Description
The City of Saint Paul is committed to expanding the use of renewable energy as it works toward achieving carbon neutrality in municipal operations by 2030.
Rooftop Solar for City Buildings
In 2011, the City installed 40-kW rooftop solar arrays on three of its buildings: Rondo Community Library, Western District Police Station, and the Public Works Municipal Garage using grant funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and Minnesota Department of Commerce.
Together, these three solar installations produce an average of 120,000 kWh of carbon free electricity each year. A smaller 7.75-kW rooftop solar installation was also completed at the South Saint Anthony Recreation Center in 2011.
The city is planning to increase its use of on-site solar energy by installing roof-mounted solar arrays at the new Fire Station #7 and North End Community Center.
Additionally, solar arrays provide electricity on several city-owned properties that are managed by third party entities - including CHS Field, the Saint Paul RiverCentre, and the Science Museum of Minnesota.
Community Solar for City Buildings
The City of Saint Paul is also supporting solar energy development in the region by subscribing to off-site community solar gardens. About two dozen municipal buildings receive a portion of their electricity use from community solar gardens, which is saving money on utility costs for city departments. The following buildings are enrolled in community solar programs:
- Arlington Hills Community Center
- Battle Creek Recreation Center
- City Hall Annex
- Como Zoo - Visitor Center, Marine Animal Building, and Polar Bear Filtration Building
- Eastern District Police Station
- Fire Department Headquarters/Station #1
- George Latimer Central Library
- Griffin Police Headquarters
- Highland Park Community Center
- Highland Park Library
- Martin Luther King Recreation Center - Hallie Q. Brown Community Center
- North Dale Recreation Center
- Oxford Community Center/Jimmy Lee Recreation Center
- Public Service Garage
- Public Works Street Maintenance building
- Public Works Traffic Operations building
- Rondo Community Library
- Saint Paul Asphalt Plant
- Sun Ray Library
- Wilder Recreation Center
In 2022, the City of Saint Paul purchased more than 6200 MWh of electricity from community solar gardens.
