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Solar at Red Wing's Hanisch Bakery and clean energy financing tools

Southeast, MN

After learning about solar energy from another local business, Bill Hanisch, owner of Red Wing's popular Hanisch Bakery, decided to go solar himself.

"I looked at all the numbers and said, I don't know why anyone wouldn't want to do this. The payback is very quick," Bill shared. "We're in our second year with solar now and it's going great. It's cool to look down at your roof and see it covered in solar panels. Good feeling to have—to know you're doing something right."

During a virtual event on January 27th, 2021, Bill Hanisch was joined by Minnesota energy experts who dug into the resources and programs that make it possible for others to follow in Hanisch Bakery's sweet footsteps. Explore the event summary and presentations below to think about how your business or nonprofit could benefit from energy efficiency and renewable energy, and pay for it with local rebates and financing programs.

A recipe for solar success

Bill Hanisch: Two years ago in 2018 we got the solar all hooked up and it's been running great. I love that I can monitor everything from my cell phone to see if how we're producing and if there are any issues. We went through the PACE program for financing, so there was nothing out of pocket. The PACE process was fairly simple. We got it approved quickly. We see a very nice reduction in our electricity bill from the solar production every month. On top of that we got involved with the Xcel Solar*Rewards program, so we get an extra rebate check on top of the energy savings we're getting. The tax break the first year was really nice, too. I've also used utility rebates to do all LED lights at the bakery.

 

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Explore resources for clean energy at your business or nonprofit

 

 

Utility Support: If you are in Xcel territory and are interested in learning about how energy efficiency can be incorporated into new construction or renovation, learn more about Xcel Energy’s free Energy Design Assistance services and incentives.

 

Thanks to Partners: This event was hosted by Southeast Clean Energy Resource Team, the City of Red Wing, and the City of Northfield. Thanks to everyone for their work making it possible

Watch the webinar recording

Download Presentations

Welcome & Introduction - Chris Meyer, CERTs
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Commercial Energy Efficiency Loan Programs - Jim Hasnik, CEE
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PACE Financing for Clean Energy - Peter Lindstrom, CERTs
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