Dear Solar Enthusiasts,
In spite of some delays and challenges, freEner-g has remained focused on our goal to bring solar leasing to Minnesota. Let us share some of the highlights.
On the one hand, freEner-g is about three months behind our original plan to sign the grant contract with Xcel Energy. But on the other hand, the grant contract is now within days of signature. The signing will signal the official start of our 15 month delivery schedule. Also on the positive side of things and as announced previously, freEner-g had started the solar assessment process on August 1, therefore putting us all in a better position to have viable sites for installations this November. The challenge, of course, will be our beloved Minnesota winter approaching.
In order to minimize the impact of weather on our project delivery, we are likely to give priority to flat roofs over slanted roofs in the next few months, without compromising the opportunities of homeowners with slanted roofs. In other words, the best combination of flat and slanted roof installations for this program will be installed regardless - we may just have to prioritize flat roofs during the cold months.
On a different note, we are also pleased to share that the recent $700 billion Economic Bailout passed by Congress contained some good news for solar in general and for freEner-g in particular. We are referring to the 8 year extension of the Investment Tax Credit. Even though this may not be obvious to most people, this is critical to obtaining the additional financing that augments the Xcel Energy grant and makes our solar leasing pilot project possible for the Twin Cities.
In summary, slowly but surely, all the pieces have come together, and we expect our solar installations to start in November of 2008 and be completed in December 2009. This will be the start of a new era of solar in the US - solar leasing will be a sunny reality!
To read more about upcoming events, just click on the link below!
