HomeMy WebLinkAboutSept 22 - Solar Garden
City of Edina 4801 W. 50th St. Edina, MN 55424
Contact: Krystal Caron, Communications Coordinator
Phone 952-826-0347 kcaron@EdinaMN.gov EdinaMN.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
‘Priority Status’ Deadline Approaching for Community Solar
Garden
Edina, Minn., Sept. 22, 2016 – The last day Edina residents have priority in becoming a member of the
Edina Community Solar Garden is Oct. 31. After this date, businesses and people outside of the city can apply
for membership. There is limited space available.
The City Council agreed to lease the roof space on the Public Works & Park Maintenance Facility for a
community solar garden after the Energy & Environment Commission (EEC) made the recommendation in the
fall of 2015. Cooperative Energy Futures (CEF) will lease the roof space from the City for 25 years.
Installation is expected to begin in early 2017. Stop by Cooperative Energy Futures and Minnesota Interfaith
Power & Light table at the Edina Open Streets event 1-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, to learn more.
Community solar gardens offer members of a community a chance to purchase some of their electricity from
a solar array and allow residents to reduce their monthly energy costs and lock in stable, long-term electricity
rates. Subscriptions to Edina’s solar garden are open for all Edina residents who are Xcel Energy customers.
Residents have the opportunity to buy up to 120 percent of their electricity use from the Edina solar array.
Subscribers may want to purchase more than 100 percent to cover possible energy use fluctuations or to
allow for the small amount of degradation as the solar panels age.
A typical home uses around 800 kWh of electricity per month, which totals 9,600 kWh/year or 8 kW. Xcel
will deliver energy from the CEF array and credit subscribers’ bills for the energy it produces. Subscribers will
likely save about 5 percent in the early years, but could save as much as 22 percent per year after several
years.
Energy produced by the Edina solar garden will generate enough power for about 80-100 homes when it
comes online next year, but subscribers have already begun signing up. For this array, all subscriptions are
pay-as-you-go. Subscribers will pay monthly for the amount of kWh generated by their portion of the array;
the same kWh for which they receive bill credits from Xcel Energy.
CEF is a local, member-owned energy cooperative. CEF is a member of the Just Community Solar Coalition,
along with Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light and Renewable NRG Partners. To subscribe, visit
CooperativeEnergyFutures.com or contact Megan O’Hara at megan@mnipl.org or 612-599-7625.
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