Minnesota PUC approves Minnesota Power community solar garden

Minnesota Power announced on Thursday that the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved its request to construct its first community solar garden in Duluth, Minnesota, the first of what Minnesota Power says will be many such gardens.

“We appreciate the commissioners’ thoughtful analysis of our proposal and the feedback we received from environmental and consumer groups,” Minnesota Power VP of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs Margaret Hodnik said. “This initial community solar garden will expand access to solar for residents who want more renewable energy, but who either rent or don’t have a home or business site well-suited for personal solar panels. We’ve seen steadily growing interest in solar energy in our region and based on the success of this pilot program, additional community solar gardens could be offered to our customers in the future.”

The first community garden will span two locations, including a 40-kilowatt system on Minnesota Power’s land on Arrowhead Road and a 1-megawatt structure on vacant land owned by St. Louis County near Arrowhead Road and Haines Road.

Customers will have three options for subscribing to the solar garden, including a flat monthly subscription, paying for actual usage based on a fixed rate or a one-time purchase. The one time purchase totals $2,100 for 25 years of service. A typical customer who elects to pay for usage will notice a marginal increase in cost, from approximately $80 a month to between $81 and $95 per month.

Minnesota Power hopes to develop more thin-film, polysilicon solar gardens and is working with the Minnesota PUC to make that a reality.