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Worker with South Central Electric installs their new solar array. Photo by Trevor Cokley

Dan Linehan with the Mankato Free Press recently published a great article about solar development in south-central Minnesota and the opportunities that landowners and local governments are finding.

Excerpt: When John Frey of Mankato received an inquiry about putting a solar array on his land, he didn’t need to be persuaded on the merits. Renewable energy was already his sole focus after retiring as a dean at Minnesota State University. Solar power, he said, is a virtual requirement if we’re to wean ourselves off fossil fuels. When 40 acres of solar panels go up on his rural Lake Crystal land, perhaps this May, he’ll be looking at it as part of a global solution to climate change.

In south-central Minnesota, landowners are seeing new opportunities and local governments are figuring out how to accommodate fields of panels. A typical 40-acre project represents more than 30 football fields’ worth of arrays.

Click here to read the full article >>

With all of this action around solar energy across Minnesota, it’s good for landowners to be educated about what a good host site arrangement or land lease looks like. The following resources should prove helpful on this front, and well as general resources on community solar gardens provided by CERTs. You can also learn more about particular companies by looking them up on the CERTs Solar Directory.

Host Site Agreements

 
If you’re considering becoming a host site, the guide to lease agreements below will be a helpful start, and the model agreements for rooftop and land leases will help you dig into the details.

Community Solar Gardens are centrally-located solar photovoltaic (PV) systems that provide electricity to participating subscribers. Could it work for you?

Are you interested in going solar but unable to do so on your own? Perhaps you live in an apartment, have a shaded roof at home, or don’t have space at your organization.

 

Where do you want to start?

 

 Community Solar Gardens
Get Answers blog series The Get Answers series on the Energy Stories Blog offers useful tips from CERTs and our partners to help you get to the bottom of your energy efficiency and renewable energy questions. Click here to see more stories in the series >>

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