Minnesota Statewide Solar on Public Buildings Program

The Minnesota Department of Commerce seeks proposals for the Minnesota Statewide Solar on Public Buildings Program. In 2023 the Minnesota Legislature established the Solar on Public Buildings (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 or adjacent to public buildings. The Department of Commerce will administer $14.5M in grants to local governments and Tribal Nations statewide in any utility service territory. This is the first statewide round of funding requests. Eligible applicants for this grant are local units of government owning and operating public buildings. This includes a county, city, town, or other local government jurisdiction, federally recognized Indian Tribes in Minnesota, excluding school districts eligible to receive financial assistance under the Solar for Schools program (Minn. Stat. § 216C.375) (Minn. Stat. § 216C.377, subd. 1). Grants will be awarded for 70% of the project costs 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. Selected proposals are required to file for the 48E Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit via Direct Pay for project costs not covered by the MN Commerce grant. All responses to this RFP need to be submitted through a single responder user account via the grant portal. See the RFP for details. This request does not obligate the State to complete the work contemplated in this notice. The State reserves the right to cancel this solicitation. All expenses incurred in responding to this notice are solely the responsibility of the responder