Residents in Saint Paul had the opportunity to learn about the basics of solar energy and the incentives and rebates available for installing solar energy systems at the Metro CERT Solar Works! workshops for Saint Paul East (on June 7th at Battle Creek Recreation Center) and Saint Paul West (on June 13th at the Western Police Station). The workshops were supported by the City of Saint Paul and Xcel Energy.
Success in Saint Paul: The workshops started off with a presentation from Anne Hunt, the Environmental Policy Director for the City of Saint Paul, discussing Saint Paul’s solar initiatives. Saint Paul’s designation as a Solar America City through the Solar America Cities Grant has allowed the city to further commit resources toward renewable energy projects in addition to the work that they have done to reduce their energy consumption. Hunt described what Saint Paul did to integrate solar systems in the city’s operations and shared what the city has done to help streamline the process for residents looking to install solar systems for their homes.
John Marshall with Xcel Energy described the Energy Innovation Corridor, or EIC, and specifically the energy efficiency and solar projects along the light rail’s Central Corridor. The Energy Innovation Corridor was formed to showcase the energy efficiency, renewable energy, transportation, and smart technology infrastructure projects along the 11-mile light rail line. Marshall informed guests about the solar projects that Saint Paul completed along the EIC, such as the Saint Paul RiverCentre solar PV array and the District Energy Saint Paul solar thermal project.
Solar basics and incentives: Todd Fink, an instructor at Century College who specializes in solar systems, spoke next about the basics of solar energy. He informed the guests in attendance about all the different options for solar and showed how successful solar systems are in Minnesota. Fink mentioned the Solar*Rewards and MN Made Bonus Rebate Programs available for Xcel Energy customers only.
Learning from owners: After Fink’s presentation, workshop attendees listened to solar panel owners who live in Saint Paul. On the east side, Monica Bryand and Christopher Childs spoke about their systems. For the west side workshop, David Pasiuk and David Boyce presented. All presenters informed attendees about the many benefits of having solar panels, especially the energy savings they receive, and the rebates and incentives that were available to them. Attendees asked several questions about the panels, installation, financing for panels, and any possible or unexpected issues with the panels. The most popular question was a good one for Minnesota winters: What about snow removal from the panels? Each presenter was happy to share that snow removal was not a problem!
Overall, the Solar Works! workshops in Saint Paul left residents excited about the prospects of installing solar systems for their home. Metro CERT provided attendees with additional resources and contacts to get their projects off the ground, such as the Clean Energy Project Builder, Minnesota Renewable Energy Society’s (MRES) solar site assessment discount program, and on-site members of Xcel Energy’s Home Energy Squad.
| Photos from Saint Paul West Workshop: | Photos from Saint Paul East Workshop: |
