Advancing Building Decarbonization at the 2026 Minnesota Energy Factsheet Launch

MinnPACE was proud to participate in and attend the 2026 Minnesota Energy Factsheet launch hosted by CEEM and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) at Wilder. The conversation reinforced what we see every day across Minnesota’s building sectors: recent policy changes and market momentum are converging to make C‑PACE an essential tool for scaling equitable, durable decarbonization.

The newly released factsheet highlighted that 55% of Minnesota’s electricity now comes from renewable and nuclear sources—an important milestone for the state. MinnPACE financing has played a meaningful role in this progress. In the past three years alone, MinnPACE supported solar projects totaling more than 8 million kilowatt-hours annually, including 16 projects closed last year alone. These investments illustrate how local, project-level financing translates directly into statewide energy outcomes.

A standout example discussed at the event was OlymPak Printing & Packaging in Mora, Minnesota, which partnered with Trillion BTU and others to bring a 1.32 MW on-site solar installation online this year. Featuring 2,280 panels designed for Minnesota’s climate, the system will generate enough electricity to power 100% of the company’s daytime operations. Projects like OlymPak demonstrate how innovative manufacturers and energy partners are using flexible financing to align business performance with climate leadership.

Policy Changes Expanding Impact

A major theme of the event—and one that resonates strongly with MinnPACE—was the significance of Minnesota’s 2024 legislative updates to the C‑PACE statute. These changes removed the rigid 1:1 savings-to-investment ratio requirement, expanded eligible uses to include emissions reduction, water measures, resiliency, and embodied carbon, and increased the maximum allowable assessment to 30% loan-to-value. Together, these updates have transformed C‑PACE into a far more flexible financing tool that better matches real-world project needs.

This matters because decarbonization increasingly requires whole-life emissions strategies and deeper retrofits across existing buildings—not just the most obvious energy efficiency upgrades. From electrification and envelope improvements to energy storage, microgrids, flood mitigation, and low-carbon materials, MinnPACE can now support a broader array of project decisions that deliver long-term value.