The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission published its Order (pdf) Tuesday approving Xcel Energy’s revised tariff for its Community Solar Garden Program contingent on certain changes being made. After Xcel Energy filed its tariff following programmatic changes made by the Commission earlier in the year, several parties objected to Xcel Energy’s interpretation. The Commission heard these arguments on November 19. As a result of decisions made during those deliberations, the Order:

• Modifies Xcel’s definition of co-located community solar gardens (casting aside efforts to agree on a geographic safe-harbor),
• Refines the material-upgrade limitation on interconnection,
• Clarifies the standard to be applied by the Independent Engineer when resolving interconnection disputes,
• Affirms the ability of cap-compliant projects to transfer their interconnection-queue positions, and
• Requires Xcel to develop an exception process to allow projects to interconnect when possible before installation of telecommunications upgrades, which can have 12-15 month build-out timelines attached to them.

The Order requires that Xcel file its tariff reflecting the Commission’s changes by Friday, December 18.