Solar powers North End Community Center

The City of Saint Paul has installed solar panels to help power North End Community Center with support from the Minnesota Department of Commerce.

Saint Paul was one of 18 local governments across the state that received grants under the first round of funding from the Minnesota Department of Commerce Solar on Public Buildings Program in early 2025, and the City has since received additional state grant support for three more projects to be installed during the upcoming year at Fire Station #3, Animal Services, and Hamline Midway Library.

“We were excited to be included in the first group of local governments selected for grant funding from Minnesota’s Solar on Public Buildings Program,” said Cecilia Govrik, City of Saint Paul Energy Coordinator. “Adding on-site solar to municipal buildings supports our Ccity’s climate goals and will help reduce annual energy costs for our departments, allowing them to invest that money in other projects and services for our community.”

The city worked with Renewable Energy Partners, a Minneapolis-based solar development company, for the North End Community Center project. The Solar on Public Buildings grant covered 50% of the equipment and installation costs for a 40- kW rooftop solar array at the community center. The City of Saint Paul also expects to receive a Federal tax credit for 30% of the solar project costs next year. The solar system, which is expected to be live by the end of the week, will produce an estimated 49,000 kWh of electricity annually – approximately 25% of the building’s electric need – and will save the Parks & Recreation Department over $6000 per year in utility costs for the facility.

The City of Saint Paul celebrated the grand opening of the 25,000 square-foot North End Community Center back in April 2025.

“The new North End Community Center has been offering expanded programs and state-of-the-art amenities to the community for six months now,” said Andy Rodriguez, Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Director. “The rooftop solar installation is one of the final projects to be wrapped up at the facility, officially making this building the most sustainable community center in Saint Paul to date.”

To align with the Saint Paul Sustainable Building Ordinance, the North End Community Center was designed to use 70% less energy than the average baseline building. In addition to the new solar, the facility uses a geothermal energy system for heating and cooling and includes other sustainable building features such as LED lighting, window glazing, low carbon building materials, and an extensive stormwater management system. To learn more about North End Community Center, visit www.stpaul.gov/facilities/north-end-community-center.