Solar power in Minnesota

Solar power in Minnesota expanded significantly in the early 2010s as a result of the cost decrease of photovoltaics and favorable policies. By 2016, it began to grow quickly.

In 1983, Minnesota adopted a net metering rule which allows customers generating up to 40 kW to use net metering, with the kilowatt-hour surplus rolled over each month, or optionally credited at the retail rate.Minnesota - Net Metering

In May 2013, the Minnesota legislature adopted a mandate on investor-owned utilities in the state that required them to produce 1.5% of their electricity from solar power by 2020, with the bill also raising the state's cap on net metering from 40 kW to 1 MW. This mandate was in addition to the state's renewable portfolio standard of 25% by 2025, and it was estimated that affected utilities would have to add 450 MW of solar by 2020 to comply with the 1.5% requirement.

While Minnesota is developing several utility level projects, currently the state's largest solar array is the North Star Solar Project in North Branch. With more than 440,000 solar panels, its output is more than 100MW. Other large arrays include the 62MW Marshall Solar Energy Project, completed in January 2017, a 2MW solar array in Slayton, and a 1 MW array at an IKEA in Bloomington.Notable Solar Installations in Minnesota There is also a 600 kW array on the roof of the Minneapolis Convention Center,.Minneapolis Convention Center - Sustainability In January 2015, Ecolab announced it would be going 100% solar powered by purchasing power from community solar gardens to be built by SunEdison.Ecolab to go all-solar in Minnesota, DAVID SHAFFER, Star Tribune, January 13, 2015 Ecolab's share of the power would be 16MW, more than the amount of solar power in the state at the time of the announcement. If completely subscribed, the solar gardens could provide up to 200MW. The Aurora Solar Project is a similar distributed network of arrays planned to reach 100MW utilizing midsized 2MW-10MW installations throughout the southern half of the state.Regulators approve Aurora Solar ProjectAurora Solar Project The 62MW Marshall Solar Energy Project is proposed to be built on 500 acres near Marshall.Planned solar farm in southwest MN draws fire from residents, Mark Steil, Duluth News Tribune, January 21, 2015 Already home to the state's largest array, Chisago County has seven additional arrays in various stages of completion, earning it the nickname the "solar capital of Minnesota". When finished they will generate roughly 29 MW.

Minnesota has the potential to generate 38.5% of its electricity from rooftop solar, from 23,100 MW of solar panels. St. Paul can generate 27% of its electricity, using 800 MW, and Minneapolis 26% from 1,000 MW.Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Technical Potential in the United States: A Detailed Assessment

As of 2021, the average installation cost for solar panels is $3.07 per watt. Minnesota gets about four peak sun hours per day,Peak Sun Hours ExplainedNREL Solar Resource Maps so a 5 kW system can be expected to produce 7,300 kWh of energy per year and cost an average of $15,350.Solar Panel Cost in Minnesota

Statistics Source: Perez-SUNY/NREL, 2012

Minnesota grid-connected PV capacity (MW)YearCapacityInstalled% change20070.90.352%20081.20.340%20092.10.975%20104.52.3109%20116.41.943%2012125.788%2013175.142%2014236.237%2015371459%2016246209562%2017714468190%20181,11840456%20191,36424622%20201,568.6204.615%20211,677.7109.1%20221,76385.3%

+ Utility-scale solar generation in Minnesota (GWh) Year Total Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2016 11 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2017 595 19 36 49 48 63 74 85 63 60 45 29 24 2018 1,043 44 55 96 118 125 116 144 112 93 70 38 32 2019 1,248 50 31 94 116 148 173 172 166 111 87 53 47 2020 1,758 81 110 132 165 190 191 207 188 151 138 113 92 2021 1,972 99 112 169 188 217 217 209 212 181 146 126 96 2022 113

Solar power in Minnesota

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