Community Solar Gardens

In May 2013, Minnesota enacted HF 729, which created the framework for Community Solar Gardens. The law set no cumulative capacity limits, but each Community Solar facility would be limited to 1 MW capacity. Customers of Xcel Energy subscribe to community solar garden projects offered by private developers. Customers of other utilities may subscribe to community solar gardens that are offered by their utility. H.F. 2310 of 2023 made major reforms to community solar rules. Community solar projects may now be up to 5 MW of capacity. 30% of each project's subscribers must be low or moderate-income. 25% of capacity must be reserved for schools, affordable housing providers, government agencies, or other public interest organizations. Each project must have at least 25 subscribers. The bill also changed the credit system for community solar subscribers from the value of solar (VOS) rate to a new system based on applied retail rates (ARR).Xcel Energy is also now required to offer consolidated billing for community solar subscribers.