On October 15th folks from across the West Central CERT region met at Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center in Spicer to learn about renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. Panelists shared experience and insights gained from their projects, partly funded by WC CERT seed grants. After Q&A on the patio, participants enjoyed the sunny day with a tour of Prairie Woods’ clean energy projects.
Greater Milan Initiative – Sustainable Energy Utility
During the panel discussion, Ann Thompson with Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU) of Milan talked about their Community Center Energy Revitalization Project. The SEU purchased Milan’s old school building for $1 to serve as a community center. As many communities who have gone through this process have learned, a number of these older school buildings require a lot of energy to heat. With that in mind, the SEU pursued a project to study the community’s mixed use of the building and the feasibility of a district heating/ cooling system, develop schematic plans, and prepare cost estimates and finance options for local biomass aggregation and cooperative pelletization. Beyond this particularly project, Milan’s SEU has also been very involved in providing forums for community connections and educating community members about energy. In a series of three forums they attracted 150 of Milan’s total population of 362 to attend. Key ways to get folks involved: provide a meal, provide translators, provide child care.
City of Hoffman – Community Center
“Energy costs can make or break a business,” Muriel Krusemark recounted, “We used to wear our coats and boots while working, so when I heard of a grant for heating, we jumped on it.” Muriel works for the small town of Hoffman. The Community Center there received a much-needed heating and cooling system upgrade, with the CERTs seed grant helping with labor costs. For many businesses in town their profit margin is so slim that high energy or heating costs can put them out of business. “Before, there were only 3 businesses open on Main Street. Now we have 9 or 10 new businesses with only a couple spots open,” Muriel noted. Laurinda (Rin) Porter from RETAP (also a Central CERT Steering Committee member!) provided the energy audit for their building.
Gustavus Adolphus College – Community Solar Garden
Next on the panel was James Dontje with the Johnson Center for Environmental Innovation, Gustavus Adolphus College. He works on environmental sustainability on the Gustavus Adophus College campus and in the surrounding communities. James utilized a CERTs seed grant to develop and advance a community solar garden concept for people who face obstacles to rooftop solar power while offering benefits to all stakeholders. Jim started this project in 2012 – before Minnesota had passed its solar garden legislation – to empower more community members to be a part of local renewable energy implementation. All in all, Jim described the process as a good learning experience, and helpful perspective for understanding the challenges and opportunities municipal utilities have to work through to make community solar gardens happen in their service territories. “There are challenges with the utility structure, similar to what we what we went through the cell phone structure,” James noted. “We’ve created a situation where utilities sometimes don’t have a lot of room for changing their business model.”
Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center – Biomass & Solar Thermal
“These energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements will yield benefits for years to come. By becoming energy independent, we’ve paid our utility bills for years to come.” Dave Pederson is understandably proud of all of the energy work that they have accomplished at the Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center (PWELC). PWELC is a regional center for environmental education and outdoor recreation which serves 60 school districts and over 20,000 people each year from throughout west central and southwestern Minnesota. There is darn near every renewable energy that can be implemented in the Upper Midwest out at PWELC technology – from a pellet stove and small wind turbine to all kinds of solar. Dave shared some crazy (good) facts about how their journey to become 100% renewable energy powered (net) has saved them money. His first example: in 2003, their propane bill was $11,000 when propane was $1.05/gallon. In January 2014, with propane prices at $4.61/gallon, their energy bill would have been $51,000 had they still bill fully dependent on propane. Instead, even with a 25% bigger building, their heating bill was $4,900 as they largely relieved on wind and solar thermal. Dave discussed how a CERTs seed grant supported the labor to expand the capacity of a solar heating system at the maintenance building and provided a solar hot water pre-heater for a small scale bio-diesel processor. Pederson is a big fan of solar, both thermal and photovoltaic. “The fewer moving parts there are, the bigger my smile is,” he said. This project helped PWELC achieve its goal of 100% renewable energy by the end of 2010.
New London-Spicer High School – Greenhouse, Solar & Wind
Finally, teacher Tracy Tebben shared how the New London-Spicer High School’s Agriculture Department, with the help of several key supporters, worked to build a solar active greenhouse and install an adjacent small wind turbine. What is a solar active greenhouse, you ask? Well, it is a greenhouse designed to collect solar energy at the top of the greenhouse and capture and transfer that heat underground for a slow release that allows a greenhouse to stay at 50 degrees even in the dead of winter (even a polar vortex winter). “This was one big science experiment,” he noted. About the greenhouse he added, “We brainstormed with Jonathan Morales of YES! and the late Chuck Waibel. We didn’t want a traditional greenhouse because it uses so much energy. We didn’t want to use the whole budget on just the heating bill. We went with 30’ x 36’ structure and are glad we went with that size. Former students, who are now business owners, donated their labor. Students helped build it.” He noted that they were still collecting data from the wind turbine. “The data is also reported to the power company, Kandiyohi Power. The idea was to compensate the greenhouse’s energy use and off-set it with an onsite power source.”
Thank you! It was a fine day to gather with friends and enjoy sharing the stories about unique clean energy projects from around the region. We hope you can join us next time!
CERTs Seed Grants: To learn about other CERTs seed grants.
