News

For over half a century, Otten Bros. Garden Center and Landscaping has been harnessing the power of the sun to grow plants and create beautiful spaces. With this history, it seemed like a natural step to use sunlight to power their business, and the Property-Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program through Saint Paul Port Authority made it easy to pay for the installation.

Parkwood Place in Mountain Lake, MN provides assisted living and senior care options for elderly adults. They recently utilized the Rural Minnesota Energy Board’s Property Assessed Clean Energy—or PACE—program to finance energy efficiency upgrades in their facility.

Recycling is at the core of Jay Miller’s company, Crankshaft Supply. The 50-year-old Minneapolis business remanufactures engine parts, saving the expense of having to manufacture new parts and repurposing old parts for productive use.

When Cozy Corners Campground in Richmond, Minnesota is at maximum capacity during the busy summer months, the facility’s electric bill can top $10,000 a month. Driven by a desire to make a positive environmental impact as well as reduce these astronomical bills, owners George and Kathy Meyers decided to install solar panels at the campground.

Tucked away near Owen Hall on the University of Minnesota – Crookston campus is the Nature Nook. With the recent help of the Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships and the Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs), a new solar-powered LED light now helps illuminate this little oasis.

The Headwaters Regional Development Commission (HRDC) recently used grant funding from CERTs to conduct a community survey in Beltrami County, Minnesota in order to identify and understand the community’s renewable energy and energy efficiency financing needs.

Cities across Minnesota are finding real savings converting their streetlights to LEDs. We spoke with Brian Jeremiason, Energy Services Manager with Lyon-Lincoln Electric Cooperative, to learn more about his experiences. Joel Haskard: It sounds like you have several LED streetlight projects in the works.

The Clean Energy Resources Teams (CERTs) is spearheading a statewide campaign, Light Up Your Station & Save, to help convenience stores reduce energy and maintenance costs and improve their businesses with LED lighting. We spoke with Lonnie McQuirter, owner of the 36 Lyn Refuel Station at 36th Street & Lyndale Avenue in south Minneapolis.

This story is republished from the original in Midwest Energy News.

A Minnesota faith group will announced last week an effort to make community solar more accessible to people with lower incomes.

More Minnesotans will have access to affordable solar thermal systems after the Minnesota Department of Commerce announced that it will offer rebates beginning March 18 to residents, businesses, nonprofits, and government entities as part of its Made in Minnesota Solar Incentive Program.

This article is republished from the original by Andrea Johnson, Assistant Editor of Farm and Ranch Guide.

It’s time to consider solar power again.

 
Better technology and lower prices are making solar power in 2014 achievable and more affordable than in the past.

Zoom around the Upper-Midwest (and linger a while in Minnesota!) to see excellent on-farm renewable energy projects.

The potential uses and benefits of renewable energy to rural communities are huge. In fact, they’re already being realized as innovative people and organizations put ideas into action.

Looking for support to advance your energy and environment projects? Minnesota GreenCorps members are a great way to add capacity to your organization and grow young leaders.

On March 10-11, 550 Minnesotans from all over the state gathered in St. Cloud for the CERTs 2015 Conference to learn about successful energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, connect with peers, and get ready to take action in their communities.

The Midwest Farm Energy Conference and Renewable Energy Tour is coming up in Morris, MN on June 17-19, 2015! To learn more we interviewed Michael Reese, Renewable Energy Director at the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center in Morris.

Joel Haskard, CERTs:
Tell us a little bit about the Midwest Farm Energy Conference.

Over 40 people—most of them dairy farmers from southeast Minnesota—gathered at People’s Energy Cooperative in Oronoco on December 11th to learn about ways to save energy in dairy production and funding opportunities and rebates available.

Nested in rural Zumbro Falls, MN, RS Farms is a small dairy operated by Kim and Richard Ryan. Behind the scenes of their milk production lays a longtime consideration of the energy that goes into the operation of their farm, and the desire that the energy leave less of an impact.

Community Solar Gardens are centrally-located solar photovoltaic (PV) systems that provide electricity to participating subscribers, and they’re taking root in Minnesota. Here at CERTs we wanted to learn more about the experiences of subscribers in Minnesota and share them with others who are curious about community solar.

The Youth Energy Summit (YES!) empowers youth to partner with their community to create economic and environmental vitality through hands-on learning and team-based projects.

The Clean Energy Resource Teams are very pleased to announce the hiring of Anna Carlson as the new coordinator of our Northwest CERT. Anna is no stranger to the Clean Energy Resource Teams having served on the Northwest CERT Steering Committee for the past two years, but is super excited to be working with CERTs in her new capacity as the NW CERT Regional Coordinator.

Community Solar Gardens are centrally-located solar photovoltaic (PV) systems that provide electricity to participating subscribers, and they’re taking root in Minnesota. Here at CERTs we wanted to learn more about the experiences of subscribers in Minnesota and share them with others who are curious about community solar.

Community Solar Gardens are centrally-located solar photovoltaic (PV) systems that provide electricity to participating subscribers, and they’re taking root in Minnesota. Here at CERTs we wanted to learn more about the experiences of subscribers in Minnesota and share them with others who are curious about community solar.

Community Solar Gardens are centrally-located solar photovoltaic (PV) systems that provide electricity to participating subscribers, and they’re taking root in Minnesota. Here at CERTs we wanted to learn more about the experiences of subscribers in Minnesota and share them with others who are curious about community solar.

Communities across Minnesota are looking to take action on clean energy projects, but sometimes knowing where to start, who to involve, and how to get from an idea to a completed project are steps that make the process seem daunting.

The new Clean Energy Partnership Board in Minneapolis will hold its first meeting today, Wednesday February 4th.