Award Number: DE-AC36-08GO28308CX(s) Applied: B3.1National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)Location(s): WAOffice(s): Golden Fiel
Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance
June 2, 2017
Estimated Read Time min
Vegetation Management and Research Test Plots for Multiple Solar Installations in MN
Award Number: DE-AC36-08GO28308
CX(s) Applied: B3.1
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Location(s): MN
Office(s): Golden Field Office
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing to provide funding to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to conduct scientific research on the performance of native and pollinator-friendly vegetation underneath utility-scale solar installations at four sites in Minnesota over a three year period.
Enel Green Power North America (EGP) is developing 16 utility-scale solar facilities in southeast Minnesota, known as the Aurora Project. NREL would partner with EGP to identify and develop vegetation management protocols for solar installations in Minnesota. DOE has determined that the Aurora Project has independent utility from the proposed project. Therefore, the construction and operation of the Aurora Project is not considered a connected action and is not analyzed in this NEPA review.