REGIONAL— St. Louis County’s newest public works buildings are going green and saving taxpayer’s money in the process.
The three newest facilities, in Kugler and Culver townships, and near the Whiteface Reservoir - are now equipped with 40-kilowatt rooftop solar arrays. The solar panels were produced locally by Heliene in Mt. Iron and made possible thanks to $336,000 in grants from the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s Statewide Solar on Public Buildings Program.
Each solar array is capable of producing 55 megawatts of electrical power annually, which is expected to cover 73 percent of the facilities’ electrical energy usage. This estimate takes into account a typical number of snowy and cloudy days at each location. 
The energy generated by each array equates to a reduction of approximately six metric tons of carbon emissions for each system annually, or 18 metric tons for all three. Over a typical life expectancy of 25 years, that is a reduction of 450 metric tons of carbon emissions.
“Everything about this project is a win,” said county board chair Mike Jugovich. “We are using domestically produced solar panels installed by local trade labor. And they are generating renewable energy, and reducing utility costs, which will save money for our taxpayers for decades to come.”
These three Public Works garages were completed in 2024, and the roofs were designed with the intent to add solar panels once funding was available.
Solar on Public Buildings is designed to provide incentives for installation of solar energy systems on Minnesota local government buildings. In addition to the three county public works facilities, the program provided funding for the installation of a similar solar array on the roof of the Vermilion Country School in Tower.
The program offers benefits to communities across Minnesota by reducing energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the local economy benefits from investments made in expanding energy infrastructure, and from adding clean energy jobs, like solar installations. With Minnesota currently importing 100 percent of its fossil fuels, solar power adds “homegrown” renewable sources of energy to the building and the state’s electrical grid.