New Energy Equity Builds Community Solar Garden in Buffalo Lake Minnesota

Key Takeaways

• The Buffalo Lake Community Solar Garden is a 1,420-kilowatt (dc) solar array spanning 29 acres near Buffalo Lake, Minnesota.
• The project generates more than 2.3 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually, enough to power approximately 246 homes each year.
• Landowners Brad Dobberstein and Charlie Grimm continue to farm corn, soybeans, and sugar beets on the rest of the property, alongside the solar array.
• The solar land lease will provide Brad and Charlie with steady, predictable income for the next 30 years, supplementing their farm income and reducing financial risk.
• New Energy Equity managed permitting and development from start to finish. Brad and Charlie cite clear, responsive communication as the primary reason they chose to work with New Energy Equity.

Landowner Background

Just outside Buffalo Lake, Minnesota, Brad Dobberstein and his brother-in-law Charlie Grimm have farmed their land together for years, growing corn and soybeans on ground originally purchased from a meat plant. Today, a portion of that same property is home to the Buffalo Lake Community Solar Garden, a 1,420-kilowatt (dc) array developed by New Energy Equity, spanning 29 acres. The solar garden generates more than 2.3 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy each year, enough to power approximately 246 homes annually, while the rest of the farm remains in active production.

For Brad and Charlie, the decision came down to making the most of every acre. “You can pretty much farm it the same as you always could. You know, it just takes up part of the land. So, you got to kind of farm around it a little bit.” Charlie said. Today, active fields of corn, soybeans, and sugar beets continue to grow alongside the array. “This really helped us along the way because we were guaranteed more money than if we were farming it,” Brad added. “It’s nice because we know basically what we’re going to get for the next 30 years,” Charlie said. “It’s just a way to supplement some income to us, and we know what’s going to be there, a nice way to spread our risk out a little bit.”

Why Charlie and Brad Chose New Energy Equity for Their Solar Land Lease

Communication was central to why Brad and Charlie chose New Energy Equity. “We had quite a few different companies that had contacted us or sent out stuff. We ended up going with New Energy Equity,” Brad said. “The communication between them and [Charlie & I] went very well. If we had questions, we knew we could go there and get a good answer from them.” New Energy Equity also managed the permitting process from start to finish.

The Longterm Benefits of Community Solar

Community impact was an important factor to Brad and Charlie. “We wanted it to be taken care of. That involves keeping the weeds down,” Brad said. “I think we’ve done everything we can to give a very, very nice-looking project to the community.” Looking at the bigger picture, Charlie added, “I’m looking at it as kind of an energy system, a parcel of land that we’re helping communities out with.”

The Buffalo Lake Community Solar Garden showcases how solar can provide landowners with dependable, long-term income and power to hundreds of local homes with clean energy, all while keeping working farmland in production. For Brad and Charlie, partnering with New Energy Equity meant finding a new way to put their land to work, without changing what makes it a family farm.