Oct
03
Northern Sun Festival
The City of Tower, Vermilion Country School, and the University of Minnesota's Solar Commons Research Project will celebrate Minnesota's first interconnected Solar Commons at a public event on October 3rd, showcasing a 40kW school solar array paired with a groundbreaking, commons-based approach to community solar.
Public
In-Person
Date
October 3, 2026
Time
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
location
Vermilion Country School, Tower, Minnesota
organizer
University of Minnesota's Solar Commons Research Project, Vermilion Country School
Powered by the Sun, Rooted in Community
Music | Prizes | Free Meal
The Northern Sun Festival is a community celebration showcasing Minnesota's first interconnected Solar Commons. The event will demonstrate the tools developed to make solar commoning possible — including a simple legal agreement and a digital dashboard monitoring platform — and will feature Vermilion Country School students explaining their plan for “school participatory budgeting” to distribute solar savings and report on outcomes. Partner exhibits, live music and drumming, food, and public art (including a mural, dashboard art, and a tabletop Solar Commons board game being translated into Ojibwe) will round out the day.
The event is free and open to the public. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet project partners, view exhibits, and learn how solar commoning can create a 20-year revenue stream for community work.