WasecaSun

Solar power plant in Minnesota, United States of America. Approximate location 44.0514, -93.3865.

SolarMinnesotaUnited States of America

WasecaSun is a 7 MW solar power plant in Minnesota, United States of America. It is operated by Geronimo Energy. Based on reported annual generation of 8 GWh, it can supply roughly 2.3k homes. It ranks #6191 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2018, it is around 8 years old — recently built. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, solar supplies about 8.6% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

7Legacy source-record capacity
8GWh reported / yr
2,342homes powered
2018commissioned (~8 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0061142.

Data status

Known data

FacilityWasecaSun WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Minnesota WRI
Coordinates44.0514, -93.3865 WRI
FuelSolar WRI
MW installed capacity7 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerGeronimo Energy WRI
Commissioned2018 WRI
GWh reported / yr8 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#6191 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#729 of 3283 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.47× · 3 MW median · 3283 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,342 calculated from reported generation
Climate6.9°C · HDD 4,294 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 34/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 5 MW for WasecaSun solar farm, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: A2_GENERAL_REVIEW - recommended action: manual_source_check - confidence: medium_low. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 7 MW, WasecaSun is well above the median solar plant in United States of America (3 MW). Solar PV converts sunlight directly into electricity with no moving parts or fuel; output varies by time of day and weather, so it pairs with storage or flexible backup.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Reported generation trend

2018: 8 GWh20182019: 8 GWh20198 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Geronimo Energy. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 44.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

6.9°Cannual mean temp
4,294heating degree-days (base 18°C)
261cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
356 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -11 °CJF: -7 °CFM: -1 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 9 °CON: 0 °CND: -8 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 75% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 88/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Solar PV loses ~0.35%/°C above 25°C cell temperature — roughly 0.0% at warm-season highs here (estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
33.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
428 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #729 largest solar power plant of 3283 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 3283 solar power plants in this dataset, together about 38,093 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 44.0514, -93.3865 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is WasecaSun?

WasecaSun is a 7 MW source-record solar power plant in Minnesota, United States of America, commissioned in 2018.

How much electricity does WasecaSun generate?

WasecaSun generates about 8 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can WasecaSun power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,342 homes.

Who operates WasecaSun?

WasecaSun is operated by Geronimo Energy.

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