8 year old, 8.4 kW, 24 panel solar, Mitsubishi "Hyper-Heat" cold climate heat pump with electric backup, Rheem Platinum heat pump water heater, Tesla wall connector and J-1772 EVSE.

• Electric Vehicle(s) • Electric Vehicle Charging • Energy Monitoring • Solar PV - Rooftop 

When: Friday, Oct 4 10a-4p; Saturday, Oct 5 9a-3p, Sunday, Oct 6 1p-4p

Where: 11430 50th Pl N, Plymouth, MN 55442

The School of Environmental Studies in Apple Valley had solar panels installed on its roof last fall. The school received grant funding through the Solar for Schools program to support the project.

Solar PV - Rooftop

When: Friday, Oct 4, 1-2pm

Where: 12155 Johnny Cake Ridge Rd, Apple Valley, MN 55124

I purchase this Saint Paul, MN, house, in 2019. The West 7th neighborhood includes several houses built in the years 1880s, like mine. The beauty of 19th century houses is that the architecture is simple, which makes it ideal for PV installation. Since the purchase, I have been able to reduce my energy consumption (house and car included) by half: from a total of 55MWh to 25MWh, in 2024. These numbers include everything: heating, cooling, water heating, household appliances, and car utilization (converting the natural gas Therms from the Xcel Energy billing, and the average gasoline usage of my Honda Fit, to kWh). In 2019,

I started the project by first purchasing 8 Longi 300W solar panels, installed on the garage’s roof. I also had the breaker box modernized (the Edison-type breakers were still working). The next year I expanded the PV surface to the entire garage surface, having now a total of 24 Longi ~315W solar panels. The PV work was completed in 2021. All Energy Solar did the installation of the solar panels, plus the breaker’s modernization. At the same time, I purchased a used 2014 Model S Tesla car from GS Motors and got rid of my gasoline car (Honda Fit). Ray of Light electrician did the Tesla home charger installation, in the garage. The Tesla charger is directly connected to the house breaker, which has the benefit of adapting the car recharge to the PV production more easily: by combining both Tesla and Egauge apps, in real time. During 2020-2021, I converted the gas stove, the gas dryer and the gas water heater, all to electricity (both the dryer and water heater are now heat pumps). Natural gas is no longer needed from mid-April to mid-October.

I plan to extend that period from March to December by adding heat pump heaters (and air conditioning in the Summer), probably in 2026. I estimate that I should be able to further reduce my consumption to about 15MWh, buying natural gas only for the two cold months of January and February. The 24 panels are sufficient for my entire house’s consumption of electricity (1 adult and 2 teens) and 90% of the energy used by the electric car, on average, annually. My first significant drop in energy consumption, in 2019, came mostly from ditching my gasoline car. Then gradually eliminating natural gas appliances helped drop further my energy consumption. The latest Airspool heat pump, that can directly be connected to PV, would be an interesting addition, since I have enough surface roof on the house, for another set of 12 more PVs (300+ watts each). This would help lower my energy consumption from 25MWh to 15MWh (which is the amount of energy needed to heat the house in January-February, once Therms are converted to kWh). I also plan to replace the Tesla brand with a Rivian, probably in 2025.

My yard includes a Minnesota native rain garden.

• Electric Vehicles • Electric Vehicle Charging • Energy Efficiency Upgrades • Gardening/Xeriscaping • Heat Pump • Solar PV - Rooftop • Water Harvesting

When: Saturday, Oct 5 9a-5p

Where: 704 Armstrong Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55102

We have home solar for the lower unit of our duplex, where we lived until 2019. We still own and rent out the home. There is a 14-50 plug in the off-street parking area that previously had a Juicebox charger for our ev. This unit now also includes on demand water heater, induction stove and electric dryer making a gas-free home from April to October! There are also native plant gardens and a pervious patio/parking area.

• Solar PV • Electric Vehicle (EV) • Electric Vehicle Charging

When: Saturday, Oct 5 10a-2p; Sunday, Oct 6 12p-4p

Where: 198 N Kent St, Saint Paul, MN

This house was built as a passive solar house in 1998. It has triple pane windows all around. Most of the windows face the south. It has 4 " of foam insulation in all walls. It now also has 12 solar panels on the roof that provide 120 % of the electrical usage. The owner also has an EV.

