Big solar projects cast a shadow across 2026

ROCHESTER — In Byron, 200 megawatts of solar power are on hold. East of Rochester, another 180 megawatts are proposed.

Overall, it’s potentially enough electricity to power 57,000 homes.

Supporters of solar power hope to see much of it being built in 2026, and the rest under construction in 2027. But one group in northeast Olmsted County hopes to put a stop to a major utiliity-scale solar project.

Construction on the Byron Solar project was supposed to begin in 2025. However, according to the Dodge County officials, the developer of the project was unable to start construction in 2025 because it had only been able to acquire offloading agreements for half — 100 megawatts — the the project. EDF Renewables, the developer, is hoping to sign agreements for the other 100 megawatts in time to begin construction on nearly 1,800 acres in Canisteo Township in Dodge County sometime in 2026.

While the Byron Solar project is completely permitted and just awaiting the final offloading agreements, Lemon Hill Solar in Olmsted County is another story.

Located in Viola and Haverhill townships, the project, being developed by Ranger Power out of Chicago, is still seeking approval from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC). That approval process is on the docket for 2026.

So is the continued opposition of landowners and residents in the area where the solar project would be built.

On Jan. 6, 2026, the PUC released a scoping document for the environmental assessment. The document outlines what issues will be addressed in the environmental assessment, which is due to be completed sometime in May 2026. At that point, more public hearings will be held on the project, likely in the summer.

During scoping meetings held in November 2025 at 125 Live in Rochester, project leaders from Ranger Power said construction could begin as early as fall 2026, but more likely, if approved, would start in 2027.

Some of he environmental issues to be addressed include the project’s impact on water resources — namely groundwater, drinking water, streams and rivers, wetlands; soil erosion; impact on the region’s karst geology, the re-establishment of vegetation; the impact on wildlife — fencing, habitat, lighting, dust control, erosion control; air quality; and how the project would be impacted by climate change.

While not solar projects in their own right, Kalmar Township in Olmsted County could become home to two large-scale energy storage facilities — 200 megawatts apiece — being proposed by Crane Energy Storage, LLC, and Sandhill Energy Storage, two subsidiaries of Copenhagen Infrastructure Service, a Danish company that funds infrastructure projects around the world.

Known as a BESS — battery energy storage system — these industrial batteries are the answer to the age-old alternative energy question of what do you do for power then the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow.

According to an environmental assessment document outlining the function of a BESS published by the PUC in November 2026, “A BESS consists of a series of electrochemical devices (batteries) that charges by collecting energy from a source (the electric grid or a power plant) and discharges the energy at a later time when needed. Battery storage can enhance the flexibility of a power system and can help integrate renewable generation technologies like wind and solar into the grid by storing energy when demand is low and discharging the energy when demand is high.”

The Crane Storage project will be located on a 36.3-acre site while the Sandhill Storage project will be on an adjacent parcel on approximately 42.7 acres.

“As proposed, the facilities will be connected to the electric grid through a 161 kilovolt (kV) gen-tie line of approximately 700 feet between the shared project substation and the Bryon Substation owned and operated by the Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (SMMPA),” the environmental assessment document states. “Crane Storage anticipates that construction of the Crane project will begin first quarter 2027 and that operation will commence in mid-2028. Sandhill Storage anticipates that construction of the Sandhill project will begin third quarter 2027 and that operation will commence in late 2028.”