Some of the solar panels on the Great River Insurance building are mounted on the awnings. electricity. If you take control and buy your solar system, after that loan payment, you’re done and you don’t have to pay any more,” Allen said. Joel Hanif, community development planner for the Region Nine Development Commission, hopes to help spur even more interest in solar by getting the region qualified as a SolSmart designated region. “There’s no guaranteed funding that comes with it, but it might make Region Nine competitive for other solar programs if there are grants down the line if we show we did the legwork.” Hanif said the SolSmart designation also creates more public awareness and education about the benefits of solar power. Leigh Pomeroy, of Mankato, has been a longtime proponent of renewable energy and is a member of the Southcentral Minnesota Clean Energy Council. He said federal tax credits are scheduled to sunset unless Congress reauthorizes them. “They’re slowly phasing out the tax credits. Congress has extended them in the past in a bipartisan manner. I think the prices on solar are dropping so much it may not make much difference (if the credits expire). “If they took the subsidies off fossil fuels, it would really help.
Our taxes are going to screwing up the atmosphere,” Pomeroy said.
All Solar
Based in St. Paul, All Energy Solar has done numerous commercial and residential installations in the Mankato region. Allen said most commercial and residential installations are roof mounts, but that if people have room on the ground, they may install the panels there. “A majority of people put it on their roof. It’s an existing space. The roof sits there and gets pounded by the sun every day and people realize they have valuable, money-making space just above their head that’s doing nothing.” Allen said that so far the coronavirus pandemic hasn’t deeply impacted their business. “I’m happy to say we’ve had very, very few cancellations. I think it shows the value of what solar does for the consumer. It’s sometimes viewed as a luxury good, but it’s really an essential good. Everyone needs electricity and today when everyone is concentrating on saving every penny, what’s better than keeping an eye on the cost of your electricity?” His company is doing no-
Mike Allen, CEO and co-founder of All Energy Solar. contact work, where employees don’t enter someones home or business. He said they use satellite imaging to view properties and can do much of the work they need to without entering a customer’s home. “At some point we will need to come inside, but we can do that down the road.” While they’ve enjoyed years of growth, Allen knows things will slow down this year due to the pandemic. But he said the growth of solar will continue. He said he urges people who’ve considered solar to look into it soon to take advantage of the
MN Valley Business • JUNE 2020 • 9