Minnesota's largest coal-burning plant, the Sherburne County Generating Station, also known as Sherco, is shuttering its doors after decades. The site was initially supposed to transition into a natural gas facility, but its owner, Xcel Energy, is shifting it into a major solar panel and battery storage site following pushback from clean energy advocates.
What happened?
According to a YouTube video posted by tech expert The Electric Viking, a key part of the site's makeover is that it already has the transmission equipment needed to move large amounts of power.
The creator noted that, when finalized, the facility will be one of the largest of its kind in the U.S. As of now, the first three phases of Sherco Solar are online and produce 710 megawatts of power from about 1.7 million panels, making it the biggest solar site in the state.
The video added that a proposed fourth phase could bring the total to 910 megawatts by 2029, enough for more than 190,000 homes. Battery storage is planned as well, with as much as 600 megawatts eventually possible if approved, so electricity generated during sunny stretches can be stored and later sent out when demand increases.
Why does it matter?
Sherco's conversion reflects a broader shift toward power sources that can be built more quickly and operated more cheaply, while also helping support grid reliability. The shift is being seen across the globe.
In the U.S., the creator noted renewables made up more than 30% of the country's generating capacity during the first five months of 2026, with solar expanding especially fast. At Sherco, the same cost logic appears to be driving the change: according to the video, replacing the aging coal plant with solar and batteries is cheaper than keeping it running, and a proposed gas replacement was rejected because it cost too much.
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Moving away from coal combustion could also reduce the air pollution associated with fossil fuels. One commenter on the video summed up the local impact this way: "This makes a boatload of sense. Also a win for the locals as there will be a dramatic reduction in pollution and a drag on property values. Love it."
What's being done?
To make the transition work, Xcel is leaning on infrastructure already in place at Sherco while expanding the surrounding network. The company is backing the Minnesota Energy Connection transmission line, which would move at least 2,000 megawatts of low-cost wind and solar from southwest Minnesota onto the wider grid, and it is also reusing Sherco's existing grid connection.
The creator also said Xcel expects to return about $480 million in federal tax credits from the project to customers, which could help lower costs for ratepayers.
"Cheaper power, no job losses, and a coal site reborn as a clean energy hub," the content creator said. "That is what the end game looks like for coal."
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