SAINT PAUL – Applications for the
fourth year of the Made in Minnesota Solar Incentive Program will be accepted
beginning on Jan. 1, 2017, and ending at 4:30 p.m. CST on Feb. 28, 2017.
Administered by the Minnesota
Commerce Department, the program helps fund new solar electric and solar
thermal systems for Minnesota residents, businesses and communities. In the
program’s first three years, it has supported nearly 1,100 solar project
statewide.
“The Made in Minnesota program is
helping drive growth in the state’s rooftop solar market,” said Commerce
Commissioner Mike Rothman. “The program is boosting Minnesota’s clean energy
economy by making solar more affordable, creating more clean energy jobs and
diversifying the state’s energy resources.”
The Legislature established the
10-year Made in Minnesota Solar Incentive Program in 2013 to expand the state’s
solar industry. In the same year, it set a Solar Electricity Standard that
requires investor-owned electric utilities to obtain 1.5 percent of their power
from solar by 2020, with a goal of 10 percent by 2030.
Applicants for Made in Minnesota
solar electric, or photovoltaic (PV), systems who are randomly selected for the
program receive an annual incentive payment for 10 years based on the system’s
electricity production. For owners of solar thermal systems, the program offers
a one-time rebate up to 25 percent of the installed cost.
Solar electric systems generate
electricity for a home or building, while solar thermal systems provide
supplemental space heating or water heating.
Program boosts state’s solar
industry
During the program’s first three
years, funding was awarded in support of 1,048 solar electric projects and 36
solar thermal installations.
The PV projects equal about 15
megawatts (MW) of electric capacity. When all installations are completed and
generating power, they will generate enough electricity to power 1,856 average
Minnesota homes.
Over 10 years, the Made in
Minnesota program is expected to help fund as many as 4,000 solar installations
and increase the state’s solar electric capacity by about 65 MW, or more than
four times the total capacity when the program began.
Who can apply for Made in
Minnesota solar incentives?
The solar incentive program is
available to Minnesotans who install solar PV or solar thermal systems using
solar modules or collectors certified as manufactured in Minnesota.
Applications for the two parts of the incentive program
(solar PV and solar thermal) are accepted from Jan. 1 to Feb. 28 each year and
are awarded through a random selection process.
The solar PV incentive program is open only to customers
of investor-owned utilities (Xcel Energy, Minnesota Power and Otter Tail
Power). It is also available to developers of community solar gardens (less
than 40 kW). Solar thermal
rebate applications are open to utility customers throughout the state, with
priority given to customers of investor-owned utilities.
More information is available at the Made
in Minnesota sectionof the Commerce Department website. For questions, contact the Commerce
Department’s Energy Information Center by email at energy.Info@state.mn.us or by phone at 651-539-1886 or 800-657-3710.
