Sep. 1—Dear Answer Man: I was driving south of Byron and Kasson the other day, and I didn’t see the big solar project that I kept reading about last year. I thought the project was supposed to be built on about 1,800 acres of farmland in the area. When will they build it? Or has the project been abandoned? — Solar Fan.
Dear Solar,
A little tour of that area in my area confirms what you’ve noticed. The fields that will one day “harvest” energy from the sun are still looking at a more traditional harvest for this fall: soybeans and corn by the bushel.
If you were expecting to see the solar project growing his summer, you’re a summer too early.
Construction on the project, according to EDF Renewables, the renewable energy developer behind the project, starts in 2025. The company has another project already online in Southeast Minnesota, the 75 mW Louise Solar Project east of Adams in Mower County.
The $256 million Byron Solar project is expected to cover 1,801 acres in Canisteo Township with another 53 acres for the transmission line from the project to the Byron substation where the project would connect to the regional power grid. Permits from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission have been approved and, and construction is expected south of Kasson on the 200 megawatt project next spring. That’s enough power, according to EDF Renewables, to light up 30,000 homes.
So far, everything is on track. The project was first announced in 2021, and it was expected that permitting and project studies would take anywhere from two to four years. Construction, once started, is expected to take roughly a couple of years in total. That means everything is mostly ready by the end of 2026. The company states the solar farm will go online by 2027, and the project’s lifespan should be 35 years.
That’s a lot of sunshine powering Answer Man’s coffee pot each morning. And my blender for other beverages in the evening.
And, yes, I know the sun doesn’t shine at night. But solar power allows us to turn off the coal-fired and natural-gas power plants during sunny days. And if the wind blows at night — when doesn’t it blow in Southeast Minnesota at night? — then the other renewable, wind power, can take over.
Clean air, coffee in the morning, lime-juice “smoothies” at night and an “all of the above” system for energy: Sounds like a winning plan.
Oh, and farmers in Dodge County’s Canisteo Township will earn money on another revenue stream, making their business model more diversified in occasionally shaky economic times.
As they would say on my favorite canceled-too-soon space-western TV show: Shiny!
Send questions to Answer Man at answerman@postbulletin.com .
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