The Minnesota Department of Commerce announced on August 12, 2014, the incentive amounts for the second year (2015) of its 10-year, $15-million-a-year Made in Minnesota Solar Incentive Program. The solar incentive program will be available to customers of investor-owned utilities (Xcel Energy, Alliant Energy, Minnesota Power, and Otter Tail Power) who install solar electric systems (PV) using solar modules certified as manufactured in Minnesota.
PV Modules from two Minnesota companies—tenKsolar and Silicon Energy—have been certified for the program to date. Solar PV systems must be less than 40 kilowatts (kW) to qualify for incentives. Applications will be accepted annually between January 1- February 28 each year through 2023 and will be selected by lottery.
Solar Energy Production Incentives
The six criteria listed in the Made in Minnesota Solar Energy Production Incentive legislation (Minnesota Statute § 216C.414, subd. 2) were used to determine the incentive amounts. Incentives for PV systems will be performance-based—established by a system’s energy production—and will be paid over 10 years rather than the capacity-based incentives of past programs.
Commercial For Profit below 40 kW DC Solar Incentives Amount
- Silicon Energy Voyageur Modules SiE-V-275 = $.35/kWh
- tenKsolar Module XT-A 410= $.13/kWh
Commercial Nonprofit/Government below 40 kW DC Solar Incentive Amount
- Silicon Energy Voyageur Modules SiE-V-275 = $.35/kWh
- tenKsolar Module XT-A 410= $.15/kWh
Residential up to 10 kW DC Solar Incentive Amount
- Silicon Energy Voyageur Modules SiE-V-275 = $.37/kWh
- tenKsolar Module XT-A 410= $.25/kWh
The Made in Minnesota Solar Incentive Program is administered by the Minnesota Department of Commerce with an annual budget of up to $15 million for 10 years, of which up to $250,000 per year can be reserved for solar thermal rebates. About 50 percent of the incentives will go to residential systems and about 50 percent to commercial.
The $15 million a year program is funded through two sources: 5 percent of each public electric utility’s total annual Conservation Improvement Program budget and the Xcel Energy Renewable Development Fund (RDF). Questions can be directed to the Department of Commerce Energy Information Line: email at solar.help@state.mn.us or call 651-539-1886 or toll free at 1-800-657-3710.
Click here to learn more about the Made in Minnesota program >>
