MN HF4544

Utilities must provide customers' electricity usage data within ten days of a request if the data is relevant to interconnecting a solar energy system, including monthly totals, time-of-use data, and demand charge information.

Private entities including homeowners associations are prohibited from blocking installation, maintenance, or use of roof-mounted solar energy systems on single-family dwellings, except as otherwise provided in the bill.

Private entities may require licensed contractor installation, limit system height to roof peak, require indemnification and insurance naming them as certificate holders, and impose restrictions that do not reduce projected energy generation by more than 20 percent or increase costs by more than 20 percent for solar water heaters or $2,000 for photovoltaic systems.

Applications for solar system approval must be processed like architectural modification requests and are deemed approved if not denied in writing within 60 days, with incomplete applications requiring written notice of deficiencies within 15 business days to restart the timeline.

Amendments to Minnesota condominium, cooperative, and homeowners association statutes require compliance with the new solar energy protections and utility data access requirements.