Community Solar Gardens Xcel

Xcel energy customers can participate in projects offered by private developers.

Community solar gardens xcel.

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. 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. Our solar rewards community allows xcel energy customers to support solar energy without installing their own solar system.

Xcel energy community solar gardens program. 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 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. 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. Solar power from xcel s existing. Community solar gardens csg allow people to support renewable energy through membership. The community solar gardens csg program is available to any electric customer of xcel energy.

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 first approved in colorado in 2010 are centralized arrays of solar panels that users subscribe to. 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.

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. Many people want to support renewable energy as a way to help the environment.