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<br />September 8, 2021 <br /> <br />City of Lake Elmo Planning Commission, City Council, and City Staff <br />3800 Laverne Ave N <br />Lake Elmo, MN 55042 <br /> <br />RE: Conditional Use Permit Application to Develop One-Megawatt Solar Project <br /> <br />Dear Members of the Planning Commission, City Council, and Staff: <br /> <br />CEF Lake Elmo Community Solar, LLC - a wholly-owned subsidiary of OneEnergy Development, <br />LLC - is excited to present the following application to the City of Lake Elmo Planning <br />Commission and Council for a one-megawatt (MW) solar project located in Lake Elmo, <br />Minnesota. <br /> <br />OneEnergy Development developed a series of ten (10) projects in 2019 for municipal utilities <br />located throughout the region, which totaled 23MW and included the 2MW St Charles Project <br />and the 600kW Lanesboro Project. OneEnergy also developed and built two (2) one-megawatt <br />community solar projects for Xcel Energy in central and northern Wisconsin, all of which has <br />given us strong insights into how to efficiently develop, engineer, and construct solar projects in <br />the Upper Midwest. <br /> <br />We believe that we have addressed and/or exceeded the conditions listed in the City of Lake <br />Elmo Code and the Conditional Use Permit Application for solar farms. OneEnergy has worked <br />with Xcel Energy to identify a location with a strong interconnection position relative to their <br />distribution infrastructure and have secured a position in Xcel’s Solar*Rewards Community® <br />program that will result in significant savings to Xcel Energy customers in the City, Washington <br />County, and adjacent counties over the project’s 25-year life. OneEnergy has also signed a Solar <br />Energy Option Agreement for up to 10 acres with the Manzara family to enable construction and <br />operations of the project. <br /> <br />OneEnergy builds all of our projects with an eye towards integrating well to rural and agricultural <br />settings, using deer exclusion, ag-style fencing and seeding perennial, pollinator friendly cover <br />crops beneath and around the array. Once in operation, the project will not emit discernable <br />noise beyond the perimeter fence and maintenance personnel will be on site an average of once <br />monthly for vegetation and equipment monitoring and maintenance. <br /> <br />OneEnergy is dedicated to preserving its reputation as a good solar neighbor. We look forward <br />to working with City Staff, the Planning Commission and the City Council as you review our CEF <br />Lake Elmo Community Solar project for a Conditional Use Permit. <br /> <br />Sincerely, <br /> Katelyn Larkin <br />Associate Director of Development