Renewable Energy Can Help Your Businesses During COVID-19
Cedar Creek Energy has been hard at work bringing renewable energy to local businesses even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our teams have installed a number of solar arrays for businesses in the past several months. The solar revolution is taking off in the Twin Cities, and it’s fueled by a combination of state and federal incentives, low-interest rates, and zoning changes.
Local businesses find solar energy an appealing alternative to traditional grid power for several reasons. First, the sun’s energy is a completely free, renewable resource that can be harnessed to power businesses of any size. Its low costs are more predictable than grid power, which has been known to fluctuate based on demand. During the pandemic, businesses with solar arrays can rest easy knowing they aren’t paying inflated prices to power their enterprises. In addition, solar is better for the environment and allows companies to offset their carbon footprint.
Cedar Creek Energy’s Solar Project for Aveda Campus
When Aveda – a national hair, body, and skincare company with a campus in Blaine – decided to make the switch to solar energy, they trusted Cedar Creek Energy to design the system and install nearly 3,000 solar panels. The solar field will generate at least half the energy required to power the company’s on-site manufacturing facility. Aveda’s parent company, Estee Lauder, has a goal to someday generate all its electricity through renewable energy sources. The installation of their new solar field in Blaine is a positive step towards that goal.
Cedar Creek Energy CEO Rob Appelhof said, “Big companies like Aveda are taking the lead to show people the value of clean, renewable energy.”
Brin Glass Reaps the Benefits of Solar Through Tax Credits
Another local company, Brin Glass in Fridley, also worked with Cedar Creek Energy to install nearly 2,000 solar panels on its manufacturing plant last year. President Bill Sullivan says his primary motivation for installing solar was the financial savings, although he does appreciate the green aspect of renewable energy. “There are a lot of state and federal tax credits and depreciation credits that made sense from an economic standpoint,” Sullivan said. One of the most lucrative tax credits, the Federal Investment Tax Credit, offers companies and homeowners a credit of 26% of their system’s installation cost when they install solar in 2020.
To learn more about Cedar Creek’s collaboration with Aveda, Brin Glass, and other Twin Cities solar energy clients, read this article from the Star Tribune.