314th largest plant in Minnesota · 9135th nationally
Porter Way Community Solar Garden is a solar power plant in Minnesota with a nameplate capacity of 3.0 MW. It generates roughly 4.7k MWh per year — enough to power about 447 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 18% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Porter Way Community Solar Garden |
|---|---|
| Operator | Aep Onsite Partners, Llc |
| City | Waconia |
| County | Carver County |
| State | Minnesota |
| ZIP | 55387 |
| Coordinates | 44.85103, -93.77840 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PV1 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 3.0 MW | Operating | 2018 |
| 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.