Minnesota's largest solar farm hits 710 MW on a retired coal site | Clean Energy Briefing — July 22, 2026

TODAY'S LEAD: Xcel Energy's Sherco Solar project in Becker completed its third phase, with a proposed fourth that would push the coal-to-solar conversion to 910 MW — a template the industry is watching as utilities nationwide face pressure to reuse fossil fuel sites.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

Xcel's Sherco Solar Reaches 710 MW on Retired Coal Site: The third phase of the Sherco Solar project in Becker is now complete, making it one of the largest operating solar installations in the Upper Midwest. A proposed fourth phase would bring total capacity to 910 MW. Read More: Minnesota, Solar Power World.
Maine Launches First 360 MW Storage Solicitation: 's Department of Energy Resources filed plans for its inaugural competitive energy storage procurement, targeting up to 360 MW of battery capacity in a state that has lagged New England peers on grid storage. Read More: Maine, Energy Storage News.
Pennsylvania Governor Signs Solar Decommissioning Law: Governor Josh Shapiro signed bipartisan Senate Bill 349, requiring decommissioning plans for ground-mounted solar projects of 2 MW-AC and larger across — shifting end-of-life responsibility from landowners to developers. Read More: Pennsylvania, Solar Power World.
SRP Plans 1,675 MW Hybrid Energy Center South of Phoenix: Salt River Project will ask its board in September to approve the Marigold Energy Center in — a 600 MW solar, 400 MW battery, and up to 675 MW gas complex 45 miles south of Phoenix. Read More: Arizona, Utility Dive.
Trump Approves Saudi Nuclear Deal With Enrichment Path: President Trump signed off on a nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia that could permit uranium enrichment for civilian purposes, according to two AP sources — a move with implications for U.S. nuclear export policy and nonproliferation norms. Read More: Seattle Times.

Solar & Storage

The Sherco Solar project is now the clearest proof point that coal-to-solar conversions can work at massive scale. Xcel Energy's 710 MW installation in Becker, Minnesota, occupies land that once hosted the Sherburne County coal plant, and a fourth phase in front of regulators would push it past 900 MW. For developers eyeing retired fossil fuel sites — and the existing transmission interconnection they offer — Sherco is the case study that will show up in every investor deck for the next two years. Read More: Solar Power World.

Further west, rPlus Energies is stacking milestones in Idaho. The company commissioned the 125 MW Pleasant Valley Solar 2 project and broke ground on the 400 MW Blacks Creek Energy Center, bringing its total developed portfolio in the state past 1 GW. Idaho has been a quieter utility-scale market compared to its Mountain West neighbors, but rPlus's pace signals that the state's load growth — driven partly by data centers in the Boise corridor — is creating real procurement urgency. Read More: Solar Power World.

In California, Avantus brought the 200 MW / 500 MWh Aratina 1 solar-plus-storage facility online in Kern County, backed by long-term PPAs with community choice aggregators Central Coast Community Energy and Silicon Valley Clean Energy. As noted in yesterday's briefing, this is now operational — a data point worth tracking because CCA-contracted projects have had a mixed completion record, and Aratina 1 delivering on time strengthens the CCA procurement model. Read More: Power Magazine.

Corporate-backed solar also moved forward. Heelstone reached financial close on an 86 MW solar portfolio supported by Meta power purchase agreements, adding to the hyperscaler-driven pipeline that has become the most bankable segment of the U.S. market. The deal's specifics — project locations were not disclosed — matter less than the signal: Meta continues to sign PPAs even as data center permitting battles intensify in Virginia and elsewhere. Read More: reNEWS.

On the storage front, Maine filed plans for its first competitive battery solicitation, targeting up to 360 MW. The state has watched Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York build out grid storage programs while its own market remained nascent. For storage developers, this opens a new territory with winter peaking characteristics that favor longer-duration assets — exactly the kind of procurement that zinc and iron-air battery makers have been chasing. Speaking of zinc: in Nebraska, a 3 MW / 12 MWh system using Eos zinc-based batteries is nearing final commissioning for Lincoln Electric System, managed by Wattmore software. It's a small project, but one of the first operational zinc BESS installations for a municipal utility. Read More: Energy Storage News, Solar Power World.

Arizona's Salt River Project is going bigger and blending technologies. The proposed Marigold Energy Center, sited 45 miles south of Phoenix, would combine 600 MW of solar, 400 MW of battery storage, and up to 675 MW of natural gas generation — plus a new substation. SRP plans to bring the proposal to its board in September. The hybrid design reflects a utility hedging strategy: pair renewables with dispatchable gas to satisfy regulators and industrial customers demanding firm capacity. For developers, it means gas-backed hybrid projects remain the path of least resistance in conservative service territories. Read More: Utility Dive.

