Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) introduced today its framework for building tomorrow’s community energy company. Energy 2030 advances the company’s long-standing commitment to cleaner energy, innovative products and services, and customer engagement. The company’s vision was informed by input from MGE’s Community Energy Conversations, customer surveys, industry research, other collaborative partnerships and numerous stakeholder discussions.

“All of the different ways we’ve been gathering input have helped us better understand the evolving views of the customers and communities we serve. In framing a business plan for the future, no other utility in the country has engaged their customers this extensively,” MGE Chairman, President and CEO Gary Wolter said.

“In response to what we’ve heard, Energy 2030 is an ambitious framework and builds upon the foundation of our Energy 2015 plan. We will need customer collaboration and support to achieve our vision. Working together, we can harness the power of new technologies to double our reductions in carbon emissions, significantly increase our renewable energy and reduce our collective energy usage — and costs — to create a better, more sustainable future for MGE and for our community,” Wolter added.

Energy 2030 responds to the feedback MGE received and addresses the needs of diverse customers and stakeholders. In building tomorrow’s community energy company, MGE will:

• Transition toward supplying 30% of retail energy sales with renewable resources by 2030. As a milestone goal, MGE will supply 25% of retail energy sales with renewable resources by 2025.
• Work with customers to reduce the community’s carbon dioxide emissions by 40% from 2005 levels by 2030.
• Increase engagement around energy efficiency and conservation to reduce the community’s overall energy and peak electric use to reduce long-term costs for everyone.
• Create a more dynamic, integrated electric grid that supports and integrates new technology.
• Develop and test new products and services to offer customers more control over their energy use.
• Deepen MGE’s engagement with customers to chart their next steps and determine over time, as technologies evolve, how best to meet customer needs and accomplish long-term goals.

The Energy 2030 framework also is consistent with the 25 percent renewable energy by 2025 goals of Madison, Middleton, Monona, Fitchburg and Dane County. MGE looks forward to partnering with its customers to reach these goals.

MGE’s original Community Energy Conversations, held more than 10 years ago, shaped the now complete Energy 2015 Plan, which resulted in MGE:

• Eliminating coal at its downtown power plant.
• Increasing energy from renewable resources by almost 12 times.
• Reducing carbon emissions by almost 20% since 2005.

In the coming months, MGE will further engage customers and discuss with stakeholders how to advance its Energy 2030 objectives as the company explores new ideas and ways to work together to meet our community’s long-term goals. This engagement will be an ongoing effort as technology evolves and MGE learns together with its customers.

“MGE has a long history of partnering with customers to help us be leaders in our industry,” Wolter said.
“Customer support and participation are critical as MGE develops and tests new products and services.”

In the future, MGE anticipates researching and testing innovative pricing and rate options. As they do, they will consider and balance the following factors:
• Encouraging energy efficiency and conservation.
• Encouraging reduced use during times of electric system peak to save long-term costs for all customers.
• Equitably covering the costs of the critical assets used to serve customers, including the costs to maintain and improve the energy grid for everyone who uses it.

The MGE approach for exploring any innovative new rate options will be to do research, testing and piloting of new options with customers on a voluntary basis to test customer acceptance and understand how well different options serve objectives.

To learn more, click here.