Madison Gas and Electric to add 20 MW of solar, first-ever battery storage supply from Paris Solar-Battery Park

As a result of a partnership between Madison Gas and Electric (MGE), We Energies, and Wisconsin Public Service (WPS), MGE will soon provide its customers with 20 MW of solar energy and 11 MW of battery storage capacity sourced from the Paris Solar-Battery Park.

Centered in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, Paris Solar-Battery will be a 200 MW solar and 110 MW battery storage facility, once completed. It will host up to 750,000 solar panels for this purpose, capable of powering approximately 60,000 households at full capacity. Use of the small fraction of its power for MGE’s purposes was approved by the Public Service Commission (PSC) of Wisconsin last week.

“We are working every day toward deep carbon reductions and net-zero carbon electricity by 2050,” Jeff Keebler, MGE chairman, president and CEO, said. “The Paris Solar-Battery Park continues the progress we’ve already made increasing renewable energy, reducing carbon emissions, and advancing new technologies to benefit all our customers. MGE’s first addition of utility-scale battery storage is a new and important technology to help us reach our sustainable energy goals.”

MGE’s most immediate goal is to reduce its carbon emissions by at least 80 percent by the end of the decade. As part of this, it began adding renewables in 2015 and intends to add nearly 400 MW of wind, solar, and battery storage options by 2024.

As for Paris Solar-Battery Park, construction is slated to begin later this year, with an anticipated completion date in spring 2023. Invenergy LLC will lead development and construction. Once finished, the project’s remaining 180 MW of solar and 99 MW of battery storage output will be owned and utilized by We Energies and WPS.