Community Solar Gardens Xcel

The minnesota legislature established an option for customers of xcel energy to support community solar also referred to as solar gardens or solar farms.

Community solar gardens xcel.

Solar power from xcel s existing. The xcel report says energy from a solar garden costs them between 110 to 125 per megawatt hour while a larger utility scale solar project costs about 40 for the same power. Community solar gardens are by far xcel s largest form of competition xcel currently buys power from solar gardens at 13 5 cents per kilowatt hour on average. Under the current system xcel energy asks for proposals for.

Xcel energy community solar gardens program. Advocates say changes are needed to. Our solar rewards community allows xcel energy customers to support solar energy without installing their own solar system. Members of other utilities in minnesota can subscribe to a community solar garden if one is offered by the utility.

Community solar gardens csg allow people to support renewable energy through membership. It s credited at a rate similar to xcel charges its customers but gives the opportunity to reduce their. Xcel energy is the biggest utility in minnesota covering most of the population and is the only utility that has a legislation backed community solar program. Even now xcel reports minnesota s community solar gardens currently have around 19 000 subscribers but the commercial and industrial clients represent 86 of their capacity.

The electricity produced is fed to the grid and credited to a subscriber s xcel energy account. Xcel energy customers can participate in projects offered by private developers. Solar rewards community developer resources. Through the program garden operators own and interconnect a garden to the xcel energy electric grid then sell or lease solar subscriptions to xcel energy customers.

Csgs are large arrays located in sunny open areas. Under its renewable energy plan trammell said xcel will increase community solar garden offerings with 170 megawatts of capacity available by the end of 2021.