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Minnesota

Solar permitting — Wright County, Minnesota

FIPS 27171

184 indexed meetings (44 energy-related), 1 news item, 4 known opposition groups.

Wright County, MN

Compliance: ModerateSolar ordinance on fileTrajectory: ImprovingSaturation: High

Twin Cities W exurb (Monticello, Buffalo); growing; active solar in rural areas; suburban pressure on ag land. Permitting: Wright County Board: CUP in Agricultural district. Track record: no prior utility-scale solar on record — greenfield…

Permitting process

Local permitting pathway

Wright County Board: CUP in Agricultural district (IUP or conditional use) for projects <50 MW.

Setbacks & buffers

State guidance: Accessory structure setbacks apply by district; no statewide minimum solar-specific setback — NOTE: the distances above are a STATE-level fallback, not a figure read from this county's own ordinance. We hold siting-rule records for this county which may include a stricter local limit we have not yet extracted. Verify against the county's own ordinance before relying on these.

Spacing requirements

None codified.

Size restrictions

None codified; managed via CUP/SUP conditions

Penalties & bonding

No penalties or adjustments. Standard CUP/SUP process.

State-level permits & approvals

Minnesota Energy Infrastructure Permitting Act (MEIPA), effective July 1, 2025: consolidates permitting into Standard Review (solar, wind, storage, <80 MW non-renewable) and Major Review (large non-renewable, HVTLs >300 kV >30 mi). MPUC has siting authority for solar ≥50 MW (site permit required). Projects <50 MW: county/township CUP governs. Counties may assume permitting of wind 5–25 MW by resolution. Pre-2025 projects: governed by Minn. Stat. Ch. 216E site permit process. No state preemption of local ordinances for sub-threshold projects — pure local control. MISO territory statewide.

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Full permitting requirements

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State policy & grid context

State RPS & clean energy policy

100% carbon-free by 2040 | Act 7 (2023) | Minn. Stat. §216B.1691

State incentive programs

Minnesota Renewable Energy Standard (RES): 80% carbon-free by 2030; 100% by 2040 (enacted 2023, Minnesota Next Generation Energy Act). Community Solar Gardens: Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards Community (legacy, uncapped) and new LMI-Accessible CSG Program (179 MW approved by Dec 2025; 620 MW cap by 2030; pv-magazine Mar 19 2026). Minnesota MEIPA (Minnesota Energy Infrastructure Permitting Act, eff. July 1 2025): new state permit required for solar ≥50 MW. PACE financing available statewide. Utility: Xcel Energy (NSP) serves 7-county Twin Cities metro; Great Plains Energy serves southern MN; Minnesota Power (ALLETE) serves northern MN/Arrowhead; Otter Tail Power serves western MN; more than 100 electric cooperatives serve rural areas.

Grid & interconnection

MISO / NSP MN (NSPM / Xcel) zone

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Full state policy & grid detail

Full records for this county are part of a SitePath subscription.

Battery storage (BESS) P1 State-Default Permitting

No standalone county BESS ordinance confirmed.

Local BESS ordinances & bylaws

No county BESS ordinance on file; link points to the county zoning code. Governing body: Wright County, MN.

County-level battery-storage status, safety requirements, and projects — each linked to a primary source.

Community opposition P1 3 tracked

Organized opposition signals on record for this county — petitions, community groups, and oppositional coverage — each linked to its primary source.

County Board Approves Data Center Moratorium • Wright County… Data center2026-06-13 · wrightcountymn.gov
Data center moratorium considered in Wright County as Monticello residents push back on proposals Data center2026-06-13 · fox9.com
Wright County enacts emergency data center moratorium Data center2026-06-13 · hometownsource.com

SitePath maintains the most complete community-opposition dataset available, refreshed continuously from primary sources.

