Minnesota legislature passes $80 million omnibus renewable energy bill

• The bill consists of funding for Minnesota's first energy storage incentive program as well as far more.

The Minnesota Solar Energy Industries Association (MnSEIA) commemorated the passage of a historic $80 million investment in solar + energy storage incentive programs by the Minnesota legislature. Clean energy got an extraordinary level of rate of interest, assistance as well as forward momentum this legislative session. MnSEIA is delighted to see that the Omnibus Environment, Natural Resources, Environment as well as Energy Finance as well as Policy bill (HF 2310) consists of budget things for:

• $ 29.3 million in funding for the popular Solar for Schools program that conserves institution districts and local real estate tax payers thousands of dollars each year;
• $ 7 million for Minnesota's first energy storage space incentive program for on-site energy storage systems;
• $ 5 million for a Solar on Public Structures program to boost solar accessibility to a broader series of Minnesota's communities;
• $ 4.2 million for the National Sports Center in Blaine to include solar as well as conserve thousands on regular monthly energy prices;
• $ 12.5 million in funding for Xcel Energy's Solar * Rewards program;
• $ 3.4 million for the University of St. Thomas Center for Microgrid Research;
• $ 10.2 million for distributed energy upgrade gives to enhance interconnection timelines;
• $ 5.3 million for electrical grid resiliency grants;
• $ 3 million for MnSEIA member Clean Energy Economy MN (CEEM) for their "Energy Alley Initiative;"
• $ 250,000 for an energy storage system capacity research examining the quantity of energy storage needed to accomplish the state's new 100% carbon free standard;
• $ 420,000 for a multi-agency study and record on creating a statewide system to reuse and reuse photovoltaic panels.

The bill additionally makes a variety of important policy changes, including:

• Community Solar Garden program updates that will certainly broaden the existing market as well as produce new opportunities with a tradition program;
• Distributed Generation (DG) Standard that requires all investor owned utilities to meet a specific percentage (1 to 3% depending on the utility) of their energy procurement through DG solar by 2030. This is approximated to add approximately 800 MW of new solar to the grid;
• " Customer bill of legal rights" regulation that puts specific constraints on Homeowners Associations attempting to limit solar and also permits energy customers to request their energy usage data from energies and places. This will offer the 1 in 4 Minnesotans who reside in an HOA the flexibility to go solar.

Other energy-related items in the bill consist of funding for workforce training, electrical vehicle rebates, a State Competitiveness Fund designed to match government gives for renewable resource projects and also more.

" It's a new era for solar and energy storage in Minnesota," stated MnSEIA's executive supervisor Logan O'Grady. "The policies produced in this Legislative Session will certainly trigger a historical boom for clean energy in our state. It's a massive signal to the country that Minnesota is serious about solar which we're a fantastic market to do company in. Lawmakers just created hundreds of family-sustaining jobs and exciting opportunities for local business. This is a truly monumental Legislative Session and MnSEIA is proud to have advocated for our members as well as the solar + storage space market. The future of solar simply obtained a great deal brighter as well as MnSEIA is eagerly anticipating ushering in this new era."

The bill is expected to be authorized by the guv in the coming days.