This is a small system, but still provides 120% of electrical use. As a passive solar house the home has triple pane windows that face south. It has 4" of foam in all exterior walls.

• System Size: 4.86 kW

• Panel Manufacturer: Solaredge

• Panel Model: S440

• Inverter Type: string-inverter

• Inverter Manufacturer: Solaredge

• Inverter Model: SE3800

• Install Year: 2023

• Installed By: TruNorth

When: Sunday, Oct 6, 1pm - 3pm

Where: 502 Shoreline Dr, Wayzata, MN 55391

We installed solar panels on our timber framed barn, a barn that we rebuilt. It’s a gambler style, the lower steep pitch has 30 250W panels and the upper shallow pitch roof has 15 250W panels. We have also just install a 24 410W array on the house.

The ground floor is were we keep the vehicles, one is our Toyota Prius Prime hybrid that we charge.

There is also 30 chickens on site.

• Electric Vehicles • Electric Vehicles Charging • Energy Efficiency Upgrades • Gardening/Xeriscaping • Recycled Building Materials • Solar PV - Rooftop

When: Friday, Oct 4 2p-5p; Saturday, Oct 5 9a-5p, Sunday, Oct 6 9a-5p

Where: 2097 Quant Avenue North, West Lakeland, MN 55082

56.52 kW rooftop solar and 2023 Chevrolet Bolt.

• System Size: 56.52 kW

• Panel Manufacturer: TenK

• Panel Model: 410

• Inverter Type: microinverter

• Install Year: 2015

• Installed By: All Energy Solar

• Notes: System was rehabbed by Guth Electric after a 2022 hailstorm.

When: Saturday, Oct 5th, 9am - 5pm

Where: 1805 Lake Dr, Northfield, MN

An Emerging Vision of Peace, Sustainability, Renewal in Partnership with Earth, Spirit, and People. The residents of the preserve have a vision to share an alternative, sustainable, spiritual place of peace, honoring the earth and all living things.

· Electric Vehicles · Electric Vehicle Charging Energy · Energy Efficient Upgrades · Composting · Gardening/Xeriscaping · Integrated Systems · Net Zero · Passive Solar · Solar PV Ground Mount · Solar Thermal · Deep Winter Solar Greenhouse · Recycled Building Materials · Water Harvesting

When: Saturday, Oct 5 10a - 2p

Where: 3148 Bungo Creek Lane SW Pine River MN 56474

All electric home complete with Tesla solar roof, Tesla PowerWall backup battery, Arctic air to water heat pump utilized for both infloor heating and cooling, Zehnder ERV, Canadian Access windows and doors and two electric wall chargers. We got Tesla to allow us to put their solar shingles on our south facing home and garage roofs and have metal roofing on the north faces. We utilized old barn siding from my family farm for the garage and breezeway walls and for the ceiling of the east deck. All rainwater is diverted into a catch basin (rain garden) that can handle up to a 5 ” rainfall. A minimal lawn space is maintained for overflow parking and snow removal. All other space is being restored to pollinator prairies. We use wicking bed gardens to conserve water.

System Size: 32 kW

Passive Solar · Heat Pump(s) · Electric Vehicle(s) · Electric Vehicle Charging · Battery Storage · Energy Efficiency · Gardening/Xeriscaping · Recycled Building Materials · Sustainable Living · Water Harvesting · Energy Monitoring

Learn more about the home here.

A 17-Kw array, a super-insulated total gut rehab, and a geothermal heat source all come together to make this all-electric house net-positive — producing more electricity than it uses over the past four years of operation. These owners wanted to prove that an ordinary old house on an ordinary lot in a chilly city like Minneapolis could indeed be net-positive — producing 15,000 to 17,000 kWh, vs 11,000-14,000 consumed per year, over the past four years.

Electric Vehicles · Energy Efficient Upgrades · Geothermal · Heat Pumps · Net Zero · Solar PV Rooftop · Super-insulated Walls

For more info on the features of this sustainable home, click here.

