Catching on to catching rays

Cooperatives, utilities install solar gardens for members

BY KAYLA PRASEK

Sioux Valley Energy, a rural electric cooperative in Brandon, S.D., recently constructed an 80-panel solar array so members can view the production output of the panels.

PHOTO: SIOUX VALLEY ENERGY

While energy prices in the Midwest are still relatively low, that hasn’t stopped a growing interest in renewable energies, particularly solar panels. However, the cost to individual consumers installing the panels themselves can be a deterrent, which has led some rural electrical cooperatives and utility services to install solar community gardens and solar panel projects as services to their customers.

Fargo-based Cass County Electric Cooperative and Moorhead Public Service, the electric and water utility service for Moorhead, Minn., are both planning community solar gardens, which will allow customers to purchase solar power from the company without the hassle of installing solar panels.

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Marshal Albright, vice president of member and energy services at Cass County Electric, says the idea for Prairie Sun Community Solar came from other utilities companies in the region. “Electric cooperatives have been selling solar energy for a couple years,” he says. “It’s something new that they’ve seen good success with, and we felt it should be something we should offer.”

Prairie Sun Community Solar will be a 100-kilowatt array consisting of 252 panels. Each panel will be capable of generating 400 watts of power and will produce power about 15 percent of the time. Members will purchase the output of the solar panels, and that output will show up on their bills as a credit, which Albright expects to be about $50 per year based on current rates. A whole panel costs $1,670, which provides a customer with solar energy for 25 years. “You’re pre-buying energy at a fixed cost,” Albright says. “It’s more expensive than current costs, but we’re offering this for those customers who support solar and want the option.”

Each commercial member will be able to purchase up to 50 panels of the 252 panel-garden; residential members can buy up to 10 panels. Half panels are also available. Albright expects the solar garden will serve around 200 members.

While the project is in its beginning stages, about 10 percent of the panels have already been reserved, Albright says. The company will begin building the array when 70 percent of the panels are reserved. “We’re hoping to see the array go up this fall and winter, but it all depends on how quickly it sells,” Albright says.

At Moorhead Public Service, Energy Services Manager Dennis Eisenbraun is preparing for construction to start on the Capture the Sun community solar garden, which will be a 44-kilowatt array. The project will operate just like Cass County Electric’s, but MPS customers will have the chance to purchase a 20-year solar interest license for $480.

Initially, MPS was only going to build a 20-kilowatt solar garden, but the garden size quickly doubled due to intense customer interest. Some customers who were interested won’t be able to be part of the project this year due to the overwhelming interest, Eisenbraun says. “We tried to do a soft-sell initially, which worked, but then it got overwhelming, which is why we ended up doubling the size of the project. As long as interest continues, we’ll do it again next year. We have the space for 400 kilowatts, so there’s room to grow.”

Eisenbraun says the idea for the project developed three years ago. “We have a renewable energy incentive, but we’ve had very few participants. About 75 percent of our customers’ houses just don’t work for solar panels, but they want to be involved. We’d had some proposals and got some good quotes. The prices are coming down too. When I look at our mission statement, this is right down the middle of that, providing innovative and efficient services.”

Construction on the MPS solar garden should be complete by the end of August with a public dedication the first week of October.

Sioux Valley Energy, located in Brandon, S.D., recently constructed an 80-panel solar project, which has an output of about 25 kilowatts. Reggie Gassman, coordinator of Sioux Valley Energy’s solar project, says the project is a demonstration and learning experience for both Sioux Valley Energy and its members. The panels face three different directions to compare production at different times of the day from varying directions.

“Twenty members have solar now,” Gassman says. “We wanted to stay ahead of the curve, so we put together a solar taskforce to look at all our options. We want to be ready, so we gathered data and consulted with our members.”

Sioux Valley Energy is the first rural electric cooperative in South Dakota to take this step toward solar energy. Gassman says the likely next step would be a community solar garden, but rates need to be right for the community. “That’s what my gut feeling says, and what the logical next step would be,” he says. “We have such cheap rates right now that solar hasn’t become super popular. However, solar will likely be a big part of our energy mix [in the future].” PB

Kayla Prasek Staff Writer Prairie Business 701-780-1187, kprasek@prairiebizmag.com

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