By Bryce Oates for Resource Rural.
Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection reporting for the Resource Rural-Public News Service Collaboration

At the end of each growing season, Grand Rapids, Minnesota berry farmer Stuart Lavalier is ready for cold weather to set in, exhausted from the long hours and hard work required to grow high-quality strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and apples for local customers.

Lavalier uses the off-season to rest and recuperate, finding that, “somehow over a mostly, restful winter, the excitement of another year comes back like the first warm day of spring.”

The berry grower added an additional crop recently to his family’s farm when he installed a 27.3 kW solar array. In its first year of operations, the financial benefits are clear.

“We’re seeing a negative number on our electric bill,” Lavalier said. “We don’t have a huge electricity bill but the solar covers it. . . .We’ve been getting a check back each month of about $300.” 

Lavalier’s decision to add solar to his farm began a decade ago while attending a statewide growers conference. He went in thinking about finding solutions for the usual farm production challenges in the Upper Midwest: drought, insect and pest damage, changing weather patterns, hail, wind, and more. 

But along with valuable production-oriented information from the conference, he was inspired by a fellow berry grower to consider a different set of issues related to his farm’s future: the option of installing solar panels.

“That grower talked about how he wanted to give back, to do what’s right, to grow more on the farm than just berries,” Lavalier said. “People at that time were saying you’re never going to get your back, you’re never going to get the payback. But he said I want to make a difference. He talked about how we need to be thinking about the future. I thought that was a good answer.”

Doing something positive for the future spoke to Lavalier, who spent 32 years teaching elementary students. Installing a solar array didn’t just impact the farm’s bottom line: it provided a way for his operation to be more self-reliant. After seeing the benefit over time, he got involved with the Iron Range Solar Co-op, organized locally by Solar United Neighbors. 

When he learned about a potential federal grant that could help cover 25-50% of solar array costs, Lavalier decided the time was right to go forward. Through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), farmers and rural small businesses like Lavalier can receive grants and loans to support clean energy systems and energy efficiency projects. 

Lavalier was awarded a REAP grant for his solar project, providing a substantial financial incentive to help meet his values for local, non polluting, decentralized energy production. “Once I knew I wanted to get solar on our farm, I found out about the REAP grant,” Lavalier said. “It made a difference. It made me feel comfortable going ahead, because then I knew I had that additional support to make it work.”

Lavalier, who received critical grant application and installation assistance from the local business Real Solar, hopes that his participation in REAP could help other people apply to the program. “Go ahead and go for it. There are great rebates and incentives. I’m looking forward to getting an EV (electric vehicle),” Lavalier said. 

The berry farmer’s only regret is that he didn’t maximize the size of his solar array.
“I kind of wish we would have went bigger,” Lavalier said.


Bryce Oates wrote this article for Resource Rural.


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On the heels of a regulatory victory, utilities and various energy groups in Minnesota are expressing more optimism about the region's power grid - and its ability to accommodate a diverse set of electricity sources. In late January, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved a permit request for the Northland Reliability Project, a new 140-mile transmission line stretching from the Iron Range to the St. Cloud area. Utilities behind the effort say this creates more grid space and ensures reliability as they focus on renewables such as wind and solar.

Rachel Stuckey, executive director of the Minnesota Conservative Energy Forum, says that peace of mind isn't just tied to meeting higher electricity demands.

"If a weather event happens or, God forbid, some kind of cyberattack, that we can either withstand or bounce back from that," she explained.

Her organization favors an "all of the above" approach when it comes to energy sources. Stuckey added that as these grid modernization projects come on board, it's important all voices are heard, including property owners worried about new power lines going up. The Northland project also calls for replacing two 20-mile stretches of existing lines and is scheduled to be ready by 2030.

Amelia Vohs, climate director is with the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, which prioritizes non-fossil fuel sources, says the region can't slow down in trying to modernize the power grid because demand keeps accelerating.