Wind Energy

Wyoming's largest pending wind project took a step forward at the local level. Cheyenne city officials are preparing to request impact assistance funds tied to the 650 MW Laramie Range Wind Project in northwest Laramie County, developed by Repsol Renewables with ConnectGen funding. The move signals the city expects state approval and wants to lock in community benefit payments before construction begins. Wyoming's wind corridor remains one of the most productive in the country, but local governments have grown savvier about extracting fiscal commitments early in the permitting process — a trend that adds cost certainty for developers willing to negotiate but raises hurdles for those who aren't. Read More: CapCity News.

Policy & Markets

Pennsylvania's new solar decommissioning law is the kind of legislation that barely makes a ripple in Washington but reshapes project economics on the ground. Governor Shapiro signed Senate Bill 349 with bipartisan support, requiring developers of ground-mounted solar installations 2 MW-AC and larger to file decommissioning plans and assume full financial responsibility for removing equipment at end of life. Landowners — many of them farmers leasing acreage — had lobbied for the provision, arguing they shouldn't be left holding the bag if a developer goes bankrupt in year 25. For the solar industry, the law adds a planning requirement but also removes a potent argument used by project opponents at county zoning hearings across Pennsylvania. Read More: CleanTechnica.

Ohio is moving in a sharply different direction. The state's $100 million JobsOhio Energy Opportunity Initiative explicitly excludes renewable energy projects from funding eligibility, according to. Critics say the fund lacks transparency about how allocations are made. For clean energy developers already navigating Ohio's restrictive township-level siting rules, the exclusion reinforces the state's position as one of the toughest markets in the Midwest — even as neighboring states like Indiana and Michigan expand renewable procurement. Read More: Canary Media.

At the federal level, President Trump approved a nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia that two AP sources say could allow uranium enrichment for civilian purposes. The deal carries significance beyond nuclear diplomacy: it signals the administration's willingness to use 123 agreements — the legal framework for U.S. civilian nuclear exports — as geopolitical tools. Nonproliferation experts have warned that granting enrichment rights to a Middle Eastern kingdom would set a precedent that complicates future negotiations with other nations. For the domestic nuclear industry, the agreement could open export opportunities for reactor technology, though congressional review may slow or alter the terms. Read More: Seattle Times.

LOOKING AHEAD

SRP Board Vote on Marigold in September: Salt River Project's board will decide on the 1,675 MW hybrid energy center south of Phoenix, a bellwether for how public utilities balance renewables with gas in their resource plans.
Maine Storage Solicitation Details: Watch for the state's final solicitation design and timeline, which will determine whether the 360 MW target draws national storage developers or favors incumbents already permitted in New England.
Wyoming Wind Permitting Decision: State approval of the 650 MW Laramie Range Wind Project would be among the largest onshore wind permits issued in 2026, with Cheyenne's impact assistance demands shaping the community benefits template for future Rocky Mountain projects.

TODAY'S QUICK ANSWERS

Q: What does Pennsylvania's decommissioning law mean for solar developers working in the state?

A: Projects 2 MW-AC and larger now need a decommissioning plan and financial assurance before they can proceed. The upfront planning cost is real but modest. The bigger effect may be positive: developers can point to state law at zoning hearings to counter the common objection that abandoned panels will blight farmland. Expect other states — particularly in the Southeast and Midwest where similar concerns dominate local debates — to use SB 349 as a legislative template.

Q: Why should storage developers pay attention to Maine's 360 MW solicitation?

A: Maine is a winter-peaking system with limited existing battery capacity, which means the state's grid needs differ from the summer-peak markets in the Southwest where most storage has been deployed. The solicitation could favor longer-duration technologies — four hours or more — and developers with cold-weather operational track records. At 360 MW, it would instantly make Maine one of New England's larger storage markets and create a procurement pathway that other northern states may replicate.

Q: What does Ohio's renewable energy exclusion from its $100M fund signal for project siting there?

A: It compounds an already difficult environment. Ohio already allows individual townships to block wind and solar projects, and the state has no renewable portfolio standard with binding near-term targets. Excluding clean energy from a $100 million economic development fund sends a clear message to developers about where the state government's priorities lie — and may accelerate the shift of Midwest renewable investment toward Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois.

THE BOTTOM LINE: From Minnesota's 710 MW coal-to-solar conversion to Maine's first storage solicitation and Pennsylvania's decommissioning framework, today's news shows that state-level decisions — not federal policy — are setting the pace, the rules, and increasingly the boundaries of where clean energy capital flows.