SUBSCRIBE TO a community solar garden

Welcome to Cooperative Energy Futures (CEF). We are excited you want to learn more about our innovative and equitable Community Solar Garden (CSG) program! CEF exists to transform who controls, owns and benefits from our transition to renewable energy.

Minnesota’s LMI CSG Program is open to any Xcel customer, regardless of income or whether they rent or own their home. At CEF, we prioritize community members with lower incomes who have previously lacked opportunity to participate in a CSG.

Please fill out the Application Form below. In order for CEF to process your application as quickly as possible and increase your possibility of subscribing:

  • Fill out all the fields on the form, especially the Income Level question.

  • Upload a copy of all pages of your most recent Xcel bill

  • Upload a photo or PDF of Low Income Verification, if necessary.

Things to keep in mind:

  • We do our best to accommodate everyone who applies, but there is a limit to how many households can subscribe to each CSG.

  • In order to complete the subscription enrollment process, applicants need to complete multiple documents. The sooner you get needed info to us the more likely you will be able to subscribe and start saving on your electricity costs.

  • The amount of time that a subscriber waits to start receiving benefits depends on variable project construction timelines, available space in a CSG and when your application was fully completed. Subscribers start receiving benefits varies according to project construction timelines and if they have completed all steps of the application process.

Click the CSG APPLICATION FORM button below to get started.

Operating Gardens

Clara City CSG (At capacity and not accepting new subscribers at this time)

Eden Prairie CSG (Operating): is accepting a limited number of subscriptions for Eden Prairie residents who are at or below 80% Area Median Income.

Community Solar Gardens (CSG) in Development:

Lake Elmo CSG
The Lake Elmo Community Solar Garden is under construction and expected to be connected to the grid in early 2025. This CSG is open to all Xcel electric customers, with priority given to Lake Elmo residents.

Mankato CSG
The Mankato CSG is under construction and expected to be connected to the grid in early 2025. This CSG is open to all Xcel electric customers, with priority given to Mankato residents.

Midtown Community Solar Garden is under construction and expected to be connected to the grid in Spring 2025. Midtown CSG is open to all Xcel electric customers, with priority given to residents with low to moderate incomes in these Minneapolis neighborhoods: Midtown Phillips, East Phillips, West Phillips, Ventura Village, Stevens Square, Corcoran, Central, Powderhorn, Whittier, Cedar Riverside, and Longfellow..

We recommend that you check our CEF’s Community Solar FAQ and Our Approach to Community Solar and Overview of Subscription Terms.