Public Building Readiness Assessment due Monday, December 2, 2024
Solar on Public Buildings Grants Round 2 RFP 10/21/24
Application Round 2 Webinars:
In 2023 the Minnesota Legislature established the Solar on Public Buildings Grant Program (SPB) Grant Program (Minn. Stat. § 216C.377). The purpose of this program is to provide grants to stimulate the installation of solar energy systems on public buildings. The Department of Commerce will administer $4.3M in grants to local governments in Xcel Energy electric service territory. This is the second round of funding requests.
Eligible applicants for this grant program are local units of government including a county, statutory or home rule charter city, town, or other local government jurisdiction, excluding a school districts eligible to receive financial assistance under section 216C.375; or a federally recognized Indian Tribe in Minnesota. (Minn. Stat. § 216C.377, subd. 1).
Grants will be awarded for up to 70% of the project costs (dependent on the government’s financial capacity) for a solar array that is built on or adjacent to a public building and is the lesser of 40kW system capacity or 120% of the building’s annual energy consumption.
The MN Dept. of Commerce SPB grant program will equip cities, townships, counties, and other local governments and Tribal Nations to lower utilities costs, increase energy independence, expand our clean energy workforce, and take essential action to address climate change.
4.3 million dollars in state funding will be distributed to local governments to build solar arrays (system size up to 40 kilowatts) across Xcel Energy territory in Minnesota. These grants can be paired with federal clean energy tax credits now available to local governments.