"Some of it [comes] from increasingly electrified appliances, or electric vehicles, but especially from the growth of data centers," she said.

Vohs added that creating more room on the grid eases the backlog of clean-energy development waiting to advance, and that while Minnesota has been a leader in trying to meet these challenges, it remains an open question of whether the state has enough transmission proposals coming together to keep pace. At least three other projects are being looked at by Minnesota regulators.


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A North Dakota legislative committee on Thursday took up a trio of bills about landowners' rights as states in this region are eyed for carbon-capture projects.

The measures stem from public scrutiny of Summit Carbon Solutions' plans for a multistate pipeline in the Midwest, to capture ethanol plant emissions for underground storage in North Dakota. State regulators have signed off on it, but some landowners don't like the idea of signing land deals with the company.

Ann Bernhardt of Linton, who lives near the proposed route, provided testimony in favor of a bill to block developers of these projects from turning to "eminent domain."

"All we're asking for from our representatives is a little bit of protection," she said. "Just do what's right."

Eminent domain is a legal move where private property is forcefully turned over for public use, with compensation provided. Groups such as Dakota Resource Council have questioned whether a venture such as Summit's has a public benefit or is driven by corporate profit. The company has said voluntary agreements are the goal but added that these legal tools are needed for the state to take advantage of this technology.

Bernhardt countered that if concerns from landowners and other opponents are overblown, as the project backers imply, then Summit would have all the land agreements in place already.

"If it's a good project, if it's good for everybody," she said, "there's no need for eminent domain."

The company told lawmakers that so far it has agreements with more than 80% of affected landowners in North Dakota for the pipeline to go through their property.

Beyond landowner rights, other concerns include safety issues in the event of a pipeline rupture, and skeptics say this project is touted as an environmental aid but could be used to expand fossil-fuel production.

No action was taken Thursday, but Charlie Adams, Summit's agriculture and stakeholder relations manager, did urge the panel to maintain existing laws that define carbon pipelines as a "common carrier," meaning they transport commodities. He said revoking that status and restricting eminent domain would set North Dakota back.

"Without this law," he said, "there will be no additional development of CO2 projects."

Eastern Kentucky's largest utility, Kentucky Power, is proposing to expand its energy efficiency programs for residential and commercial customers.

After weeks of bitter cold, most residents will see higher energy bills, especially if they live in homes that lack insulation or rely on outdated heating systems.

Wesley Bryant, a Letcher County resident, said he is shelling out a hefty chunk of his income to pay utility bills. He pointed out any help with weatherization would allow him to reduce costs and use the money for other basic needs, such as food and medical bills.

"I pay two power bills because my home was destroyed in the flood but we still have to keep power on there, in hopes of getting back there," Bryant explained. "And on top of that, we're helping to pay the power bill at my mother-in-law's."

The deadline to submit comments on Kentucky Power's Demand Side Management program is Feb. 3. The company said expanding the program will help address health, safety or structural issues in homes that would otherwise not be eligible for the Weatherization Assistance and Targeted Energy Efficiency programs.

Consumer advocates said the company's proposed funding levels are unlikely to have much effect on overall energy demand in the region. Bryant noted the demand for weatherization and repairs is even greater, as many people displaced in the 2022 floods are still struggling to get long-term housing.

"Kentucky Power has a chance to power Kentucky by investing in the communities, by investing in weatherization," Bryant contended. "We've been experiencing cold here that that's not been felt here in years."

Byron Gary with the Kentucky Resources Council said while he is concerned about how Kentucky Power said it will recover costs, the program should be tailored to serve the most vulnerable residents.

"These programs run out of money before everybody who has applied can be served," Gary observed. "A lot of times, they end up prioritizing houses where the fixes are what you might call 'low-hanging fruit;' they're a lot easier to do."

Kentucky Power ratepayers already paid the state's highest average residential electricity bill in 2023, at $187 a month, according to state data.