MCA Announces First Solar Garden

Minneapolis Climate Action (formerly Linden Hills Power & Light) has built its first community solar garden and is now offering subscriptions. Subscriptions provide an opportunity for those who cannot afford a personal solar array or do not have suitable space on their roof to benefit from the green energy a solar array offers.

MCA’s Second Chance Community Solar Garden was developed with local minority business enterprises and Emerge Second Chance Recycling Facility, a nonprofit mattress recycling facility that provides job training for formerly incarcerated citizens. According to MCA, every part of this project was done conscientiously, keeping with MCA’s promise to contribute to the cause of climate parity and environmental justice. 

Here’s how subscriptions work: One share costs $950. A share (and multiple shares can be purchased, up to 120% of your electricity usage) will give the owner a credit of approximately $100 per year. That number goes up each year, and the share is good for 25 years, which means it pays for itself after 9-10 years. After that, the electricity credit is profit for the owner. You can sell your share, or it can move with you as long as you stay in Hennepin County, or a county directly adjacent. Interested in subscribing? Learn more here.

MCA also has limited pay-as-you-go shares. This option does not require any money down. The energy savings are less for the subscriber than owning shares, but every little bit helps the climate. There is also an option to donate a Pay Up Front share to a low income community member.

Minneapolis Climate Action has a second array being constructed soon on the roof of North High School in Minneapolis, creating more opportunities for solar subscriptions for neighbors in all parts of Minneapolis.