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Updated: June 6, 2026 @ 8:59 am
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Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative teamed up with OneEnergy Renewables to bring PBEC’s first solar array to Burnett County. It’s no ordinary array, either, as it uses the latest efficient technology and hardware.
Over 5,000 solar panels use a computer program to “track” the sun from east to west for maximium efficiency, using a sort of “screwdrive” to rotate the panels.
Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative teamed up with OneEnergy Renewables to bring PBEC’s first solar array to Burnett County. It’s no ordinary array, either, as it uses the latest efficient technology and hardware.
Over 5,000 solar panels use a computer program to “track” the sun from east to west for maximium efficiency, using a sort of “screwdrive” to rotate the panels.
At any time of the day, there are 5,200 solar panels pointed directly at the sun in the Town of Sand Lake, producing over 2.5 megawatts of power, on average, for enough power to meet the needs of over 600 homes.
Located at 5510 State Road 70, across from Viola Lake, between Siren and Hertel, the Viola Solar Project is a joint venture between the Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative and OneEnergy Renewables, creating the first such solar array for the cooperative in Burnett County.
Just as the ribbon was to be cut on a sunny Thursday May 28th for the project dedication, PBEC General manager Steve Stroshane noted that the array was fully powering the Hertel area, including all the businesses, casino, homes and more.
The Viola Solar array went online in December, but the dedication was delayed until the weather was nicer. Stroshane praised the people involved who helped make the project happen, including OneEnergy Renewables, the PBEC Board of Directors, co-op customers, and the Erickson family that hosts the array and leases the land to PBEC for the next 30 years – with an option for ten more years, if it proves worthwhile for all parties involved.
Altogether, the array is not only the first for PBEC in Burnett County – they have three arrays in Polk County – it is also one of the most advanced in the region: It uses bi-directional panels that create energy on the front and back of the panels, allowing for more power production in the winter, when snow reflection is a big factor, even with shorter sunlit hours.
The Viola array will produce approximately 5 million kWh of electricity annually, with a modern “tracking system” that has each row of panels using a screw drive to “follow” the sun, regardless of whether it’s sunny or cloudy.
The tracking system uses an algorithm that “knows” where the sun is at any time of the day, aiming all 5,200 panels right at the sun for maximum efficiency.
The project was aided by combining some resources between cooperatives, using their collective buying power to get better pricing on the volumes of equipment needed. The project is also one that uses fully recyclable panels, created in Indonesia and using metal frames made in the USA, which are expected to last at least 25 years with 85% efficiency, and possibly more.
“The Viola Solar project improves reliability and holds down the costs for our members,” Stroshane noted, while also pointing out that the system is part of a broad array of ways they are trying to meet electrical demands for the region.
The 13-acre parcel the array calls home was formerly used for hay to supplement the Erickson’s former dairy herd, but the family no longer has dairy cows, and thinks the long-term commitment is a good deal all around.
“This field typically produced about 26 round bales of hay each year,” James Erickson said, noting his parents Dave and Sherry first bought the three parcels used for the array back in the 1990s, but it was no longer in production. “It’s not a real big loss.”
The land beneath the solar panels was restored to pasture with perennials and pollinators before installation, eventually allowing PBEC to contract with a grazing operation beneath the array. They are still working to find a local grazer.
As for the change in the land use, James Erickson was happy the project went ahead and works so well, and he doesn’t miss the past uses.
“I sure don’t miss picking up all those rocks!” Erickson said.
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