Sean Gosiewski, Executive Director, 612-250-0389 sean@afors.org www.afors.org
Subscribe for your electricity with a
Community Solar Garden!
Save 10% on your electricity bills!
Help expand solar power in Minnesota.
Maintenance and insurance are covered.
Our team is interviewing developers to see how they
can fit our mission – ecologically sound, economically viable,
socially just & Humane.
www.afors.org/faithcommunitysolar
SIGN UP to receive info on how subscribe
www.afors.org/communitysolar
Allliance for Sustainability - Faith Community Solar Project
http://allianceforsustainability.com/faithcommunitysolar
We are supporting congregations to work together to save money and energy & expand renewable
energy in MN with their buildings and their members.
1. Start with Energy Efficiency – with your congregation’s building and members –
 Free energy analysis with Enerchange, www.enerchange.org and great programs for
 LED lighting retrofits with the Center for Energy and Environment www.mncee.org and
installation partners.
 Home Energy Squad – members saving energy at home www.mncee.org , www.thenec.org
2. Explore on site solar as an option – if your congregation has a larger flat roof that can host a 100kw
solar system, your congregation can meet about a 1/3 of your buildings electricty needs through an
on site PV solar system. Many solar developers offer a zero down lease to own option that provides
cost savings on your electricty bill right away with greater savings, after your system is paid for.
3. Explore options for to subscribe to a Community Solar Garden to meet the rest your energy needs
while receiving a 10% discount on your monthly electricity bill.
4. Add a subscription Wind Power for Certified renewable energy credits (using your cost savings.)
Our Faith Community Solar Team can support you to make informed choices

Our team of volunteer experts are interviewing local solar developers and reviewing their energy
cost saving offers, contracts, subscriber agreements to help congregations choose a solar developer
to work with that matches their values and that offers good terms.

Using aggregation revenue to support your mission and our mission – By signing up residential
customers to participate in a Community Solar Garden, we reduce the marketing costs of our partner
Solar Developers who then can offer us aggregation revenue that your congregation and the Alliance
can share to help achieve our missions. For example a 2 to 3 cent per watt aggregation fee would
bring in about $200 per residential customer with potentially $100 suporting a special project in your
congregation and $100 supporting the work of the Alliance for Sustainability to create ongoing
networks of mutual support between congregations in your community and/or denomination.
Alliance for Sustainability – Faith Community Solar Team - Supporting groups of congregations to pursue
community solar through denominations and geographic clusters
http://allianceforsustainability.com/faithcommunitysolar
- Sean Gosiewski, Executive Director, 612-250-0389 sean@afors.org , www.afors.org
- Terry Gips, President, Alliance for Sustainability 612-374-4765 terry@afors.org
- Rick Condon (VP Wells Fargo, Commercial Credit), Volunteer, 952-431-2309
condonjefferds@charter.net
- John Crampton 612-396-6010 Jcrampt48@gmail.com Chair, Oak Grove Presbyterian Green
Committee, Green Congregations Coalition, Bloomington Sustainability Coalition,
- Bill Elwood 612-867-7720 wkelwood@aol.com First Universalist Church leader within the Minnesota
Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Alliance (MUUSJA).
Solar Developers we are currently working with
MN Community Solar – Dustin Denison, CEO & Dana Hallstrom (residential) 612.345.7188 mobile:
651.245.2247 dana@mncommunitysolar.com
Novel Energy Solutions, Cliff Caehler, CEO 507 272-5401 cliff.kaehler@novelenergy.biz
Sun Dial Solar, Tom Reinke Director of Marketing (612) 558-6549 tom@sundialsolarenergy.com
SunShare Sarah Casper (residential) 715-577-2381 scasper@mysunshare.com
Matthew Bowers (commercial) 970-658-7490 mbowers@mysunshare.com
Community Solar Resources for Faith Communities in MN
Alliance for Sustainability – Faith Community Solar http://allianceforsustainability.com/faithcommunitysolar
- Supporting congregations to pursue community solar through denominations & geographic clusters
- Sean Gosiewski, Executive Director, 612-250-0389 sean@afors.org , www.afors.org
- Rick Condon (VP Wells Fargo), Alliance Volunteer, 952-431-2309 condonjefferds@charter.net
- John Crampton 612-396-6010 Jcrampt48@gmail.com Chair, Oak Grove Presbyterian Green
Committee, Green Congregations Coalition, Bloomington Sustainability Coalition,
- Bill Elwood 612-867-7720 wkelwood@aol.com First Universalist Church leader within the Minnesota
Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Alliance (MUUSJA).
