We may be farther North than warmer states, but our solar potential is nearly the same as states like Texas and Florida. There are solar options for just about every home, and rebates to make it easier than ever. Still need convincing?
If you still haven’t visited carboncounter.org to see how much CO2 your energy usage creates, take a moment to calculate it now. If you think sunny days are wonderful now, imagine if the rays were also generating power for your home.

Solar Options
If you want to install your own renewable power system, visit the non-profit Minnesota Renewable Energy Society for information on local rebates and do-it-yourself classes. You can also take workshops (including women’s only) from the Midwest Renewable Energy Association. See our green building section for more community resources. Our state rebates for solar power cover up to $8,000 of installation cost, or $2,000 per kW.

To get an idea of what a solar system costs, we used the handy calculators at Solar Minnesota. The results for a solar hot water system in our area were surprising. A 32 square foot system that heats 361 gallons per year was estimated to cost $1,920, and save $120 per year for a payoff period of 16 years. The CO2 prevented each year was 2,265 pounds, or an impressive 45,300 pounds over 20 years.

An all-natural option with a long lifespan is a properly placed tree, which can reduce heating costs by shielding wind and can reduce air conditioning costs by up to 50%. See arborday.org/trees/treeguide for a guide to where to install trees.