Renewable sources now make up one quarter of Minnesota’s electric retail sales

According to compliance reports submitted to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC), renewable sources now account for 24.6 percent of Minnesota’s electric retail sales, and three of the state’s utilities have met the Minnesota Solar Energy Standard.

That standard, part of the state’s Renewable Energy Standards (RES), requires electric and distribution utilities to retire Renewable Energy Credits representing at least 20 percent of annual retail sales for the year 2020. In 2025, that percentage will increase to 25 percent. The sole exception to this rule is Xcel Energy, which was required to retire 30 percent by 2020.

Minnesota Power, Otter Tail Power and Xcel Energy all met their goals.

“When you combine the 24.6 percent of electric generation accounted for in the Renewable Energy Standards with the amount of power generated from nuclear and large hydro, it shows that over 55 percent of Minnesota’s electricity is generated from mostly carbon-free resources,” Commissioner Joseph Sullivan said. “This is great for our environment and helps our state work toward achieving our statutory greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.”

As part of the SES, electric investor-owned utilities were also required to procure 1.5 percent of their annual retail sales from solar energy beginning last year. From this total, 10 percent had to be drawn from small solar facilities. A 10 percent total of retail electric sales must be generated from solar energy by 2030.