Nonprofit Solar United Neighbors (SUN) wants to help Twin Cities homeowners of all incomes go solar. To accomplish this, SUN launched the Twin Cities Area Solar Co-op. The solar co-op will help home homeowners and local businesses use their group buying power to get a great price and service from a solar installer, while taking advantage of all the incentives available, including the recently improved Income Qualified Solar Rewards Program for low-income homeowners. This improved incentive will help homeowners go solar who might have previously thought going solar was impossible.
In December the Minnesota Department of Commerce enacted dramatic improvements to the Income Qualified Solar Rewards program. This incentive program helps low-income homeowners in Xcel territory go solar. Improvements include making it easier to prove income eligibility and increasing the incentive from $2 per watt to $2.75 per watt toward the cost of solar. In addition, the solar co-op negotiates with solar installers to allow low-income homeowners to pay a small refundable down payment and to agree to defer payment until the incentives are paid, which is after interconnection of the solar array to the grid.
Several other incentives are available to make solar more affordable for all homeowners regardless of income, like the Federal Solar Tax Credit. This allows homeowners to take 30% of the cost of going solar as a credit against federal income taxes owed. Minneapolis residents that join the solar co-op will also be able to take advantage of the city’s Green Cost Share program. This incentive is available to Minneapolis homeowners that go solar as part of a group buy. It requires 20% of those getting the incentive be low-income homeowners or in one of the city’s Green Zones.
The solar co-op is free to join and open to all homeowners in the Twin Cities metro area. SUN facilitates an open- and competitive-bidding process for all of the group’s business. Solar co-op members review bids and select a single solar company for the solar co-op. All solar co-op members then get a proposal for solar at their property from the selected installer at the solar co-op price.
Partnering in the solar co-op are the City of Minneapolis Sustainability Division, Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light, and the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society.
An online Solar 101 session is scheduled for Tuesday, February 13, at 6:30 p.m. The session covers the basics of solar technology, the economics of solar and how the solar co-op saves members money on a vetted solar installer. Info: solarunitedneighbors.org/twincities.
In January, SUN launched its solar buying group in the Twin Cities. Low-income homeowners who sign up will get support from SUN to secure these incentives. If you are a low-income homeowner interested in solar contact Minnesota State Director Bobby King at 612-293-7267 or bking@solarunitedneighbors.org. Visit solarunitedneighbors.org/waitlist-sign-up/.