Five solar farms in Minnesota slated for completion next year

An energy company has broken ground on its first five community solar projects in Minnesota, and they'll supply some major companies.

New Jersey-based NRG Energy said Tuesday it has agreements to supply power to six U.S. Bank sites, the headquarters for Land O'Lakes, three Macy's stores and several facilities for Ecolab.

NRG's five solar farms in Minnesota are slated for completion next year. The projects are in Washington, Dakota, Goodhue, Olmstead and Dodge counties.

Community solar gardens first took off in Colorado a few years ago, and the model has spread to Minnesota and other states. While they're known as a way for residential customers who can't put up solar panels to get power from the sun, they're also catching on among companies that want to cut their carbon footprints.