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OLIVIA — A large solar energy project continues to move forward in Renville County, but company officials are hoping to make two changes.
Ranger Power is seeking to expand Gopher State Solar’s land footprint for a more efficient design, and it will also apply for a permit to add battery storage to the project site.
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Emily Straka, director of development with Ranger Power, outlined the changes to the Renville County Board of Commissioners at its March 10 meeting. She said the company is pursuing an amendment with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to expand the project site. The company will be submitting an application for a separate permit, possibly this April, seeking approval to add a battery storage system.
The requests do not mean a change in the capacity of the planned solar system. Plans are to build a 200-megawatt solar farm north of Bird Island in Kingman, Osceola and Bird Island townships.
The PUC approved the project in August 2025. At the time, company officials estimated that the project would cost $187.75 million to $242.5 million to develop.
Straka told the County Board that the company identified environmental features that could potentially constrain the project to the point of not having enough land when it undertook the permitting process. It has identified landowners willing to provide more land for the project.
If the PUC approves the requested amendment, the overall project boundary would expand by 753 acres, from the original 1,645 acres to 2,298 acres, she said.
While the overall boundary will grow, the same amount of infrastructure will be placed on the site. The additional land will make for a more efficient system design, allow the company to avoid environmentally sensitive areas, and provide more room for setbacks from neighbors, Straka said. The infrastructure will be placed on 977 of the available acres.
If approved, the battery storage system will occupy an approximate 15-acre site near the substation for the solar farm. It will likely consist of lithium-ion batteries.
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The ability to store electricity generated by the panels allows for supplying electricity to the grid during peak load times, when electricity is most valuable, as well as providing backup power during possible power outages.
The company’s modeling indicates the battery storage system will be below state sound standards, according to Straka.
The county commissioners noted that at least two of the property owners who are neighbors to the site are not happy about the prospect of having a large solar operation there. Straka said the company will continue with outreach efforts and involve those affected in making decisions on setback distances and the placement of vegetation as buffers between them and the site.
There will be an opportunity for public comment prior to any action by the Public Utilities Commission on the battery storage system. If the application is made in April, as is planned, the comment period would likely be through the summer, Straka told the County Board.
The company is aiming to begin construction sometime between the second quarter of 2027 and mid-2028. Straka said Gopher State Solar has a power purchase agreement with Xcel Energy and is committed to providing power to the utility by the end of 2029.
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