Organization: MGE Energy Inc.

Year: 2015

Description:

RESOLVED: Shareholders request that MGE commission a report, made available to shareholders that evaluates and identifies ways for MGE to provide 25 percent of its sales of electricity from renewable energy sources by the year 2025, including both utility and customer-owned distributed systems. The report could include a plan for MGE to integrate up to 60 megawatts of solar and other distributed energy resources on MGE’s distribution grid within the City of Madison, and assess distributed solar electricity generation through a value-of-solar study, which fairly considers all costs and benefits.

SUPPORTING STATEMENT: Providing clean energy in an increasingly carbon-restricted future is a major global social issue. Some states and companies are leaders in addressing this issue. MGE should also be a leader in addressing this issue, as other states and companies have shown that it can be done.

• The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has issued a report that identifies how the United States can get 80 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources using existing technologies and current pricing structures.
• Wisconsin’s neighboring states of Minnesota and Illinois require 25 percent by 2025.
• According to the Energy Information Administration, Iowa provided 28 percent of its electricity from renewable energy in 2013.
• Gunderson Lutheran, a major health provider located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, is now powered 100 percent by renewable energy.
• An August 2014 survey by Metz & Weigel indicated that nearly 90 percent of Wisconsin voters support renewable energy and 73 percent support a renewable energy goal of 30 percent in Wisconsin by 2030.

However, MGE has not defined a plan to achieve a specific renewable energy production goal beyond the State of Wisconsin standard of 10 percent by 2015:

• According to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW), MGE currently provides 12.2 percent of its electrical energy to customers from renewable sources.
• MGE participated in the Madison Sustainability Plan that specifies a renewable energy goal of 25 percent renewable electrical energy delivered to MGE customers in the City of Madison by the year 2025, but has not defined a plan to achieve this goal.
• In 2014, MGE refused to support a City of Madison proposal to the U.S. Department of Energy to evaluate adding 60 megawatts of new solar energy within the City of Madison in ten years.
• In 2014, MGE proposed a rate change with the PSCW that discourages customer use of new renewable-based electricity in its service territory. Over 1,000 customers opposed the proposal, on the record.
• MGE has not publicly proposed any additional renewable energy plants.