as CS-1 on your bill. The rest of the electricity is billed at the standard rate.

For our customers who are on a Time-of-Use rate, the solar energy supplied through Shared Solar replaces electricity in your time-of-use periods in proportion to your use in those periods. 

For example, if you use 30% of your total energy evenly across the three on-peak periods, your Customer Solar Output would be allocated at 10% for each of those periods (for a total of 30%). Also, 100% of your Customer Solar Output will be allocated to your base energy rate.

Yes! When participating in Shared Solar, MGE will automatically adjust your Green Power Tomorrow purchase to apply only to your electricity use that exceeds the amount of solar power produced by your Shared Solar purchase. 

Your Shared Solar participation will transfer to your new residential MGE electric account. Participation ends if you move outside of MGE's electric service area.

Yes. You can leave the program at any time. When you notify us, MGE will resume billing you for all your electricity use at the standard rate. The up-front participation fee is nonrefundable. 

Residential customers can email AskExperts@mge.com and business customers can email Business@mge.com to request to unenroll.

If you move your business to a new location within MGE's electric service territory, your program participation may transfer to your new MGE electric account. MGE will work with you to determine if your shares are eligible for transfer. Participation ends if you move your business outside of MGE's electric service area. 

Based on program requirements, your participation would end. The up-front participation fee is nonrefundable. 

For customers who signed up for Shared Solar for up to half of their annual electric use but would like to power their business with 100% renewable energy, MGE also offers our Green Power Tomorrow (GPT) program. Subscribers to GPT pay one cent more than their standard per-kWh electric rate to support wind and solar resources in our region. 

Shared Solar participants reserve a share of the electricity generated by a solar array in our community. GPT participants support wind and solar resources feeding our grid from throughout the region.