Southwest Regional Development Commission Partners With Region Five Development Commission to Explore Potential Demand of Residential Solar Financing

The Southwest Regional Development Commission (SRDC) and Region Five Development Commission (R5DC), along with Rural MN Energy Board, are interested in knowing your thoughts about a residential solar financing model.

Over the past decade, alternative energy products and services including solar systems have seen a significant increase in interest and as a result, the Regional Development Commissions (RDCs) have received several inquiries for lending programs that bolster system deployment.

With funding support of the McKnight Foundation, the two RDCs are partnering with utility providers, contractors and homeowners to fully understand the opportunities and barriers around a potential residential Solar Energy Lending Program.

A survey is designed for residents in the Rural MN Energy Board area (Counties of Blue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Faribault, Freeborn, Jackson, Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, Mower, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Renville, Rock, Sibley, Watonwan).

All residents and homeowners are encouraged to fill out an online survey which will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete.

The survey can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SELPhomeownerfinal. For more information about this project, contact Robin Weis, Economic Development Director at the SRDC Office at 507-836-1638 or robin@swrdc.org.