50-State Solar Project #6,State of Minnesota--CONSTRUCTION PHASE


Lincoln Park Solar Garden, Duluth, MN—Providing veterans and low-income families with renewable power

Partial funding from the Left Coast Fund Matching Grant Challenge


The development of the Lincoln Park Solar Garden is underway in Duluth, Minnesota, a project that will provide power for homeless veterans and seed an emergency energy fund for low-income families. The iconic 40 kilowatt array will stand at the entrance to the Lincoln Park neighborhood and feature opportunities for community education and neighborhood revitalization led by Ecolibrium3, a local nonprofit organization.

     One quarter of the array will power the Duluth Veterans’ Place, a project by the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans that provides housing and services to Duluth’s veteran population. Their work has effectively ended homelessness among veterans in northeastern Minnesota and the value of the solar power will allow them to spend less on operational costs and more on veteran services.

     The remainder of the power from the Lincoln Park Solar Garden will seed a fund reserved for families struggling to pay their utility bills. Duluth’s cold winters and older housing stock make energy costs especially burdensome for those already in poverty, many who face utility disconnection and situations of “heat or eat,” a circumstance where they must choose to either pay their utility bills or for other necessities like food or medicine. Ecolibrium3 will pair the one-time assistance from the Lincoln Park Solar Garden with weatherization services that reduce a household’s overall energy costs.

    The project also combines solar power with community building efforts around art, education, and sustainability. Community leaders participated in the design of the array, local artists are creating art installations to be incorporated with the solar, and educators are designing education programs around the garden to increase the neighborhoods achievement in STE(A)M subjects. The high profile array will be a destination location for the neighborhood and a symbol of Duluth’s renewable future.

    Developed by Ecolibrium3, a nonprofit that works at the intersection of energy, equity, and economic vitality, the solar component of the Lincoln Park Solar Garden will be completed by the end of 2019, with art and community programming phases completed in 2020. The $25,000 matching grant from the Left Coast Fund will support assistance to low-income families and veterans and allow Ecolibrium3 to continue to lead and inspire change towards an equitable and sustainable future.
Location: Duluth, MN, USA

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