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Updated: June 14, 2026 @ 11:48 am
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This image depicts what these solar panels could look like once built.
Editor
This image depicts what these solar panels could look like once built.
The Pine County Historical Society is working with All Energy Solar, a company based out of St. Paul, to install solar panels at the Pine County History Museum.
Approval
At the Askov City Council meeting, Pine County Historical Society President Roger Wallace and a representative of All Energy Solar, Danielle, explains to the council how these solar panels would benefit the museum.
“We are working with the Pine County Museum for a ground-mount solar array to be located on the west side of the main building, just south of the maintenance shed,” Danielle says to the council.
According to the plans, 194 solar panels, split into two arrays adjacent to each other, will be installed in what used to be the football field of the school. These panels will stand at nine and a half feet tall, pending approval with the utility company.
“The system is designed just to offset the site’s electrical load, so it’s used for just having a clean, green resource for electricity,” Danielle adds.
Wallace explains the historical society has a donation to go towards this project, and by doing the project at this time, they could get a 40% rebate. The total project amount would cost the museum around $350,000.
“Right now,” Wallace says. “Our electric bill at the museum runs about $30,000 a year. This should take care 90% of the bill.”
The panels will be facing the south but will be offset as to not block the train mural on that side of the building.
City Council member Elinor Auge, who covers planning and zoning, says she has been poring over the zoning ordinances and regulations for the City of Askov about solar panels. She even attended the Finlayson City Council meeting where she had posed the question to the Pine County Zoning director about these types of projects.
“I did ask if somebody wants to put up solar panels, do they need permits, and he said absolutely.”
Danielle agrees with Auge, saying if the city itself would have any permitting requirements, the museum and All Solar Energy will abide by them.
“Our zoning laws are very welcoming to solar, and it’s written in [the planning and zoning manuals] to do what we can do make solar as much as possible,” Auge adds.
Auge recommends having an inspector come from either the county or Sandstone to inspect the building, land, and project area. This recommendation is to ensure everything is done correctly and for this project to begin.
The council motions to approve the project and allow solar panels to be installed at the Pine County History Museum.
Benefits
All Energy Solar’s Director of Business Development Michael Thalhimer states on-site solar projects like the system for the Pine County History Museum are designed to primarily help properties consume less energy from the grid–and for a long time.
“By being less reliant on power provided by outside sources, not only will the museum enjoy generating clean energy to satisfy most of its electrical needs, but the reduced delivery of utility power will also save the museum significant operating costs.”
With a useful life of over 40 years, systems like these solar panels are set up to provide decades of operational value.
Pine County Historical Society’s Treasurer Paul Olesen says there’s been times the board wondered where they were going to get the money to pay the fuel bill. This would be a way to take the stress of the electrical bill away.
The Project
According to Wallace, the idea to utilize solar panels at the museum came from a grant search for non-profits. During that search, they contacted Mora’s historical society who told them about solar projects. “Paul, another board member, and I went to Osprey Wilds [in Sandstone] because they put up [solar panels]. They recommended this company [All Energy Solar]. That’s why we went with them.”
Wallace reached out to Thalhimer for a quote.
“We first connected with the museum back in July 2024,” explains Thalhimer. “Over a series of meeting with Roger and other members of the board in the year or so that followed, we ultimately settled on a plan for the current project in late 2025.”
Thalhimer adds the installation of the 194 solar panels will take place this summer of 2026.
Challenges
With a project of this size, challenges are inevitable. According to Thalhimer, one of the challenges this project has to overcome is going from concept to a construction plan that is ready for installation. “[That] can always introduce challenges, especially related to obtaining the necessary local permits and securing the utility’s approval to interconnect the system.”
Generally, Thalhimer states, once the project is past the stage of finalizing that design and those permissions, the main obstacle is working with mother nature. “We typically install ground mounted solar arrays like the museum’s systems between March/April and November here in Northern Minnesota.”
Since the installations are entirely outdoors, the installation crew must work around the conditions of nature, which are somewhat unpredictable.
Outcome
With the goal of the solar panels to be completed and working by the end of summer 2026, the museum aims to eliminate 90% of their electrical bill, which will ultimately put money back into the museum’s operation and improvements.
For more information on All Energy Solar, visit https://www.allenergysolar.com or by calling 1-800-620-3370.
For more information on the Pine County History Museum, visit https://pinecountyhistory.org or by calling (320) 838-1607.
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