By Dan Tortorice
If you’ve ever wired an outlet or hung a ceiling fan, you know that working with electricity is all about making solid, reliable and safe connections. You flip the switch and feel great when everything works.
As the energy provider for the Northside of Madison, Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) has developed a program to create that kind of solid connection with its customers. They are asking us to help them plan a “community energy company for the future.”
For more than a century our electrical system has remained pretty much the same. Utilities generate electricity, using mostly fossil fuels, and send it over wires to their customers. Electricity passes through a mechanical meter and users are charged accordingly. But with the huge growth in population and its energy demands, along with the environmental impacts of mercury emissions, acid rain and climate change, it is clear to everyone that we need new energy strategies to meet the demands of the future. We all want to turn on the air conditioning on a hot summer afternoon, but where will the massive amount of electricity come from if millions of people do it at the same time?
The rapid growth in technology provides lots of great options, but it also raises a huge number of questions. How do we incorporate renewable energy sources like wind and solar? How will people get paid when they sell their own solar energy to a utility? What about “smart homes,” with thermostats and refrigerators that can turn themselves on when power is cheapest? How can we construct a truly modern electrical grid that can take advantage of energy options over a wide area? How do we pay for these improvements? And how can we make sure these changes affect all levels of society in an equal manner?
These are just a few of many large, complex issues, and people will have strong opinions on how they should be addressed. Those with concerns about the environment, consumer rights, social justice, business development and public safety will all have a lot to say about these questions and options for our future.
MGE wants its customers and the general public to join in a conversation about its future. They are sponsoring small group discussions this fall to help plan strategies for the next 10‒15 years. MGE can then attempt to implement these ideas. For example, as a result of the last 10-year plan, MGE was able to achieve one of the goals suggested by Madison citizens — converting the coal powered Blount Street plant to natural gas.
MGE has a mail-in form to receive a discussion guide and/or to sign up for a small-group discussion of these issues. You can call them at 252-7117. The web address is mge.com/conversations. If you just want to provide your ideas online, you can do that at communityconversations@mge.com. MGE also has a presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The results of these conversations will have a direct impact on the future of us all, so we should take advantage of the opportunity this fall to voice any concerns or suggestions we may have.