Minnesota-based Sherco Solar Power Plant officially serves customers in the Upper Midwest

CLEAR LAKE TOWNSHIP, Minn. – Minnesota leaders, including Gov. Tim Walz, met Tuesday to Xcel Energy’s Sherco Solar factory near St. Cloud to celebrate a milestone in the state’s shift to carbon-free electricity.

Xcel officials say Sherco, based in Clear Lake Township, began connecting to the Upper Midwest’s electric grid in October and now serves customers across the region with about 220 megawatts of low-cost power.

Once completed, Sherco will have 1.5 million solar panels that will generate 710 megawatts — enough electricity to power 150,000 homes, officials say.

This is one of the largest solar projects in the region, and the people behind it tell WCCO that the state is about a third of the way to completion.

Walz says it’s a move that puts Minnesota at the top of the clean energy leaderboard.

“We’re ready and we’re not afraid of the future. We’re preparing for it and we’re embracing it, and that’s exactly what’s happening here,” Walz said.

The project is expected to be completed in 2026. Walz expects the state can complete the transition to 100% clean energy by 2040.