Dive Summary:

• The Minnesota Commerce Department’s energy resources division said it supports retaining Xcel Energy’s Solar Rewards rebate program through 2015; the $5-million-a-year program has helped 560 homeowners and businesses afford solar arrays since 2010.
• Xcel wanted to drop the program after 2013 since its popularity led to the May exhaustion of 2012 funding.
• The utility’s argument to drop the program had been that solar power is too expensive, making it unfair for all ratepayers to subsidize power generation for the benefit of only a few.

From the article:

Xcel Energy's popular program that subsidizes small-scale solar-power projects in Minnesota isn't going away after all.

A state agency on Tuesday indicated that it will reject the utility's plan to eliminate its Solar Rewards program -- a victory for the state's fledgling solar industry, especially installers who feared a drop in orders if the initiative ended. ...