MN IPL Solar Team – http://mnipl.org/teams/mnipl-solar-team.html
John Dunlop, Hennepin Ave UMC, MN IPL Solar Team, 612-374-2181 JRDunlop@IGC.org , www.mnipl.org
Metro Clean Energy Resource Teams www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/solargardens
-
Here are the great resources on Solar Gardens developed by CERTS and the MN Dept of Commerce.
http://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/solargardens
- A.) Subscriber Agreement Disclosure Checklist B.) Subscriber Questions C.) CSG Tips for Communities
MN Renewable Energy Society - www.mnrenewables.org/community-solar
MN Solar Energy Industry Association www.mnseia.org/programs/community-solar-gardens
Made in MN Incentive grants available for congregations who want to do roof top installations of less than
40kw www.mn.gov/commerce/energy/topics/resources/energy-legislation-initiatives/made-in-minnesota/
Alliance for Sustainability, Sean Gosiewski, Executive Director, 612-250-0389
sean@afors.org www.afors.org/faithcommunitysolar
LETS help Minnesota achieve an exceed our current
25% Renewable Electricity Standard
-
-
-
What
Why
How
Subscribe to a community solar garden. You become a producer to sell more
solar electricity to Xcel Energy to help us quickly meet our state’s current 1.5%
solar electricity mandate.
Sign up for Windsource electricity. Buy wind power from Xcel energy, causing
Xcel to add wind turbines above & beyond our 25% renewable energy standard.
When MN goes above 50% solar and wind electricity we will begin to displace
coal and natural gas electrical generation.
Call your legislators in to protect our MN Renewable electricity standard
www.afors.org/takeaction
WIND SOURCE
COMMUNITY SOLAR GARDENs
Sign up to purchase wind energy from Xcel. Your
money goes only to pay for wind, with no coal,
natural gas, hydro or nuclear.
Xcel then retires renewable energy credits (RECS)
in your name
You cause Xcel to add extra wind turbines above
and beyond our current 25% renewable energy
standard. Rural economic development.
Subscribe to a community solar garden.
Your subscription helps build part of a large solar
garden. You pay a monthly subscription fee and
receive monthly bill credits based on the solar
production.
You become a producer to sell more solar
electricity to Xcel Energy to help meet our state’s
current 1.5% solar electricity mandate.
Sign up on line or call Xcel
http://responsiblebynature.com/choices/windsource
Windsource - one year commitment, automatically
renews until you call them to stop.
Sign up for Windsource.* It’s a program that enables
customers like you to pay a little extra each month to
purchase energy from renewable resources, like wind.
You’ll help support a cleaner, healthier community.
Every kilowatt-hour helps. Sign up for a little or a lot.
Get started for as little as $2.16 per month, in addition
to the electricity charges you would otherwise pay. Or
opt to have 100% of your electricity through
Windsource. All utilities in MN offer this option.
Subscribe to a Community Solar Garden
Save as you go opportunities – contracts may
offer you a 5% to 15% monthly discount on
electricity.
10 to 25 year contract (offers vary)
Choose a solar developer that fits your values and that
has a good contract
Sign up with their interest form
They will check your energy usage. You can
subscribe up to 120% of your demand.
For pay as you go subscriptions you will need to
share your credit score to qualify for financing.
Care of the land www.pollinatorpledge.com
Xcel customers can sign up for wind source and subscribe to a community solar garden at the same time! You can
purchase Windsource renewable energy credits (RECs) from Xcel while selling Solar RECs to Xcel as part of a
Community Solar Garden. Savings on your community solar garden subscription could cover your Windsource fee!
Read more about – Green Power programs available from all MN Utilities at
www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/living-green/living-green-citizen/buying-green/buy-green-power.html
Learn more about Community Solar Garden Opportunities
Alliance for Sustainability - Faith community solar project – We are supporting groups of congregations to work
together to interview solar developers and choose companies to work with for on-site solar and to subscribe their
buildings and members to subscribe to community solar gardens to save money and increase solar. Call Sean
Gosiewski, Executive Director, 612-250-0389 sean@afors.org www.afors.org/faithcommunitysolar
MN IPL Solar Team http://mnipl.org/teams/mnipl-solar-team.html
- Working on 2 pilot solar gardens, low income access & job training so solar developers can hire diverse crews
- http://mnipl.org/teams/mnipl-solar-team/community-solar-gardens/community-solar-values-statement.html
MN Clean Energy Resource Teams http://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/solargardens
Printable Flyers www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/sites/default/files/CERTs_CommunitySolarGuide_0.pdf