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United States › Minnesota

Minnesota solar installation & market data

Market totals through July 2026 By The SolarDNA Data TeamInstallation records through March 14, 2024
Minnesota has about 26,404 solar systems totalling 387.8 MW, with 1.5% of owner-occupied homes on solar and residential solar added down 11.3% over the trailing twelve months. SolarDNA tracks 17,080 individual installations here at a median installed cost of $3.95/W.
Explore Minnesota in the app See Minnesota installers
Solar systems
26,404
See data
Installed capacity
387.8 MW
See data
Median cost
$3.95/W
See data
12-mo growth
▼ 11.3%
See data
Adoption
1.5%
See data
SolarDNA tracks 4M+ installations across 16.3K+ zip markets.How we build this data →
Minnesota solar market summary

The Minnesota solar market at a glance.

Minnesota has about 26,404 solar systems totalling 387.8 MW, as reported by its utilities through July 2026. 31 MW of residential solar was added in the trailing twelve months, down 11.3% on the twelve months before. 1.5% of owner-occupied homes have gone solar and 0.3% of solar customers have a battery. SolarDNA tracks 17,080 individual installations here, with a median residential cost of $3.95 per watt, from 51 installers.

36
SolarDNA Market Score
How Market Score is calculated ↗
Analyst's take

Minnesota's SolarDNA Market Score: 36 out of 100.

Minnesota scores 36 out of 100 on SolarDNA's Market Score, a 0-to-100 scale benchmarked against every other state market. That is higher than 35% of U.S. states. Grade C (Good).

The score combines 5 subscores, each computed from observed market data:

  • Velocity (39): trailing-12-month growth in solar added versus the prior twelve months, so accelerating markets score higher.
  • Cost (55): median installed $/W relative to the national median (a cheaper market scores higher).
  • Incentives (45): net-metering coverage, RECs a new system can earn, state tax credit, rebate program and tax exemptions (components listed below).
  • Resource (15): annual solar irradiance, so the same system produces more where this score is high.
  • Depth (24): proven demand: how many systems are already installed, with a bonus for markets that show adoption without being saturated.
Incentive components · Minnesota
reviewed 2026-09
Net-metering coverage100%of residential customers
RECs for new systemsNone
State tax creditNo
Rebate or performance programNo
Property tax exemptionYes
No sales tax on systemsYes

Property and sales tax exemptions; utility rebates vary.

Federal: Federal residential credit (25D) ended for systems placed in service after Dec 31, 2025. Third-party-owned systems can still use the commercial credit (48E) through 2027 under construction-start rules.

The Market Score is a starting point, not a territory decision.

State-level averages hide wide variation. Here's how to go deeper in the app:

  1. 1Narrow to a zip codeZip metrics give a far more accurate picture of the exact neighborhoods you are considering.
  2. 2Apply filtersFilter by score, growth, $/W, adoption and permits to reach the markets that actually match your model.
  3. 3Benchmark the installersSee who already wins there, how fast they are growing, and what they charge per watt.
Explore Minnesota in the app See Minnesota installers
Key definitions

How SolarDNA defines these metrics

Solar systems

Solar systems is the market-size figure: the systems utilities report on their lines, plus an estimate (sized from reported capacity) for systems outside net metering. It is current for every state.

How SolarDNA calculates solar systems →

Tracked installations

Tracked installations are the individual residential, commercial and utility-scale systems SolarDNA holds a record for. SolarDNA de-duplicates the same system across records. Pricing, installers, equipment and every zip-level figure come from these records.

How SolarDNA calculates tracked installations →

Median installed cost

Median installed cost is the middle price per watt (DC) that homeowners paid for a residential system in the trailing twelve months, before incentives. Quartiles show the spread.

How SolarDNA calculates median installed cost →

Adoption rate

Adoption rate is the share of owner-occupied homes with a residential solar system. It measures how saturated a market is, not how fast it is growing.

How SolarDNA calculates adoption rate →

12-month growth

For a state, growth compares the residential solar capacity added in the trailing twelve months with the twelve months before, from utility-reported totals with one-off reporting corrections smoothed out. For cities and zip codes it compares tracked installations.

How SolarDNA calculates 12-month growth →

Battery share

Battery share is the portion of a state's solar customers whose system includes a battery, as reported by utilities.

How SolarDNA calculates battery share →

Permits

Permits count the solar building permits filed in the last twelve months. They lead installations by several months, which makes them the earliest read on demand.

How SolarDNA calculates permits →

Market Score

SolarDNA's Market Score grades each market from 0 to 100 on solar sales potential, weighing velocity, cost, incentives, solar resource and installer depth. Markets are benchmarked against every other market in the country, and the letter grade is set on a curve: A is the top 10% of markets, C the middle 40%, F the bottom 10%.

