Application Information
Applications must be submitted through the online portal. The required elements (see the LMI-Accessible CSG Program Application Checklist) will need to be uploaded as individual attachments or answered via web form, depending on the application item. Subscriber Organizations must complete a separate application for each proposed community solar garden.
Find the current Request for Applications on Commerce's Request for Proposals page.
Attachments
Commerce is providing the following templates and forms that Subscriber Organizations need to complete and submit as part of their applications for the 2025 Program Year:
- Subscription Plan Spreadsheet (.xlsx) updated Feb 4, 2025
- Applicant Attestation and Subscriber Organization Code of Conduct (.pdf) updated Feb. 1, 2024
- Subscriber Information Disclosure Form Cover Sheet (.pdf) updated May 22, 2024
The Batch Process
Commerce will review community solar applications in batches on a monthly basis in 2025, based on the calendar month that the application was submitted in. The application portal will not close between batches – a change from the 2024 process. All applications submitted by 11:59 PM CT on the last day of the month will be considered for that month’s batch.
For each batch of applications, Commerce will review project applications for completeness. The completeness review will include verification that all components identified in Minnesota Statutes § 216B.1641, subdivision 5 are complete and verification that a proposed project meets all eligibility requirements as described in Minnesota Statutes §§ 216B.1641, subdivisions 6, 7c, and 10b.
If the total capacity of complete applications from the first batch does not exceed 100 megawatts (MW), projects will be approved to move forward as community solar gardens.
If, at the end of the completeness review, the total capacity of applications exceeds 100 MW, Commerce will then move to a second phase of review. This phase will be a more detailed evaluation of projects per the criteria described in subdivision 7b. This phase will involve a scoring process as described in the attached “Prioritization Scoring Rubric” below.
- Prioritization Scoring Rubric (.pdf) updated Feb 4, 2025
Projects not initially approved will be held in the queue for the duration of the program year. If an approved project is not able to move forward, the next in line will then be approved to move forward. At the start of a new program year, all projects, including those held in the queue but not advanced during the previous program year, will be required to apply anew.
Timeline and Process for Future Rounds
For each new monthly batch, Commerce will review project applications for completeness. If the total number of MW in new complete applications in a given round does not, when added to the MW of projects already approved in previous rounds, exceed 100 MW, projects will be approved to move forward as community solar gardens.
If in any round, the capacity of complete applications from the batch pushes the total capacity of applications over 100 MW, Commerce will move to the second phase. This phase will consist of a more detailed evaluation of projects in that batch to prioritize which projects move forward. As an example, in the first three rounds of applications, the total MW capacity of complete applications is 30 MW in February, 30 MW in March, and 30 MW in April. Those 90 MW of projects may move forward without a second phase review. At the beginning of the May round, there would be 10 MW of capacity remaining toward the 100 MW cap. If, during the May round, another 30 MW of complete projects are proposed, Commerce would move this group of projects to the more detailed review to prioritize which projects would move forward to fulfill the remaining available 10 MW. Others would be placed in queue should a previous project pull out of the program.
To ensure transparency with the program status, Commerce will publish the total capacity of MWs of projects proposed within three (3) business days of the next month. This does not mean that all of those proposed projects are complete, but it will help Subscriber Organizations understand the scale of applications proposed.
Commerce also reserves the right to continue monthly batch review during the program year, even if all 100 MW have been allocated, in order to place those applications in queue to be awarded capacity if any becomes available. In this scenario, Commerce will provide written notice on its website and application portal of this fact.