Madison Gas and Electric is seeking approval for a new solar energy program for customers, building on an existing offering called Shared Solar.
MGE is asking the state Public Service Commission to approve its proposal for Shared Solar II, which would give certain customers the option to pay an up-front fee to get energy from a local solar array over a six-year period.
The original Shared Solar program is now fully subscribed after its first installation was introduced in 2016. Participants in the program buy shares of solar energy produced by arrays at Morey Field in Middleton and the City of Middleton Municipal Operations Center.
“Shared Solar II builds on the success of our popular community solar program and provides our customers with another option for affordable, locally generated, carbon-free energy while also reducing costs for nonparticipating customers,” MGE Chairman, President and CEO Jeff Keebler said in a statement.
Residential and small business electricity customers participating in the proposed second Shared Solar program would get carbon-free energy for up to half of their annual consumption, according to a release. Their energy rate would also be locked for the six-year agreement, and the up-front fee is based on the number of shares in the program they select.
Keebler also highlights the utility’s proposal to offer an option for low-income customers, which would allow eligible customers to pay a smaller participation fee and receive a lower fixed energy rate. This option may be available for those receiving energy assistance from various sources such as the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program, the MGE Energy Fund and others, according to the announcement.
The program would be served by a six megawatt solar array called Strix Solar, which is being built on a 30-acre plot in Fitchburg by OneEnergy Renewables. MGE says Shared Solar II would account for two megawatts of the system’s output for its first six years of operation. The solar array is expected to come online before the end of the year.
See the release, and see a recent story on the clean energy transition in Wisconsin.