How SolarDNA calculates market score →
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Zip report · Market drill-down

See what a specific Minnesota zip code looks like

Drop in any Minnesota zip code and SolarDNA opens its market card: score, installs, median $/W, growth and permits, benchmarked against the state.

◈
Zip Market Score
Where the zip ranks against every other zip in the country.
◈
Growth and permits
Trailing-12-month growth and permit activity where cities publish it.
◈
State benchmark
Installed cost, score and share of installs against the state.
◈
Neighboring zips
The nearest zip markets, so you can route a territory.
Explore the data

Dive deeper into the Minnesota market

Market size & momentum

Systems, capacity, monthly additions, battery share and solar customers by utility.

See data

Pricing & economics

Installed $/W, quartiles, system sizes and simple payback.

See data

Growth & adoption

Installs by year, adoption, TAM penetration and battery attach.

See data

Installers

The league table: volume, momentum, system size and pricing per installer.

See data

Utilities & incentives

Retail rates by utility, net metering, SREC value and the planned utility pipeline.

See data
Market size & momentum

How big Minnesota's solar market is, and where it is heading

Totals reported by Minnesota's utilities through July 2026 (latest months are preliminary)

Export monthly (CSV)
Solar capacity added by month, MW · trailing 36 months
Residential Commercial & industrialOne-off reporting corrections are smoothed out.
Residential solar added, 12 mo
31 MW
about 2,847 systems · ▼ 11.3% vs the prior 12 months
Typical new home system: 10.9 kW AC
Next-12-month outlook
26–32 MW
residential · midpoint 29 MW

Trailing-12-month residential capacity added carried forward at half the observed growth rate (capped at ±30%), with a ±10% band. Not a forecast of permits or policy.

Solar capacity added by year, MW · * partial year
Capacity by segment
Residential248 MW
Commercial124 MW
Industrial16 MW
Community-solar subscribers476
Battery share
0.3%
of solar customers have a battery · 25 added in 12 months
SolarDNA holds an individual record for 17,080 of Minnesota's systems (65% of the reported total), through March 14, 2024. Pricing, installers, equipment and every zip-level figure below come from those records.
Utility territories

Solar customers by utility in Minnesota

Net-metered solar customers through July 2026

Export CSV
UtilitySolar customersCapacityAdded, 12 moGrowthWith battery
Northern States Power Co - Minnesota19,183254 MW2,315▼ 21.0%—
Dakota Electric Association1,83519 MW195▲ 52.9%—
Connexus Energy1,59317 MW174▼ 4.9%—
ALLETE, Inc.1,49224 MW168▼ 19.8%3.2%
Rochester Public Utilities8387 MW128—2.3%
East Central Energy76111 MW60——
Wright-Hennepin Coop Elec Assn3685 MW0——
Pricing & economics

What solar costs in Minnesota

Residential systems, trailing twelve months

Median installed cost, $/W DC by year
Median installed cost
$3.95/W
Middle half: $3.23 – $4.90
Simple payback
19.7 yrs
at 15.4¢/kWh retail · median system 7.56 kW
Growth & adoption

How fast Minnesota is going solar

From SolarDNA's installation records, which run through March 14, 2024; current momentum is in the market totals above

Tracked installations by year
Battery attach rate
Installations by month · trailing 36 months through February 2024
Adoption rate
1.45%
of owner-occupied homes · from utility-reported residential systems
TAM penetration
4.0%
of 6.19 GW addressable rooftop capacity
Installers

Top installers in Minnesota

Ranked by installations on record. Installer names in Minnesota's records end in 2018; newer systems are counted without one

Export CSVFull league table →
#InstallerInstalls12-moAvg kW$/W
1ALL ENERGY SOLAR51007.16$4.75
2INNOVATIVE POWER SYSTEMS140018.06$4.24
3IDEAL ENERGIES99039.02$5.01
4POWERFULLY GREEN9507.99$4.43
5AQUILLA SOLAR78013.88$3.97
6TRUNORTH SOLAR56013.55$4.12
7NOVEL ENERGY SOLUTIONS55023.72$3.90
8CEDAR CREEK ENERGY53018.24$4.04
9APPLIED ENERGY INNOVATIONS3705.89$5.04
10WINONA RENEWABLE ENERGY2708.82$3.66
11ABLE ENERGY2409.73$4.56
12LIVE WIRE ELECTRIC SERVICES2307.7$4.01
13MINNSOLAR22014.24$3.25
14BLUE HORIZON SOLAR21012.04$4.57
15SOLAR CONNECTION20013.11$4.19
Zip markets

