Community Solar Gardens Xcel

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.

Community solar gardens xcel. Under the current system xcel energy asks for proposals for. It s credited at a rate similar to xcel charges its customers but gives the opportunity to reduce their. 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. 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.

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. Community solar gardens csg allow people to support renewable energy through membership. Solar rewards community developer resources. Members of other utilities in minnesota can subscribe to a community solar garden if one is offered by the utility.

Advocates say changes are needed to. Solar power from xcel s existing. Csgs are large arrays located in sunny open areas. The electricity produced is fed to the grid and credited to a subscriber s xcel energy account.

Our solar rewards community allows xcel energy customers to support solar energy without installing their own solar system. 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. 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 first approved in colorado in 2010 are centralized arrays of solar panels that users subscribe to.

Xcel energy customers can participate in projects offered by private developers. Many people want to support renewable energy as a way to help the environment.