TOWER— The sun was shining here late last week as workers with Britt-based Sisu Solar worked to install their first commercial scale photovoltaic array, up on the roof of the Vermilion Country School.
It’s a 37-kilowatt, grid-connected array that will more than meet the school’s energy demands on most days, with excess feeding back to the grid. It’s expected to save the school several thousand dollars a year on its electric bill and those savings will be earmarked for school projects that benefit the community.
The project was made possible by a $61,634 grant through the Minnesota Department of Commerce, obtained by the Tower Economic Development Authority using federal funds allocated through the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act. Much of the funding has since been repealed by the Trump administration, although projects in the pipeline as of the end of 2025 were allowed to go forward.
The University of Minnesota has also provided a $20,000 grant to along with technical assistance to help with planning for the project. A second phase of the project is expected to include battery storage within the school, which would increase the financial savings from the solar array.