It may not seem like much: a solar garden on a hill, on the edge of St. Paul’s Railroad Island neighborhood.

But the project — now being mulled by the state — is being eyed by city and clean energy advocates nationwide. For Xcel Energy, it would be the first of its kind: not just because it’s a solar grid that they would own, but one catering primarily to residential properties, and serving people who don’t have a whole lot of money.

Here’s the thing about solar farms: Yes, there are some a good bit bigger than half a megawatt, which is what the Railroad Island project would be. But they’re usually owned and run by larger commercial or government entities, rather than Xcel.

That’s because of how the business model is shaped. Those large farms usually require a big commitment from those they’re built to serve: like a 25-year commitment. Fine for a government entity, but not something homeowners — or renters — are terribly comfortable with. They typically get their own, personal grid, rather than rely on a farm.

Then there’s the real estate.

“A five megawatt farm needs about 40 acres of land,” noted Lee Gabler, senior director of customer strategy and solutions for Xcel Energy. “Where do you think those go?”

Again, big commercial or government entities. And to Gabler’s knowledge, none has catered to a primarily residential customer base.

Which is why the Railroad Island project — enough power for 100 homes on the city’s East Side — is such a big deal. And why it’s being eyed by international organizations such as the Institute for Sustainable Communities, supporters say.

“It was interesting talking to someone in India about it,” said Jim Erchul, head of Dayton’s Bluff Community Housing Services, which is partnering on the project.

St. Paul city officials say the residential program is unlike anything else in the city, and Xcel officials couldn’t think of anything comparable statewide, either.

“You know how St. Paul likes to make rules? They don’t have any rules for this,” Erchul says with a smile.

PUSHING HARD

Those involved acknowledge that while the project appears to have serious momentum, there are still a lot of balls in the air.

The basics are these: The farm would be built on a plot of land adjacent to Erchul’s Rivoli Bluff housing project, on an East Side bluff overlooking downtown.

That land has a catch: it used to be a dump, literally. The city’s street cleaners used to deposit all their debris there.

It’s since been covered with clean fill, and approved for recreational use.

“(State pollution inspectors) are right across the street. So it’s heavily regulated, because they can watch you out the window,” Erchul said.

Still, the land went into forfeiture, and is now owned by the state, with Ramsey County as legal caretaker.

In July, the city’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority voted to try to purchase the land, which has a county-assessed value of roughly $54,000.

That proposed purchase is still in the works. Whether Erchul’s housing non-profit or Xcel would own the land is still something to be worked out. But Xcel would pay to have a potential solar farm built.

The state’s Public Utilities Commission also has to sign off. Xcel has filed with them twice, and officials there say that process will likely take until the end of the year.

Getting permission’s one thing, but there’s something else the farm will still probably need.

Customers.

SAVE, ONE WAY OR THE OTHER

One thing about Railroad Island: There’s a lot of low-income renters. And a lot of old homes.

Which means a lot of unnecessarily large utility bills, for people who can’t afford it. Xcel officials have analyzed the bills out there, and they see a big discrepancy: high costs in the winter, compared to the summer. Elsewhere, it’s typically the opposite.

Conclusion: baseboard, or electric heating, coupled with people not using their air conditioners in the summer all that much.

So Xcel, along with Erchul and a third group, the Energy CENTS Coalition, hopes to pair the solar farm with a massive outreach program to the neighborhood, trying to convince people to take advantage of their conservation programs, which offer funding to low-income residents to make efficiency upgrades.

“The whole key is getting right down and dirty, going door to door,” Erchul said.

And, while there, maybe talk about signing up for the solar farm over on the hill.

The savings from the farm wouldn’t be huge, Erchul and Xcel admit: $3 to $6 a month. But it would be clean energy, and there would be no credit check, no upfront fees, and no long-term commitment — typically the big barriers for low-income residents who want to get involved with solar.

Legislation passed in 2013 set path for community solar farms, mandating that Xcel allow third-party entities who managed such farms to plug into their grid.

The Railroad Island project would be the first such farm actually owned by Xcel, Gabler said.

The state also concluded that there was a need for greater access to solar for low-income residents, and looked to Xcel to come up with a pilot program to address the issue.

“It’s kinda, like, refreshing,” said Erchul, whose non-profit has been developing and managing housing for St. Paul’s East Side for decades.

“I’m supposed to be hammering on them,” Erchul jokes about big corporate entity. “It’s like the exact opposite. They’re the ones calling for a community garden and wanting low-income service, and they’re into it, they’re on board, man. It’s just weird. What is going on here?”