Business Community Solar

Cooperative Energy Futures makes solar affordable for Minnesota businesses and property owners. We are looking for partners to bring the combined benefits of Business Solar and Community Solar together for a rooftop, ground, or canopied solar system that benefits your organization and everyone in our community.

What are the Benefits of CEF’s Business Community Solar Program?

  • Business Solar system powers your building

  • No upfront cost to you

  • Annual energy savings

  • Protect against rising energy prices

  • Support company sustainability goals

  • Extend the life of your roof (solar shades roof material)

  • Reduce your cooling costs (solar reflects heat up)

  • Increase property value (self-sustaining energy system)

How Business Community Solar works for you:


If you are or know the owner of a large or commercial-sized building or property, CEF would like to share the savings and benefits of Business Community Solar with you. We’ll put together a plan that not only saves you on energy costs but one in which all participants (your employees, customers, etc.) will now have real agency in making decisions around their energy use. CEF staff can provide you with detailed preliminary information.

This model works for local schools, municipalities, and governments, and we encourage you to reach out as city planning leaders or residents, to learn about all the detailed benefits it gives them and their communities.

Why Cooperative Energy Futures is the right partner:

We offer your business and the greater community a path to simple, clean, and accessible solar energy with no upfront cost and immediate savings. We all benefit in this scenario, and here’s why...

Again, Xcel charges your business (and all of us) for our energy use, which they deliver via the grid. In this new model, we replace a large portion of the energy you use with clean solar energy located on your new roof.

You save by buying less energy from Xcel, and you pay us for the clean energy we generate on your roof at a discount off what Xcel charges. Similarly, community solar subscribers benefit from energy at a discount. 

We treat project development as a lifetime commitment…


…And are committed to community solutions that work for everyone

Who can participate under the current program guidelines?

Any building that meets the following criteria is eligible

  • Flat rooftop area with approximately 50,000 Square Feet of unshaded roof space

  • Property is near or adjacent to 3-phase utility or power lines

  • Contact us with an address and we’ll have your roof measured when we reply!

What does the property owner need to provide CEF to determine the property’s eligibility for a Business Community Solar system?

  • Address of the building or property

  • Age of building/roof type/age

  • Xcel utility statements

  • Building plans

Next Steps: 

  • Contact CEF today to find out how you can start immediate energy savings with no money down.

  • Once the suitability of a building has been determined CEF will discuss the program with your facility or management leadership teams to determine the next steps.

  • CEF will determine the business/community system sizes each part of the building will occupy based on your usage and available space.

  • CEF will apply to Xcel for an interconnection agreement.