The city of Albert Lea recently received a $3,500 grant it plans to use to evaluate the possibility of expanding the community’s solar energy footprint.

The Clean Energy Resource Teams grant was received Monday. The city plans to collect annual energy use data, calculate energy use and performance evaluation, evaluate the viability of solar energy, develop a detailed solar production concept design, calculate annual energy generation possible and develop preliminary project budgets.

The city also plans to develop a project report summarizing all of its findings, identify the local economic development potential of solar development and include a proposed solar implementation plan for city-owned facilities.

“We’re going to explore the potential for installing solar at city facilities,” said Assistant City Manager Jerry Gabrielatos.

The city reportedly became aware of the grant through its participation in the Green Steps Program. Program administrators sent out notices to cities making them aware of grant opportunities.

Gabrielatos said the city plans to send data it gathers over the coming months to Ted Richmond, principal with the sustainability consultant firm paleBLUEdot.

Richmond said the cost of solar energy has decreased about 65 percent in the last five years and is projected to decrease even more.

He said roughly 40 cents of every $1 spent on solar energy has the potential to be kept in the community. Investing in solar energy could allow governments to save money on energy costs, and developing solar energy is an economic development opportunity for cities that become leaders in the push for renewable energy.

“The city of Albert Lea’s got a lot of potential here,” Richmond said, adding Minnesota is a good market for solar energy and the city has supported evaluating ways to improve the quality of life of its residents through the Blue Zones Project.

“This certainly fits into that,” he said.

To Richmond, the city has a quality downtown area that would provide good solar exposure.

Richmond said based on climate models, increasing temperatures are predicted, including possibly 40 to 50 days of at least 95 degree weather by 2100.

Richmond, who has compiled an energy report in Albert Lea, said the warming trend could be alleviated by countries if they follow through on the Paris Climate Agreement.

The award is one of 39 given to renewable energy and efficiency projects in Minnesota. The awards are reportedly the ninth round of seed grants from the group, which have totaled $1 million to 300 projects since 2006.

“paleBLUEdot is excited to be working with Albert Lea to identify the potential of solar energy for the city,” Richmond said in the release. “Not only is renewable energy a great compliment to the range of livability initiatives the city is engaged in, it will also prove to be a meaningful contribution to the community.”