Work has begun to turn an abandoned Eau Claire landfill into a solar energy garden. Officials from Xcel Energy, the City of Eau Claire, and Pristine Sun, a California-based solar developer, broke ground early this month at the 7½-acre site, which is across West Hamilton Avenue from Xcel’s Wisconsin headquarters. The Solar*Connect Community garden project is expected to be up and running by spring. Pristine Sun is leasing the land from the city, and will own, operate, and maintain the solar panels. The electricity they generate will go to Xcel energy customers who have paid a special subscription to offset some of their usage with solar energy. A similar project will be launched in La Crosse next year. Xcel customers have already reserved about two-thirds of the panels in both projects. Xcel Energy President Mark Stoering noted that nearly one-quarter of the power Xcel generates already comes from renewable sources, but that customers have asked for more. “Through this community solar garden, we are providing a local option for our customers who want to power some or all of the energy needs with solar energy, but cannot or do not want to install their own solar panels,” he said. Together, the Eau Claire and La Crosse gardens will produce about 2,000 kilowatts. Xcel is offering subscriptions costing $1,780 per kilowatt; customers pay a $200 deposit with the balance due when the solar garden becomes operational. To learn more, visit xcelenergy.com/SolarConnectCommunity.