Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty last week signed a green jobs bill that includes provisions for Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE).
PACE enables local governments to create voluntary programs that will allow property owners to finance solar, other renewable energy, energy efficiency, and electric vehicle plug-in improvements to their homes or businesses through voluntary property assessments.
"We’ve made huge progress in this legislative session including passing PACE and other provisions in the Jobs bill, which should help attract more manufacturing to our state," said Lynn Hinkle, of the Minnesota Solar Energy Industry Association. "With PACE, Minnesota counties and cities have a set of powerful tools to create energy improvement districts for both commercial and residential properties," said Hinkle.
Sixteen states have passed similar PACE-enabling legislation, but few have done it with such a strong coalition as in Minnesota. The measure was quickly adopted with overwhelming support in the Minnesota House and Senate.
"Minnesota property owners can be part of the solution by tapping into the renewable energy resources that our state is blessed with," said Ken Bradley, director of Environment Minnesota. "PACE allows building owners to make investments by using energy savings and pay those investments back through voluntary property assessments," said Bradley.
In February, San Francisco established one of the nation’s largest PACE programs.
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