Minnesota Power’s Camp Ripley Solar Project

• 2013 Solar Energy Standard (SES) and MP’s solar strategy• Camp Ripley Solar Project

– Development– Execution

Topics

SES and MP’s solar strategy

Solar Analysis ProgramSolarSense Rebates

Made in Minnesota Incentives

Community Solar Garden Pilot Program

Awaiting MPUC Approval

10MW Camp Ripley Solar Project

Approved – under construction

SES compliance => 29 MW utility scale & 4 MW small scale by 2020

• Strengthen Relationships– Meet the site needs of Camp Ripley including microgrid and

Department of Defense Mandates– Provide unique value to all of MP’s customers with education center

and curriculum for schools

• Cost Competitiveness– Demonstrate price is competitive through a Request for Proposal

Process– Build project to Utility standards– Project was able to utilize Union Labor and solar panels made in the

United States– Although solar prices have declined, Wind is still much more cost

effective as a renewable resource– Project was designed to meet end of 2016 date to capture ITC

Camp Ripley Development Principles

Project Development Timeline5/2013

Minnesota Passes Solar

Jobs Act

MP Begins to develop a

solar strategy

8/20149/2013

MP and MN ANG

brainstorm ideas

MP and MN ANG sign MOU

MP issues a site specific

RFP

MP bid selected in

RFP

EPC Contract signed

MPUC Approves

Project

1/2015 4/2015 6/2015 1/20169/2015

MPUCFiling

Project Execution Timeline6/2015

EPC Contract Signed

M+W GroupFirst Solar

Hunt Electric

3/20161/2016

MPUC Approves

Project

Site Preparation and Roads

Piling and Racking

Module Installation

Modules andElectrical

Project Start-up

5/2016 6/2016 7/2016-8/2016 10/20169/2015

Check-out

• 120,000 thin film Solar Panels• 4000 piles• $25,000,000 construction cost including contingency and

interconnection upgrades• $110 per Megawatt Hour (MWh) cost for our customers• 35 year project life• 60 acres of land• 17,500 MWh produced in a typical year• Enough to power 2000 homes for an entire year

Camp Ripley Numbers and Facts

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Questions?

Piles

• Driven into the ground to support racking

Panels• 122,000 First Solar 112 Watt Panels• Made in Perrysburg Ohio• https://www.youtube.com/embed/87_a7LJhRgY?rel

=0

Inverter Skids

• (4) 2.5 MW Inverter Skids

Microgrid and Control

Renewable Cost Comparison

• Camp Ripley Solar~$0.10 per kWh

• Rooftop Solar~$.25 per kWh

• Wind Energy (Utility Scale)~.025 per kWh– Generation (Energy) is only part of your electric bill 30%-50%

• Wires, Capacity, Maintenance, Transmission