Shared Solar - Strix FAQ

MGE electric customers who meet the following eligibility criteria may participate in Shared Solar - Strix:

• Your electric service needs to be on an eligible rate class.
  • Eligible rate classes include: Rg-1, Rg-2, Rg-2A, Cg-5, Cg-3 and Cg-4.
  • Pg-1, Pg-2 and RER-1 rate classes are not eligible.*
• Your MGE account must be in good standing.
  • You cannot be more than 60 days in arrears.
  • You haven't been subject to collections action within the last year.

*Please note: If you are enrolled in Shared Solar - Strix and later install on-site generation on your property (such as rooftop solar panels), you will no longer be eligible for the program and your shares will be forfeited.

Log in to My Account and complete the Shared Solar - Strix enrollment form.

Don't have My Account? Signing up is easy—start here.

MGE's community solar programs are designed to make renewable energy more accessible to all customers and to reduce your carbon footprint—they are not necessarily designed to reduce your electricity bill. 

After paying the one-time participation fee per share, Shared Solar - Strix customers pay between $0.01 and $0.015 per kWh above their standard electricity rate for their shares of solar electricity; the remainder of their electric usage will be billed at the standard residential rate. The impact on your bill depends on how much electricity you use and the level at which you decide to participate in Shared Solar - Strix. For the average MGE residential customer who uses 500 kWh of electricity each month and who elects their maximum number of shares in the Shared Solar - Strix program (that is, up to 50% of their annual electricity usage), their MGE electric bill will go up between $2.50 and $3.75 each month on average, depending on whether they elected Option 1 or Option 2.

The power generated by MGE's Strix Solar is delivered to our community grid.

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). 

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

Your Shared Solar - Strix 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 cancel.

Customers on MGE's parallel generation rates, such as Pg-1 and Pg-2, are not eligible for the Shared Solar - Strix program. If you are enrolled in Shared Solar - Strix and later install on-site generation on your property (such as rooftop solar panels or a battery storage system), you will be moved to a parallel generation rate and will no longer be eligible for the program. Your shares would be forfeited.

Participants pay a one-time, up-front fee to reserve a portion of the electricity produced at Strix Solar. Then, they pay a monthly per-kWh charge for their chosen subscription amount (up to 50% of their annual electricity consumption). The monthly per-kWh charge will remain fixed with participants, even if they move within ' electric service territory, for the life of the six-year agreement.

Two subscription options are available:

Here are a few examples showing how participation in Shared Solar - Strix might impact your MGE electric bill, depending on the subscription option, the number of shares selected and the customer's monthly energy use:

A. Residential customer who uses an average of 500 kWh/month (6,000 kWh/yr) and qualifies for and selects 9 maximum shares.

B. Residential customer who uses an average of 1,000 kWh/month (12,000 kWh/yr) and qualifies for and selects 18 maximum shares.

Each billing period, MGE will calculate how much of the solar electricity is allocated based on the total generation of the Shared Solar - Strix array. The electricity allocated from Shared Solar - Strix replaces that from our standard electricity mix and will be shown as "Shared Solar - Strix Option 1" or "Shared Solar - Strix Option 2" 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 - Strix will replace 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 off-peak rate.

Customers participating in the original Shared Solar program will see no change in how the program shares are applied to their bill. All Shared Solar – Strix shares will be applied after the original Shared Solar shares are accounted for on the bill. Customers participating in both programs will see separate line items on their bill for each program.

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.

Customers participating in Shared Solar - Strix for the maximum 50% of their annual electric use who would like to go even further also can join MGE's Green Power Tomorrow (GPT) program. Subscribers to GPT pay one cent more than their standard per-kWh electric rate to support wind and solar energy resources in our region. 

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

Shared Solar - Strix is an optional community solar program for MGE electric customers who wish to reduce their environmental footprint while helping us meet our goal of net-zero carbon electricity. Participants pay an up-front fee and then a monthly premium to subscribe to shares of solar energy from MGE's Strix Solar array in Fitchburg. 

MGE's community solar program offers eligible electric customers the opportunity to purchase shares of locally generated solar energy. Participants share the output of the solar installation. Community solar customers don't receive the solar energy directly—their participation supports the growth of renewable energy supplied to our grid, helping to create a more sustainable energy supply for all MGE electric customers.

Participants do not install or maintain their own systems, and no special equipment is required to participate. Plus, you can take your shares with you if you move within the MGE service territory!

No. Shared Solar - Strix participants pay to reserve shares of the electricity produced by MGE's Strix Solar array in Fitchburg. Participating in Shared Solar helps MGE go further faster as we grow our use of renewable energy serving the electric grid to benefit all customers.

MGE is a subsidiary of MGE Energy, an investor-owned public utility holding company in Madison. To learn more, visit MGE Energy.

Joining Shared Solar - Strix involves paying a one-time participation fee and a set per-kWh charge for the electricity. There is no need for installation, maintenance or replacement of equipment, and if you move within the MGE service area during the agreement period, your participation comes with you. It's an accessible, affordable renewable energy option for homeowners, renters and those with tree cover in their yards. For all Shared Solar - Strix electricity, the per-kWh electricity rate will not exceed the current rate for the six-year term of the agreement.

Buying your own system involves paying up front or taking out a loan for the cost of the solar system, along with other potential costs such as roof replacement or tree trimming as well as ongoing maintenance and insurance. See our tips for more information about investing in rooftop solar. 

Both of MGE's renewable energy programs provide eligible electric customers the opportunity to support electricity from clean energy sources. Under Shared Solar - Strix, customers pay a one-time, up-front fee to reserve a portion (up to 50% of their annual electricity use) of the energy produced at MGE's Strix Solar array. Participating customers pay a fixed price per kWh for their shares of the energy produced. 

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 - Strix 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 goal of 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.

We do everything we can to maintain and operate the system to maximize the amount of electricity produced. 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).