The Freeborn County Board of Commissioners Tuesday unanimously approved the construction of an approximately 10-acre solar farm north of Hartland.

The farm, expected to provide solar power for at least 25 years, was approved after Freeborn County Environmental Services announced the plan met standards.

Construction on the farm, expected to be owned by solar firm U.S. Solar, is expected to start by the end of 2019 and take about three months.

The power from the farm will be managed by Xcel Energy. Landowners and businesses will subscribe, and then Xcel will credit what they subscribed for to their bills. Proceeds are expected to stay in Freeborn County, said Freeborn County Planning and Zoning Administrator Trevor Bordelon.

After the vote, U.S. Solar project development analyst Alex Yager called the farm “a great thing for the community.”

“It actually can increase the tax base,” she said. “It increases the property tax on the property by putting a solar garden there, which means that more tax revenue can go to the city and the county.”

She said the company will plant pollinator-friendly habitat and deep-rooted grasses underneath solar arrays, which will allow an increase in crop yields in nearby fields and for erosion and runoff to be prevented, protecting waterways.

“It can help diversify the mix in the grid,” Yager said of solar energy. “If something were to happen to a coal plant, then there’s solar in the grid.”

To Yager, the solar plant will save money on electric bills for private individuals, businesses and government boards.

The project is expected to bring in $3.7 million over 25 years and generate enough power for 225 homes annually.

After the meeting, board Chairman Christopher Shoff said larger solar development has taken place in Waseca County near U.S. Highway 14.

“We’ve had some smaller ones approved, too, before, but I think it’s the changing landscape of renewable energy,” he said. “The problem, one issue with solar is that in agricultural lands it takes that out of production and it takes more space to create the energy.”

Shoff said he hopes approval “spurs discussion” about solar energy, and it is included on buildings and other fields.

In other action, the board:

Approved hiring a full-time employee in the license center.

Had a second hearing on the proposed use of body cameras by the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office. No one spoke during the hearing.

Reimbursed $366,745 in expenditures for Freeborn County Ditch 79 north of Bear Lake from the county’s general fund, which will not affect the general property tax levy. It will affect nearby ditch owners. Commissioners filed a lien to record the loan.

Approved a liquor license for Clarks Grove Golf Course.