Butter Solar: The model that made 2MW of solar possible in St. Charles, MN

On Monday, October 7th, an inquisitive group gathered to learn more about the newly installed solar array in St. Charles, Minnesota.

This 2 MW project is part of the 'Butter Solar' Portfolio solar development, owned and operated by BluEarth Renewables US and totaling 23 MWAC across 10 communities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. The event was hosted by Nick Koverman of the City of St. Charles along with project leads Eric Udelhofen of OneEnergy Renewables, Stanley Minnick of Organic Valley, and Chris Barnes of BluEarth Renewables.

1. The City of St. Charles has not had an electric utility rate increase since 2013. They are striving for the most reliable power at an affordable rate. This solar project fit the bill for those goals in part because they were able to acquire the power alongside twelve other municipal utilities as part of the Upper Midwest Energy Group (UMMEG), a project agency that works to explore larger project options through collaboration. It also worked for them as their only upfront costs were to purchase the land that now hosts the solar array (for which they will largely be repaid via a land lease with BluEarth) and for the new power line going into the project. They didn’t have to pay for the solar system itself; instead they are now buying the power through a power purchase agreement (PPA) that allows them to lock in a fixed rate for 25 years.
2. Several of the solar panel systems in the Butter Solar portfolio are on trackers. There are a few trade-offs with trackers. On the pro-side: these systems are anticipated to produce 15-17% more energy, and these systems can more effectively dump snow. On the con-side, these systems take up a bit more space and trackers mean moving parts … which can break. 
3. Combined, the sites total 140 acres of either pollinator or pasture habitat. The site in Cashton, MN even has grazing sheep (which are adorable!). The St. Charles solar site is adjacent to a residence, and they have adopted a screen/mat along the agricultural fencing that CERTs folks had not seen before. The household got to have input on what the screening would look like, and the city is also now working to plan evergreens along the property line to further screen the project. It sounded like very effective neighbor engagement.