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FACT BRIEF

Does solar energy account for 1.8% of Minnesota’s energy?

By Alberto Gomez
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NO

Solar energy accounted for 3.4% of the state’s electricity production in 2022, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. So far, solar energy accounts for 3.86% of the state’s electricity produced in 2023. Solar is the second largest renewable energy source after wind, which produced 24% of all Minnesota's electricity in 2022.

Altogether, renewable energy, which also includes hydropower, biomass and waste-to-energy, provided 31% of the electricity generated in the state in 2022. Nuclear power provided an additional 24%.

Solar projects in the utility, community and commercial sectors have slowed since 2017, but an increasing number have been installed in homes since 2017.

Solar panels cannot produce energy at night. However, some newer solar energy projects are being designed with batteries to make energy produced during the day available at night.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Clean Energy Economy MN MN Energy Fact Sheet
Solar Energy Industries Association Minnesota Solar Industries Association
US Energy Information Administration Minnesota State Profile and Energy Estimates
Forbes About Solar Panels
Minnesota Reformer Minnesota’s first solar-storage project nears completion in Grand Rapids
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.