Many would be surprised to know that, despite its cold, northern climate, Minnesota receives a substantial amount of natural solar energy. The amount received is even comparable to places near the equator such as Texas and Florida.
Solar Energy Minnesota users have tapped into this phenomenon more and more. They utilize natural sunlight to power their homes and protect the environment. With the help of monetary incentives, they even save money while doing it!
By analyzing the environmental possibilities of the future and the fiscal incentives of the present, it is astoundingly clear why anyone would choose to invest in installing and maintaining solar panels. Due to its ever-growing importance and accessibility, this choice is only going to become more conventional.
An Eco-Conscious Undertaking
Excess greenhouse gases continue to deteriorate our ozone. Moreover, non-renewable resources risk becoming obsolete with each passing day. The question of how we must prepare ourselves is a recurring theme. We can make everyday decisions, like:
- Recycling
- Cutting down on plastic
- Eating according to a vegan diet
Still, there are also larger steps, like using alternative energy sources. Solar energy is an exemplary renewable resource that is being encouraged for the state of Minnesota. This is because of its usefulness and the state’s considerably substantial accumulation of it.
It has been estimated that Minnesota can garner up to 38.5% of its electricity through solar power. This statistic can be jarring when considering facts like Minnesota used nuclear power for about 24% of its electricity in 2019 and is in the top 10% of ethanol producers in the country. Switching from these finite resources to a renewable one would positively impact both the state and the nation.
Financial Incentives
Just as everyone has a water bill and a cable bill, homeowners and property managers must also manage the responsibility of paying for power usage. The cost of electricity has a significant impact on how one goes about powering their home or business; however, numerous companies are now offering incentives to promote solar power usage.
Many people’s decisions are a matter of price and affordability. By companies distributing incentives for the installation and maintenance of solar panels, plenty of individuals who never expected to partake in such a transformative endeavor can now do precisely that for federal tax credit and/or a utility rebate with up to 51% of the cost credited back. This applies to residential and commercial uses alike.
Personal Savings
Research from 2016 claims that over a decade-long period, solar panels will actually pay for themselves, and in a twenty-five-year span, they will start to make money back. Even dismissing the incentives to get started, solar energy could start making back money once it has found a foothold. This is a consistently discovered statistic in the studies of environmental sustainability—the more effort we put into incorporating renewable resources now, the less long-term climactic troubles we will have that result in displacement or worse.
Additionally, many of these companies that promote solar panel usage also assist with installation and upkeep—maintaining your panels in the frigid Minnesota winter is just one example of aid offered to those who commit to the process.
Bottom Line
Due to eco-conscious values, fiscal incentives, or impending climate change, solar power is taking a front seat in Minnesota’s most commonly used energy sources. Right now may be the best time to invest in solar panels, as those who do are likely to get money back for their contribution to a cleaner, safer world.
While the eco-conscious choices yesterday were a matter of money, it is evident that tomorrow they will be affordable for all.
