Dane County is exploring the opportunity to develop 30 acres of airport owned land into a solar field that would generate more than 6 megawatts of power; which would make it the second largest solar project in the state of Wisconsin.
Before accounting for the possible addition of the airport solar field, Dane County is set to reach 100 percent renewable operations this year as other new systems go online. Biogas from two landfills is a large source of Dane County’s 100 percent renewable energy generation. MGE has purchased $35 million dollars of biogas electricity from the county since 1998. Over the next 20 years, the new systems will save taxpayers money by reducing energy costs by over $2.1 million while reducing carbon dioxide emission by 777 tons.