We built a small bungalow replacing an old falling down farmhouse on 6 acres of pastureland. Our story is one of starting small and building in sustainability over time. When we first bought the property, it was teeming with nettles, burdock, and thistle, barb wire fencing and scrubby junk trees but it also had a beautiful old oak family and a winding creek. We adopted this neglected land, vowed to care for it, and try to live sustainably on it. We had a limited budget but solar was a must so we started with a 2.2 kw roof mount system that had room for expansion. To help with heating costs we also installed a wood stove. The stove could serve as heating and cooking backup in case the power goes out. Because it's a country home, we have well and septic. Our land is hilly and rocky and the aquifer is a long ways down. The well must pump from 500 feet and the septic is a modified mound system, also with a pump. That's where much of our electric expense comes from. Our solar system doesn't cover all our electric needs, but it offsets the cost of that pricey well and septic. Growing food has been a unique challenge. Our rocky limestone soil is very alkaline and water quickly runs down the steep hills before soaking in. But we've experimented and learned to grow a bounty of fruit and vegetables. I joke that when we moved here we needed to learn to garden with a pickaxe but instead we installed raised beds and created a dry streambed to capture rainwater, directing it to a swale and berm system for our orchard. We prune our fruit trees dramatically so we can have variety but still use everything we produce and don't have to climb ladders to tend them. To be more sustainable we strive to conserve and limit waste and accommodate as we age in place. What might interest some in our homestead is that it's not a big glamorous project, once and done, off grid, but a series of steps in that direction. With a small budget and a bit of creativity a lot can be accomplished.

System Size: 2.2 kw

Gardening/Xeriscaping · Solar PV - Rooftop · Passive Solar · Water Harvesting · Sustainable Living

These homeowners went solar because it’s a core component in the sustainable retirement home they wanted. In designing their home they had the following criteria:

Retirement home: Low maintenance, low utility costs, handicap accessible, and everything they’d need on the ground level.

Sustainability and resilience: Concerned about climate change, food security, and resource depletion - incorporate permaculture, eliminate fossil fuels as much as possible, and to grow or source as much food locally as possible.

Financial security: Like many Americans, these homeowners have not been able to save a great deal for retirement. Investing in assets like solar that fix a large portion of their energy costs for decades, in addition to reducing their energy needs through passive solar and energy efficiency, help to insure they can afford to live in their home regardless of external energy prices.

Family: These homeowners faced the challenge of having large families to entertain occasionally without having a big home, so they had to get creative.

Community: Being a part of a community was important to them.

Battery Storage · Composting · Electric Vehicles · Energy Efficient Upgrades · Heat Pumps · Passive Solar · Solar PV Rooftop · Chickens · Fruit Trees · Berry Bushes · Vegetable Garden · Canning Kitchen

This home has a 4 array, 42 panel with 42 micro-inverters 9 kW roof-installed solar system. Installation was done by All Energy Solar in the spring of 2016. Since installing the system, this family has had a greater awareness of overall energy consumption and have been making smarter choices when using and choosing to replace appliances. It has also encouraged them to create new habits around energy consumption and led them to broaden their involvement in the fight against climate change. Most importantly, it has decreased their reliance on fossil fuels!

Solar PV - Rooftop · Electric Vehicles

The presentation of plans culminated in construction of a home that has been certified as a Passive House Plus – only the second house in the U.S. to achieve this certification. Other design goals included full accessibility for aging in place, low environmental impact building materials, long life-cycle materials that require minimal maintenance, and low-impact landscaping that is welcoming to wildlife. Dave offers a photographic tour of the home’s features and construction details and talk about the comfort and performance of the home.

Learn more about the design process here.

Click here to view the video tour.

This small family home boasts a 2.8 kW system, purchased in partnership with a co-op through Solar United Neighbors, saving them 30% on the install.

Solar PV - Rooftop

Tim’s Tiny House is quite unlike any other house on the tour. It’s scale model home showcasing renewable energy and energy efficient features!

Energy Efficiency Upgrades · Heat Pumps · Integrated Systems · Net Zero · Passive Solar · Solar PV - Rooftop · Solar Thermal · Sun Tubes