Now that the days are getting longer again, Minnesotans are finally starting to see more of the sun. Michael Allen with All Energy Solar stopped by KARE 11 at 4 to talk about solar energy and how it's the fastest growing source of energy. Click the link below to watch the clip!

"Over the years, I have witnessed the Red Wing community grow and change in ways I never would have imagined. Now outdoor ice is a rarity in Southern Minnesota. One month, maybe five weeks, is now about all you can hope for when it comes to outdoor ice. Working with the Red Wing Public Works Department, I know this first hand. In December, our crews work around the clock, if and when the temperatures are cold enough, to get the outdoor ice ready so the kids can go skating over Christmas vacation. Even if they do get ice by late December, the fear is that we will see another year with a January thaw bringing 40+ degree temperatures and melting all of the ice."

After spending three months this summer helping the United Arab Emirates write procedures for a new nuclear power plant, Peter Reese followed his wife’s advice and returned home to the cooler climate of South Minneapolis without a job in hand.

"Ross Starfeldt, weary of power outages at his Bloomington house, recently bought a suitcase-size battery to hang on the wall of his garage, becoming one of the first Minnesotans to embrace billionaire Elon Musk’s vision of the future.

One homeowner in IA, MA, MN or WI, will win energy independence with a free solar electric system for their home (up to 3 kilowatts DC) valued up to $13,000. All Energy Solar, one of the leading solar integrators in the Midwest and western Massachusetts, has launched a home solar sweepstakes for residents in Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The winner will receive a FREE 3kW home solar electric system valued up to $13,000.

"It has been exactly one year since our solar array began producing electricity here at our Stormwater Park and Learning Center, and it is already adding to our bottom line. Installed by All Energy Solar (with support from a Made in Minnesota grant from the Minnesota Department of Commerce), our solar photovoltaic system allows us to generate clean, renewable power on site and — just as important — monitor how much we consume. We’ve taken that information and used it to find ways to be more energy-efficient in our everyday work. It has been my personal favorite project here at the MWMO, and there’s a version you can do at home too."

If you're financially savvy and eco-conscious, you’ve probably considered your options to go solar or buy an electric vehicle (EV). You’re on to something good with both. Home solar systems and EVs go together like cookies and milk! Charging an EV with the power of the sun can help save money and the planet in a variety of ways.

Grand Marais Mayor Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux and the Grand Marais Public Utilities Commission (PUC) worked with All Energy Solar to install Grand Marais’s first solar electric system recently. Owners of Art House Bed and Breakfast, Arrowsmith DeCoux and his family—wife Rose and son Ennis—are very involved in the community and they view the installation as a community statement (and basically the right thing to do).

Price is no longer the number one motivator for installing solar. A recent study conducted by researchers at Yale and the University of Connecticut found that taking the leap into solar energy has much more to do with whether your neighbors have done the same.

Solar solutions have long been seen as a large-scale source of energy, accessible only to the big-name corporations. But the shift is coming; solar is becoming more affordable and more widespread.