MN Value of Solar Tariff

The MN Value of Solar Tariff governs how Minnesota credits excess solar generation sent back to the grid, one of the state's DSIRE-tracked solar policies. Eligibility is scoped to residential customers, with a stated benefit of Value-based rate (~$0.08/kWh). DSIRE lists no scheduled sunset, though enabling legislation and appropriations can still be revised year to year.

That baseline is slower than most states, which raises the stakes for every incentive on the table. Minnesota averages 4.4 kWh/m²/day of usable sunlight and residential rates of 14.2¢/kWh, producing an estimated 7,709 kWh/year and $1,095 of annual utility offset on a typical 6 kW system costing $17,400. That baseline already implies a 15.9-year simple payback and a 25-year modeled net of roughly $9,975 before this incentive - every dollar this net metering delivers compresses that payback further.

A handful of other levers are worth checking alongside this one. Minnesota has 5 solar incentive programs indexed in DSIRE, including adjacent options like MN Solar Property Tax Exemption, Made in Minnesota Solar Incentive, Xcel Energy Solar Incentive Program (MN). The state's net-metering policy is classified as full, which governs how excess generation is credited and often decides whether a given program is worth claiming for a specific household.