energy

Moorhead residents now have an opportunity to partially power their homes with solar energy. Moorhead Public Service hosted a public meeting on April 16 to inform residents about the 20 kW Capture The Sun™ Community Solar Garden and to provide applications to participants.

Residents who apply for and purchase a solar module license will receive a solar panel that “will translate into running four 60-watt light bulbs four hours a day for a month,” said Moorhead Public Service’s Energy Services Manager Dennis Eisenbraun. The panels will be located between Moorhead Public Service’s existing wine turbines. Planners stated that there is space to expand the project to 200 kW in the future if there is a demand. Construction is slated to begin this summer.

“The primary reason to do this is to allow people who can’t normally put a solar panel on their house to get the benefits of solar without having to put it on your property,” said Eisenbraun. He added that many homes aren’t suitable for solar panel installation due to roof slope, shading and other factors.

Households can apply for a solar module license at Moorhead Public Service weekdays from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Applications are available online at www.mpsutility.com. The module license will have a one-time cost of $480, which may be paid using cash, check or credit card. Customers can also elect to have the feed applied to the their next monthly utility bill from Moorhead Public Service.