Kandiyohi County Board approves three solar garden permits

WILLMAR — The Kandiyohi County Board approved three conditional use permits for three solar gardens along the Minnesota Highway 7 corridor. The projects would establish large-scale solar panel farms in southwest Kandiyohi County.

All three were approved 3-0 by Commissioners George “Corky” Berg, Dale Anderson and Duane Anderson. Commissioners Roger Imdieke and Steve Gardner were not present at the Sept. 16 meeting.

According to Kandiyohi County Zoning Administrator Eric Van Dyken, the solar panels in these farms last for around 25 years. One of the conditions listed in the permit is that a set decommissioning plan would be followed at the end of their lifespan.

As an example of the longevity of solar projects, Van Dyken mentioned the Aurora project near Atwater. This solar garden was one of the earliest large solar projects in the county and the panels still have around 10 years on their lifespan, according to Van Dyken.

It is possible for project leaders to decide to replace panels rather than decommission the gardens. This process would extend the lifespan of the solar garden. Replaced solar panels would still need to go through proper decommissioning processes and could not enter the Kandiyohi County Landfill.

Two of the three proposed solar gardens had previously received approval from the board but required updated permits due to changes to the projects.

The applicant for the three permits is Novel Energy Solutions, a Minnesota-based solar energy company. The company, which was founded in 2012, has worked on similar projects in locations across the state.

The three solar gardens to be placed on private property would be considered community solar gardens. A community solar garden supplies electricity to the local power grid, and members earn solar credits on their utility bill, according to the Novel Energy Solutions website.

One permit is for a property in Holland Township east of Prinsburg, another for a property in Holland Township north of Prinsburg. The third is for a property west of Roseland.

The County Board on Tuesday also approved proposals for two small excavation projects. The first of these projects, which the board approved 3-0, is located just north of Green Lake and would extract stones from four acres of land in the area.

According to Van Dyken, while building prep was underway for another project, high-quality rocks were discovered, which the property owner wanted to have extracted. The proposal would allow for the mining of 4-inch and larger rock from the area, with the land being restored to pasture land when the mining is completed.

The project would be short-term and small-scale, according to Van Dyken. The extraction is expected to begin this fall with the land being restored in the spring. The conditional use permit will be valid for one year.

The second project, in Norway Lake Township off County Road 1, is for clay extraction. The Planning Commission’s notes say the purpose of the project is in part to flatten a 7.5-acre hill so that it could be used as farmland.

Van Dyken stated that the project would be small-scale, although the timeline would be based on the contractor’s needs.

The board approved the conditional use permit with a vote of 3-0.

For more information on the County Board meeting, or to view minutes and agendas from previous meetings, visit the Kandiyohi County website at kcmn.us and look under the commissioners tab.

Levi Jones is the West Central Tribune’s business reporter. After growing up in the Twin Cities, Jones attended Hamline University for journalism and media communications. After graduating in 2020, Jones has worked as a reporter covering anything from sports to politics.