On September 26, over twenty five people joined the Southeast CERT tour of the City of Red Wing’s clean energy projects.
Maintenance Shop: The tour began at Red Wing Public Works Maintenance Shop, where participants learned about Red Wing’s recycled waste oil from fleet vehicles used to partially heat the public works building, LED street lighting, and production of 87,800 kW/h from two solar arrays. The maintenance shop is net negative energy, as the electricity is provided by solar and they use waste oil from other projects to heat the shop.
City Hall: Folks then carpooled downtown to see the solar installation over the City Hall Car Port, which not only generates power but has the added benefit of shading parked cars in the summer and providing cover from the snow in the winter. “People love it and try to get here early to park to the winter,” said Jay McCleary, retired Public Works Director who led the tour.
Fire Station: Tour participants were led through the historic fire station, up a ladder, and climbed onto the roof where they saw solar PV installations, in addition to the scenic river bluffs.
SE CERT tours solar atop the Red Wing Fire Station.
Red Wing’s Solar Financing at a Glance:
- Red Wing’s solar installations were funded through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with NewPort Partners, a finance, tax, and credit company out of California. The City also used Xcel Energy’s Solar Rewards program and Made in Minnesota rebates.
- NewPort Partners owns the solar arrays, through a 6 year power purchase agreement. After 6 years, ownership then transfers to the city. The City was originally promised 20% but the panels have already surpassed that.
- The entire process cost $2 million, though Red Wing’s investment was only the price of the carport ($105,000), and the payback will be $2.25 million. The solar installations produced more energy than was initially anticipated as it was set up to help Xcel Energy during peak demand.
- Red Wing used a revolving fund which allowed them cascade savings to fund future energy projects.
City goals: “The City of Red Wing has three goals for these projects,” said Tina Folch, contracts administrator. “We want to save money, cut energy and reduce our carbon footprint, and educate others.” Tina noted that by using B3 benchmarking, a free tool available to all local governments in Minnesota, Red Wing was able to see they cut their carbon emissions by 55%.
Tips for others: Asked if he had any advice for other cities hoping to do projects similar to Red Wing’s, McCleary said “If you can speak to a City Administrator’s wallet, they will listen. But they need to have interest. City Commissions can help.” McCleary invited folks to call on him as an ambassador for creating similar projects in their communities.
Businesses join in, too: McCleary noted that several area businesses have solar installations that have seen 10 year paybacks or less. “If it’s smart business for a small business, it’s a good investment for a small government, too,” he said.
Learn more about solar in Red Wing
See photos from the event
About the Local Government Energy Action Series:
This effort tells the stories of Minnesota municipalities, counties, and schools and the tangible results of their energy-saving efforts to inspire others to take their own actions.
