Made in MN Solar Rebate Program to open on Jan. 1

The 2nd year of the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s 10-year, $15-million-a-year Made in Minnesota (MiM) Solar Incentive Program will officially launch on Jan. 1, 2015.

The MiM program is an incentive program available to residential, commercial, and non-profit customers of investor owned utilities such as Xcel Energy. The availability of these rebates means the cost to install a solar electric system will be much more affordable, boosting Minnesota’s solar energy generation. Last year, the first year for the program, MiM attracted more than 500 entities to reserve rebates for the equivalent of 5.22 megawatts of distributed solar electric systems.

Many residents and businesses throughout the state are already reaping the benefits of the program, including local Nokomis True Value Hardware. Owner Carolyn Faacks is dedicated to maintaining a socially and environmentally conscious business and saw the rebates as an opportunity to finally make the change affordable. “I’ve always been interested in ways to reduce my consumption of resources. Renewable energy is the end game and the sooner we get there the better the outcome is for everyone,” said Faacks.

Installing solar was an easy decision for Faacks because the environmental benefits aligned with Nokomis Hardware’s vision and because the economic savings were immediate – especially after taking advantage of the Made in Minnesota program.

After looking into several companies, Faacks decided upon All Energy Solar because they worked to come up with a financing option that was in reach of her budget. Using both the main business rooftop as well as the storage building rooftop, All Energy Solar was able to design a system that generated as much electricity as possible. The array generates up to 17,000 kWh of electricity per year for the store. “All Energy Solar was fantastic. It is only because of their incredible effort that I was able to take advantage of this year’s program.” Faacks is now seeing her electric savings continue to pile up, and she has a sustainable source of energy for her business that will benefit the environment and community for generations to come.

“Through the use of these incentives, we were able to help a small business achieve something that normally would not be possible,” commented Brian Allen, Vice President of All Energy Solar. “We worked hand-in-hand with Nokomis True Value to design a package that met all of their expectations and, with the use of financing, ultimately allowed them to save money on day one.”

To learn more about how to qualify for this year’s Made in MN incentive program, visit All Energy Solar’s website at www.allenergysolar.com or call 800-620-3370 to talk to a Solar Specialist. Applications for the 2015 program are due by Feb. 28.

All Energy Solar is a family owned company that provides solar installations, and community outreach and education to teach the importance of, and immediate need for, energy alternatives.