Top zip markets in Minnesota

Ranked by installations · click for the zip market

Export CSVOpen on map →
ZipInstalls$/WGrowthScore
55406 Minneapolis524$4.05—45.1 C
55104 Saint Paul337$4.13—43.7 C
55082 Stillwater332$3.87—44.9 C
55407 Minneapolis321$4.18—43.4 C
55113 Saint Paul318$3.94—44.5 C
55016 Cottage Grove281$4.55—41.5 C
55105 Saint Paul280$3.99—44.1 C
55125 Saint Paul278$3.98—44.1 C
55410 Minneapolis274$4.04—43.8 C
55419 Minneapolis261$3.69—45.4 C
55129 Saint Paul260$4.25—42.7 C
55057 Northfield255$4.30—42.5 C
55418 Minneapolis252$3.91—44.4 C
55112 Saint Paul233$3.44—46.4 B
55116 Saint Paul201$3.72—45 C
Counties

Counties in Minnesota

Zip markets grouped by county · click for the county market

CountyZip marketsInstalls
Hennepin County666,253
Ramsey County192,818
Washington County181,910
Dakota County161,143
Stearns County21428
Rice County8401
Anoka County10367
Carver County12329
Wright County15325
Winona County6249
Chisago County11245
Goodhue County10210
Utilities & incentives

Utilities and retail rates

Implied residential rate per utility

UtilityTypeRes. customers¢/kWhNet metering
Northern States Power Co - MinnesotaInvestor Owned1,230,05717.0✓
Adjustment 2024243,87314.1✓
Connexus EnergyCooperative134,09513.7✓
ALLETE, Inc.Investor Owned125,89615.7✓
Dakota Electric AssociationCooperative108,09714.0✓
East Central EnergyCooperative55,25016.9✓
Rochester Public UtilitiesMunicipal54,94317.9✓
Wright-Hennepin Coop Elec AssnCooperative53,71414.6✓
Solar permits, 12 mo
—
permit coverage not live for this market yet
Planned utility-scale
77 MW
6,835 MW in the interconnection queue
SREC market
—
no SREC market
Explore more markets

Other solar markets in Minnesota

Minneapolis 55406 Saint Paul 55104 Stillwater 55082 Minneapolis 55407 Saint Paul 55113
Install mix

Three ways to slice Minnesota's 17.1K installations

See how the market splits by sector, by battery attach and by installer, updated with every refresh.

See all breakdowns
17.1KINSTALLATIONSBy sectorWith batteryBy installer
▤
Seasonality

When demand peaks in Minnesota

Peak month
June · 11.2% of a year's installs
Slowest month
February · 4.2%
Average of 3 complete years (2021, 2022, 2023)
See the monthly trend
Frequently asked

Quick answers about Minnesota's market

🛡 Why trust SolarDNA data?
SolarDNA is built from millions of verified installation records and continuously refreshed market signals, de-duplicated so the same system is never counted twice. Every market page shows the date its data runs through, and every score is recomputed after each refresh.
How many solar installations are there in Minnesota?
Minnesota has about 26,404 solar systems totalling 387.8 MW, based on what its utilities reported through July 2026. SolarDNA holds an individual record for 17,080 of them, of which 13,310 (78%) are residential.
How much does solar cost in Minnesota?
The median residential system in Minnesota cost $3.95 per watt over the trailing twelve months, with the middle half of systems between $3.23 and $4.90 per watt. The median system is 7.56 kW.
Is the Minnesota solar market growing?
Residential solar added in Minnesota is down 11.3%: 31 MW in the twelve months through July 2026 versus 35 MW in the twelve months before, roughly 2,847 new systems.
What is the solar adoption rate in Minnesota?
1.45% of owner-occupied homes in Minnesota have a residential solar system. Residential capacity is 4.0% of the estimated addressable rooftop capacity of 6.19 GW.
Is Minnesota a good market for solar sales?
Minnesota scores 36 out of 100 on SolarDNA's Market Score and 50 on the Opportunity Score, which rewards under-served markets with high utility rates and strong sun.
How many solar installers work in Minnesota?
51 installers completed at least one system in Minnesota in SolarDNA's installation records. The top installers are ranked in the league table above.
How many solar permits were filed in Minnesota?
Permit coverage for Minnesota is not live yet. SolarDNA adds permit coverage jurisdiction by jurisdiction; installations, pricing and growth on this page do not depend on it.
How current is Minnesota's solar data?
Market totals, growth and battery share reflect what utilities reported through July 2026. Individual installation records (pricing, installers, equipment and zip codes) run through March 14, 2024. SolarDNA refreshes markets continuously and recomputes every score after each refresh.
Get more in the app

There's a lot more inside the SolarDNA app.

  • ◇Zip and city market pages
  • ◇Installer league tables
  • ◇Territory builder
  • ◇Solarizer deal estimates
  • ◇Permit activity where reported
  • ◇Export the data
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