Mandi Schienebeck is the Solar Program Administrator for the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources. She developed and continues to administer the Solar for Schools grant program. Since its launch in January 2022, over 160 schools have been awarded grants by the state for the installation of on-site PV systems.
In total, once the program funding is fully expended, Solar for Schools funded projects are anticipated to increase the state’s solar school capacity by over 32MWdc, more than tripling its pre-program solar school capacity to 45MWdc. Once installed, these 400 solar schools will result in Minnesota having solarized over 30% of eligible school buildings, triple the current national average.
Mandi additionally oversees administration of Xcel’s Solar*Rewards production incentive program, the low-income residential solar incentive component of the state’s Solar for All program, and the SolarAPP+ incentive program for jurisdictions.
Prior to joining Commerce in 2021, Mandi served as Program Manager for the Midwest Renewable Energy Association’s Solar on Schools grant program. Mandi is a LEED® Green Associate™ and has taken NABCEP PV Associate training. She earned her M.S. in Environment and Resources from UW Madison’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.
