Educational Opportunities
Community Education Classes
Neighborhood Energy Challenge
RPU and Minnesota Energy Resources have teamed up with the Center for Energy and Environment to offer Rochester homeowners the Neighborhood Energy Challenge (NEC), a full-service residential energy audit program.
Solar Energy for Your Home or Business
Is solar right for you? Does solar work in Minnesota? How much energy can it produce? What are the costs? What incentives are available? Is there maintenance? Come learn the answers to these questions and more. There will be many photos of installations. An optional video tour of a local solar home will follow the class for those who would like to see a system in action. This course is co-sponsored by Rochester Public Utilities (RPU).
Instructor: Micah Johnson
Bio: Over the past 14 years, Micah has designed, installed, and maintained hundreds of solar energy systems throughout Southeast Minnesota. His experience spans commercial, residential, agricultural, off-grid, and battery backup applications. Micah holds a NABCEP Photovoltaic Associate (PVA) certification from the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP), a leading organization for solar industry credentials.
Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026
Time: 10:00 am-12:00 pm
Cost: FREE (registration required)
Location: Northrop Community Education Center: Room 308
201 8th St NW
Rochester, MN 55901
Registration: To register for this Community Education class, call 507-328-4000 or register online through the Rochester Community Education website.
Explore additional Community Education classes on Electric Vehicles, Heat Pumps, and more by clicking here.
Contact Us
RPU Service Center
4000 East River Road NE
Rochester, MN, 55906
Business Hours
RPU Service Center Lobby Hours:
Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm
RPU Customer Care by phone: 507-280-1500
Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm
Report an Outage
Electric Outage: 507-280-9191
Water Outage: 8am - 5pm: 507-280-1500
Water Outage: 5pm - 8am: 507-280-9191