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Minnesota jumped from the 34th to 16th in SEIA’s rankings in a year, highlighting the growth of solar in the state. Minnesota residents are increasingly going solar and looking for trustworthy installers. The best solar companies in Minnesota are SunPower, Blue Raven, All Energy Solar, and Tesla.
The MarketWatch Guides Team shortlisted these solar companies after extensive surveys and discussions with solar experts, panel manufacturers, and installers. We compiled a detailed methodology to review numerous solar providers across the state and across the country.
What To Look For in a Solar Company
Going solar is a big decision, and homeowners typically want to be sure they are considering all the major factors when choosing the most suitable solar company. Below is a list of what to consider when exploring solar companies.
- Cost and financing: Residents can save a lot of money over the life of their solar panels. However, they also require a significant initial investment. This is why the cost of a system becomes an important purchase factor. Like many major purchases, the lowest-priced solar system is not always the best in the long term. A good choice would be an optimum balance among cost, features, warranties, equipment brands, and savings potential. Many installers offer payment options such as solar loans, leases, or power purchase agreements (PPA).
- Trustworthiness: If installed correctly, solar panels last 25 years or longer. But a poorly installed system may result in lower-than-projected savings and even a short life. Coupled with the cost, this makes the trustworthiness of a solar installer important. When spending thousands of dollars on a system, you want to trust a renewable energy company, not only with the installation quality but also with post-installation support. One way to gauge a solar company’s reliability is to check its Better Business Bureau ratings and read online reviews of existing customers.
- Services offered: When it comes to energy independence, solar panels are just one part of the equation. Homeowners often need several other services. You may need an EV charging station if you own an electric car, or your house may need upgraded insulation or roofing. Numerous companies provide these additional services along with solar power. Homeowners can make a list of the required services to narrow down the installers that suit them.
*Note: Pricing data is based on responses to our March 2023 solar cost survey of 1,000 homeowners with solar systems. All Energy Solar was not included in the survey. All BBB ratings are accurate as of May 2023.
Our Recommendation
Minnesota has 168 solar companies offering plenty of choices to solar-interested residents. Homeowners willing to switch to solar can choose from national brands like SunPower or Tesla. Similarly, Blue Raven or All Energy Solar are good options for those looking for easy financing.
Customers seeking a more local installer also have plenty of options such as TruNorth Solar, Cedar Creek Energy, or Midwest Roof and Solar. We recommend requesting free quotes from multiple solar energy companies and comparing the pricing and features before making a final decision.
Minnesota Solar Incentives
Minnesota does not have a large number of state-based solar incentives and rebates. However, the federal and local incentives together help Minnesotans save thousands on their solar panel investment. Let us take a look at the available incentives in Minnesota.
Federal Incentives
The largest incentive available to Minnesota residents as well as all U.S. homeowners is the federal tax credit. Also known as the solar investment tax credit (ITC), it offers a credit to solar panel owners that is equivalent to up to 30% of their system’s cost, which can be deducted from the following year’s income taxes. This allows homeowners to effectively save up to 30% on their solar power system.
Methodology: Our System for Ranking the Best Solar Companies
We closely evaluated seven crucial factors for comparing solar panel installation companies. Based on a 100-point scale, we came up with each provider’s score out of five stars. Here’s how we assessed each company:
- Cost and payment options (20 points): Companies that offer cash purchases and in-house loan financing earned full points in this category. Companies also receive bonus points if they offer solar panel leasing or power purchase agreements (PPAs).
- Services (20 points): Besides solar installations, companies offering backup battery and electric vehicle (EV) charger installations, energy efficiency audits and system monitoring earned the most points in this category. We also allotted points to companies that completed all their installations in-house (as opposed to contracting out installers).
- Reputation (20 points): We considered each company’s Google star rating, BBB customer review rating, BBB customer complaint response rate and NABCEP certification status to award each company its reputation score.
- Warranty (15 points): We verified that each company offers workmanship, product and performance warranties on all of its solar installs. Providers earned more points if their warranties were at or above the industry-standard length (10 years for workmanship and product warranties and 25 years for performance warranties).
- Customer support (10 points): Solar companies that offered virtual consultations, a mobile app, 24/6 customer support and high customer satisfaction with backend support earned the most points in this category.
- Industry experience (10 points): Providers with 10 or more years of experience in the solar installation industry earned a perfect score in this category.
Sustainability (5 points): Companies with a detailed sustainability statement, ESG disclosures, end-of-life panel disposal programs and community partnerships earned all five points in this category.
Aniket Bhor is a solar engineer who has spent nearly a decade studying and working in the solar power sector in the European, Asian and North American markets. He is a climate enthusiast and avid cyclist, and he also loves to lose himself in books and cooking.
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