Subscriber intel Subscribers

Researched for this county and available with a subscription:

🔒Project track record
🔒Developer intelligence
🔒Governing board

Energy-related meetings & dockets P1

30 energy-related184 total in calendar25 data center · 5 solar

Halo color matches the energy category tagged on each meeting.

2026-08-11 County Board
Data Center
The Data Center Moratorium Workgroup will discuss and vote on a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.
agenda
2026-08-11 Other
Data Center
Tina Diedrick proposed a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm in District 1.
agenda
2026-08-11 Other
Data Center
Tina Diedrick proposed a special-use permit for a 150 MW solar farm on Township Road 12, which was voted down by the Planning Commission
agenda

2026-08-04 County Board
Data Center
Authorizes funding for Wright County Data Center Moratorium Work Group
agenda
2026-07-21 Other
Data Center
Authorizes funding for Wright County Data Center Moratorium Work Group and approves Memorandum of Agreement with Teamsters Courthouse Group.
agenda
2026-07-21 County Board
Data Center
Authorizes funding for Wright County Data Center Moratorium Work Group
agenda
2026-07-10 Other
Solar
Property owner requests variance to site a solar farm within two miles of another solar farm.
agenda
2026-07-10 County Board
Solar
The Planning Commission voted to approve a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm in Wright County.
agenda
2026-06-30 County Board
Data Center
Commissioners approve the Data Center Moratorium Working group's recommendations for setting up an application process for residents and other interested parties.
agenda
2026-06-16 Other
Data Center
Commissioners approve the Data Center Moratorium Working group's recommendations for setting up an application process for residents and other interested parties.
agenda
2026-06-09 County Board
Data Center
The Data Center Moratorium Workgroup formed to discuss and address concerns regarding a proposed data center project in Wright County.
agenda
2026-06-09 Other
Data Center
The Data Center Moratorium Workgroup formed to discuss and address concerns regarding a proposed data center project in Wright County.
agenda
2026-06-09 Other
Data Center
The Data Center Moratorium Workgroup formed to discuss and address concerns regarding a proposed data center project in Wright County.
agenda
2026-06-09 Other
Data Center
The Planning Commission approved a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.
agenda
2026-01-15 Other
Solar
Wright County Commission reviewed a solar project and was informed of potential wetland concerns.
agenda
2026-01-06 Other
Solar
Authorize Chairperson and County Administrator's Signatures on the Revocation of Conditional Use Permit and Agreement Between Developer of a Solar Energy Farm and Wright County
agenda
County Board
Data Center
The Planning Commission voted to deny a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.
agenda
County Board
Data Center
The Planning Commission voted to deny a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.
agenda
County Board
Data Center
The Planning Commission voted to deny a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.
agenda
County Board
Data Center
The Planning Commission voted to deny a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.
agenda
County Board
Data Center
The Planning Commission voted to deny a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.
agenda
County Board
Data Center
The Planning Commission voted to deny a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.
agenda
County Board
Data Center
The Planning Commission voted to deny a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.
agenda
County Board
Data Center
The Planning Commission voted to deny a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.
agenda
Zoning Board
Solar
Wright County Zoning Ordinance adopts an emergency moratorium on solar energy farms.
agenda
County Board
Data Center
The Planning Commission voted to deny a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.
agenda
County Board
Data Center
The Planning Commission voted to deny a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.
agenda
County Board
Data Center
The Planning Commission voted to deny a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.
agenda
County Board
Data Center
The Planning Commission voted to deny a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.
agenda
County Board
Data Center
The Planning Commission voted to deny a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.
agenda

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27 more energy-related meetings

Full records for this county are part of a SitePath subscription.

State PSC dockets P1

No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.

Local news P3

2026-05-13 Wright County Considers Data Center Moratorium Monticello Residents Push Back Proposalsfox9.com

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Data sources: public agendas/minutes from local government sites; PSC dockets from state regulators; news from GDELT and curated RSS. Last refreshed 2026-09-10. See the county risk scorecard or the full Minnesota permitting index.