Lead paragraph
The City of Saint Paul is committed to expanding its use of renewable energy as it works toward achieving carbon neutrality in municipal building operations by 2030.
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Solar Energy for Municipal Buildings
Progress
On time
- Not started
- Planning
- In process
- Continuous
Description
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 the Minnesota Department of Commerce. A smaller 7.75-kW rooftop solar installation was also completed at the South Saint Anthony Recreation Center in 2011. Together, these rooftop solar arrays produced nearly 85,000 kWh of electricity during 2024.
Roof replacement projects were completed at the Public Works Municipal Garage and South Saint Anthony Recreation Center in spring 2025, so both of those solar arrays were decommissioned at that time.
Solar arrays also provide electricity for several city-owned properties that are managed by third party entities - including CHS Field, the Saint Paul RiverCentre, and the Science Museum of Minnesota.
The City of Saint Paul will increase its use of renewable energy for powering municipal buildings by installing onsite solar at multiple sites during 2025-2026. The City received a grant from the Minnesota Department of Commerce's Solar on Public Buildings Program in early 2025, which supported the installation of a 40-kW rooftop solar array at the North End Community Center.
Since then, Saint Paul has been awarded five additional Solar on Public Buildings grants.
The City will complete rooftop solar projects at these buildings before the end of 2026:
- Fire Station #3
- Animal Services
- Hamline Midway Library
- Dayton's Bluff Recreation Center
- Frogtown Community Center
Community Solar for City Buildings
The City of Saint Paul has supported 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 from community solar programs.
During 2024, the City of Saint Paul purchased more than 6300 MWh of electricity through these subscriptions to community solar gardens.