Dean Leischow of Sunrise Energy Ventures, Minnetonka, presented information to the Clear Lake Twp. Board Tuesday night proposing the installation of solar farms in Clear Lake, Big Lake and Monticello. The systems would contribute up to 100 megawatts of electricity to be sold to Xcel energy of Monticello.

“You will continue to see a lot of solar building projects in the next several years,” said Leischow.

The State of Minnesota has mandated that Xcel Energy meet a 30% renewable energy standard by 2020 and thus Xcel is investigating the establishment of the three solar farms in Sherburne County.

The 250-acre site in Clear Lake — preliminarily located east of 70th Avenue and north of Co. Rd. 8 — will consist of panels constructed near the ground, designed to follow the sun as it proceeds across the sky. Very little maintenance would be required, Leischow said, and berms and treelines would isolate the acreage from neighbors and a six-foot high fence with barbed wire would surround the property.

Leischow says in order for his company to build these big power plants, there has to be access to big power lines nearby.

“We have about 60 projects primarily located in New Mexico, North Carolina, Indiana and Minnesota,” he said as he showed slides of what the power plants look like in other states.

And since the project is of such large scale, Leischow said the zoning will go through the state and bypass all local zoning procedures. Leischow hopes to have the state permitting and zoning process concluded by the end of the year with construction of the new plant by spring of 2016.

Leischow estimates the energy production from the 250-acre Clear Lake site to be about 30 megawatts and will make no noise while operating. The system will be operated remotely as well.

Leischow was asked about the state’s weather and concern was uttered about the lack of sun — especially during the gloomy winter months.

“On overcast and gray days, we can still get 60% or so of energy from the panels,” he said. “Minnesota actually has a lot of sun, more sun than some parts of Florida.”

Leischow also said the world’s most successful solar power system is in Germany and Minnesota has much more sun than Germany, he stated.

Chairman Gary Gray expressed his disappointment for the fact the township will lose about 250-acres of agricultural land to the project.

“That’s too bad since we pride ourselves on being an agricultural community,” Gray said.

“This is not Xcel Energy’s choice to do this,” said Leischow. “They are being forced to by the PUC.”

Estimated cost to develop the farm in Clear Lake would be about $60-70 million.

 

Sunrise Energy Ventures would build the plant and operate it and Xcel would receive the energy from the solar system and supply it to customers and pay Sunrise.

Life cycle of the generating panels would be 25 years.

 

Chairman Gray said he attended the last Clear Lake City Council meeting and said council “backpedalled” on the bypass project.

 

“They appeared to have put the cart before the horse,” Gray said.

 

Gray went on to say council didn’t seem totally aware of what was going on and hadn’t taken any formal action.

 

“So, there won’t be a bypass anytime soon coming out of council,” he said.

 

Supervisor Bud Stimmler said the park has been quiet but he has noticed it is getting some use during the winter months because of the lack of snow.

 

Engineer Terrance VanderEyk was not at Tuesday’s meeting so no road report was given.

 

Stimmler said the newly-hired write is currently working on the history book and — as part of his contract — is to have an outline of book chapters or what the book is supposed to look like ready to be reviewed at the March 10 annual meeting.

 

“We are looking to have at least one article or two done so the committee can look at it before hand,” said Stimmler.

 

• Sheriff Joel Brott gave a 2014 annual report on law enforcement activity through his department for the township;

 

• Clerk Mary Mathison announced she will be resigning her position with the township and an employment ad is running in the Citizen. Interviews are expected next week.

 

The next Clear Lake Twp. meeting is March 17 at 7 p.m.