By Mari Radtke
Blue Horizon Energy began its effort to expand solar energy solutions to the public in 2009. Initially they served the residential and commercial customers based in Minnesota. Through the years they have grown to serve five states, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin. They proudly have developed over 500 projects across the region.
Their growth can be seen in their customer base. Over the years Blue Energy has gained a foot hold in agriculture and industrial customers. CEO Griffin Dooling estimates that 60% of their business is now from the ag and industrial customer mix.
Nationally the solar market size is estimated at tens of millions of dollars. “In Iowa,” Dooling says, over $300 million over the last decade” has gone into solar, according to the Iowa Department of Revenue.
The Marcus, Iowa office at 208 W. Railroad Street is the first physical expansion of Blue Horizon Energy. Jeff Dorr will work from that office carrying the title of Regional Manager, Iowa. “When my cousin, Phil Dorr was considering installing solar at his confinements north of Marcus (64,000 hogs) I helped him with the cost/benefit. I liked the team. We stayed in touch. We talked about Iowa’s potential for a couple years,” said Jeff. Jeff holds a Master in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA. He said of going to Blue Horizon Energy, “It’s an opportunity to do fun things. It’ll be like running a small business out here. I’ll have to make sure and hit revenue and hit profit.”
Blue Horizon Energy systems utilize cellular connections. The connections allow Blue Horizon’s 24/7 monitoring systems to diagnose problems, often before an owner is aware.
Each project is connected to the electric grid. When electric consumption exceeds the capacity of the solar the location can draw from the regular electric grid. For excess solar production, the electricity goes out onto the grid for use. Net metering is used to balance accounts.
Solar projects are sales tax exempt. In Iowa, they are also property tax exempt. Additionally, Iowa offers a 15% tax credit for renewable energy projects and the federal credit is 26%.
For more information, Jeff Dorr can be reached by calling 1-919-280-3959.