Owner's investment or payoff of financing
Minnesota property owners can now increase the value of the sunlight that shines on their rooftops through the state's Made in Minnesota ("MiM") Solar Incentive Program. The Made in Minnesota incentive pays a property owner for the solar energy produced over 10 years at a rate that provides a rapid payback on the owner's investment or payoff of financing, and then free solar energy for years to come.
The valuable incentives are available through a lottery system, with an application deadline of February 28, 2015. The MiM program is through the Minnesota Department of Commerce and will run annually for 10 years; 2014 was the first year of the program and saw incentives provided to over 350 projects for about 5MW of residential and commercial solar energy. This incentive is available to customers of Xcel Energy, MN Power, Ottertail Power, and Alliant Energy.
To help property owners assess solar costs and benefits and meet the MiM application timeline, two Minnesota companies driving the state-wide solar economy, 3M and Silicon Energy, have partnered with Geostellar to add a MiM Fast Track option. The MiM Fast Track, available at, provides an instant estimate of the unique benefits of solar energy for each individual property if the Made in Minnesota incentive is applied, then automates the submission process, with personal online and phone support provided to the property owner by an experienced Solar Guide.
"3M provides key components of solar panels that make the generation of solar energy possible," said Gayle Schueller, 3M's vice president of global sustainability. "We want to encourage our community to benefit from those panels that are made right here in Minnesota."