Omni Brewing Company installs solar on front of Minnesota taproom

A brewery in Rosemount, Minnesota, built solar panels right into the design of its new taproom rather than adding them later. Omni Brewing Company worked with installer All Energy Solar to fit a 74.8-kilowatt solar system onto the building's sloped roof, using Enphase microinverters (small devices attached to each panel that convert solar energy for use). The panels were chosen to nearly match the roof color, so the array blends into the building instead of standing out.

The brewery says the system now covers most of its on-site electricity use. To pay for it, Omni used federal tax credits, bonus depreciation (a tax method that lets a business write off equipment costs faster), and a USDA REAP grant, which is a federal grant program aimed at helping rural businesses invest in renewable energy and efficiency projects.

This is a commercial project, not a homeowner one, so it does not come with a program a homeowner could sign up for directly. But it does show how solar can be worked into a building's original design rather than bolted on afterward, and how a mix of tax credits and grants can make a system pencil out financially. If you're weighing solar for your own house, it's a reminder to look at what federal tax credits are currently available to you, and to check whether your state or utility offers separate solar incentives, since those vary widely by location.