Building Equity Through Solar Energy
What is SolStar?
MN Renewable Now founded and is working with several partners to provide the Solstar Rooftop Solar Project in North Minneapolis. This project is for North Minneapolis property owners to receive solar panels for their property at a deeply affordable cost. By making Solar panels more accessible, we will advance energy democracy in North Minneapolis while shifting our energy supply away from dirty fossil fuels. Between 2022-2023 we were able to install solar on 18 properties and we are plated to complete 12 installations in 2024.
Think You Might Be a Good Fit?:
Great! While our first round of participants is closed and already underway, we are accepting applications for the next round, estimated to kick off in early 2023. Please call us at 612-208-3896 or email info@mnrenewablenow.org to recieve an application.
In order to qualify for the program, applicants have to live in North Minneapolis. That is South of I-694, East of the Mississippi River, North of Bassett Creek, and East of Theodore Wirth Parkway. If you Identify as BIPOC (Black or Indigenous Person of Color); receive government assistance or Social Security Income; are a veteran, have a physical or mental disability, or fall at or below the poverty line you will be put first in line to receive a solar assessment. There are some factors that could eliminate you from qualifying such as tree cover, which way your roof is facing, the material your roof is made of, or the condition it is in (we may have funds to repair roofs, yet for special cases only).
Applications are currently closed. We had a great year of helping families and expanding our program. If you are interested in SolStar, don’t worry. Applications will open again in 2024. Thank you!
Tips to Help You Know if You Qualify:
Keep in mind the size of your roof: If you have very little roof or little roof space, you may not be chosen. We must be able to fit at least 5 KW on your roof however we will choose someone that can fit more (10KW is ideal)
Which way is your roof facing?: In Minnesota, we see about 12 hours of sunlight in the summer. This means that the sun travels right above our heads in the summer which is great for solar panels. But…. in the colder months, we can see as little as 8 hours of sunlight. This means that the sun travels along the southern side of the sky. So if your roof faces the south, you are a good candidate. If not, it’s not impossible, however, the cost will increase due to structural things we will need to do for the panels to face south.
How old is your roof?: If your roof has not been replaced in the past 10-15 years, we will need to take a closer look. Depending on the materials your roof is made up of, you might need to update it first.
Northsider?: Yep, we are working with just North Minneapolis properties now. But don’t be sad, because as we complete more rounds of participants, we plan to open it up to everyone in the North & South Minneapolis Green Zones.
