FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 19, 2026
New State Report Confirms Community Solar Garden Program is Delivering Equitable Clean Energy at Scale
ST. PAUL, MN — A newly released report from the Minnesota Department of Commerce confirms that Minnesota’s Low- and Moderate-Income Accessible Community Solar Garden Program (LMI Accessible CSG Program) is achieving its intended goal of driving equitable access to clean energy, while maintaining the state’s leadership in community solar deployment.
Launched on January 2, 2024, with the express goal of expanding solar access to households typically left out of renewable energy participation, the program is demonstrating that community solar can deliver on both climate and equity objectives. According to the 2026 Annual report on the LMI Accessible CSG Program, the majority of capacity is serving the Minnesotans it was designed to reach.
Key findings of the report include:
- 90% of the program participants are low-income, residential, or public interest customers
- 77% of the program is made up of residential subscribers, of which 47% are LMI
- 62% of subscribers in the LMI category, exceeded set program goal of 55%
- The third largest subscriber group is public interest organizations, such as schools, religious institutions, municipal governments, and other non-profits
"For years, MnSEIA staff and members worked to design and advance the LMI Accessible CSG Program with a clear goal: expand access to affordable clean energy. This report confirms the program is delivering measurable savings to low- and moderate-income households while strengthening Minnesota’s leadership in community solar,” “said Logan O’Grady, Executive Director of MnSEIA. “By embedding equity into policy design from the start, Minnesota is proving that the clean energy transition can lower costs, expand opportunity, and deliver real value to the families who need it most.”
Achieving fast deployment while reaching critical community organizations, the program made 100 MW available in both 2024 and 2025 and as of December 16, 2025, 179 MW of projects had been approved across a total of 133 gardens. This impressive deployment pace maintains Minnesota’s ranking as one of the top community solar states nationwide.
“Minnesota has long been a leader in community solar, and this report highlights how that leadership translates into meaningful access for historically underserved communities,” said Kevin Cray, Vice President of Existing Markets and Regulatory Affairs for Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA). “When lawmakers design equity-focused policy, we get results that have real impact on people’s lives. Minnesota is setting a national example that community solar is both scalable and equitable.”
Even though the program is only two years old, these early results demonstrate that Minnesota’s policy framework is aligning clean energy growth with affordability and access. Pouya Najmaie, Policy and Regulatory Director at Cooperative Energy Futures, emphasized the broader significance of the findings.
“This program proves that when intentionally designed, the clean energy transition is equitable,” said Najmaie. “Solar is the most democratizing form of energy on the planet so it is essential that it is accessible to working families. With the overwhelming majority of capacity serving residential customers, public interest groups, or low-income participants, Minnesota’s LMI Accessible CSG Program is showing the rest of the nation exactly what the energy transition can achieve.”
As energy prices skyrocket across the nation and state clean energy policies fill in the gap left from the overturning of the Inflation Reduction Act, Minnesota’s equitable clean energy program provides compelling evidence that well-crafted policy, paired with industry excellence, produces measurable and meaningful results.
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Read the Commerce Department Division of Energy Resources report here.
About MnSEIA: The Minnesota Solar Energy Industries Association is a 501(c)6 nonprofit, promotes and protects Minnesota’s solar and energy storage industries. We harness the strength of our 160+ member companies at the state legislature, in the regulatory arena, and the courtroom. We Move MN Solar + Storage Forward in a unified and actionable way that establishes a vibrant sector of the clean energy economy. Find out more at www.mnseia.org.
About Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA): CCSA is a national trade association representing more than 100 community solar companies, businesses, and nonprofits working to expand customer choice and access to solar for all American households and businesses through community solar. We work with customers, utilities, local stakeholders, and policymakers to develop and implement policies and best practices that ensure highly successful community solar programs that champion the energy customer.
About Cooperative Energy Futures: Cooperative Energy Futures is a member-owned cooperative that exists to make clean energy accessible to all. We envision a future where community members own, manage, and use clean energy systems together for the collective benefit of all of us. We believe that while one person can only influence their own energy bills and use, many people acting together can change the entire energy system.
Contact Information:
MnSEIA: Megan Holz | mholz@mnseia.org
CCSA: Kevin Cray | kevin@communitysolaraccess.org
Cooperative Energy Futures: Pouya Najmaie | pouya@cooperativeenergyfutures.com