Regulators back three major Minnesota solar projects
State regulators Thursday approved three large solar energy projects that Xcel Energy says will produce enough electricity to power about 41,000 homes.
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission signed off on the plans for a 100-megawatt project near North Branch, a 62-megawatt project near Marshall and a 25-megawatt project near Tracy. Xcel officials say the projects will be completed in 2016.
Along with community solar gardens, the company expects to meet or exceed the state's solar standard, which requires Minnesota's investor-owned utilities to generate 1.5 percent of their electricity from solar by 2020.
The utilities are also required to generate a quarter of electricity from renewable sources by 2025 under a 2007 law aimed at addressing the carbon emissions causing climate change.
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