779th largest plant in Minnesota · 13612th nationally
Crane Garden is a solar power plant in Minnesota with a nameplate capacity of 0.9 MW. It generates roughly 193 MWh per year — enough to power about 18 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 2% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Crane Garden |
|---|---|
| Operator | Crane Garden Llc |
| City | Lester Prairie |
| County | Mcleod County |
| State | Minnesota |
| ZIP | 55354 |
| Coordinates | 44.90900, -94.03270 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MNC04 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 0.9 MW | Operating | 2023 |
| NERC Region | MRO |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc.. |
Utility-scale solar farms convert sunlight directly into electricity using photovoltaic panels. They produce zero direct emissions and have no fuel cost, but generation is variable — peaking at midday and falling to zero at night. Capacity factors typically run 18–28% in good locations.