Blog

Each year, the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) along with BloombergNEF releases a factbook containing the impacts and statistics about renewable energy’s performance in America over the past year. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic had huge effects on the industry including decreasing energy demand overall and the furlough of hundreds of thousands of clean energy workers. Though some numbers from this year’s factbook might look different next year as the country rebounds from the pandemic, it also might have shifted how the country looks at clean energy and its role in the American mix.  

There are many ways one can “live the good life,” but for many, it starts with a comfortable home. Leadership of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians were looking not only for comfort when commissioning the Mino-bimaadiziwin apartment complex, but also for housing that encompasses the tribe’s heritage of sustainability and togetherness. In partnership with Loeffler Construction and Consulting, Landon Group, and Cunningham Group, CEE joined this project to bring comfort and sustainability through energy efficiency and to ensure that this building marks the beginning of a long-lasting and sustainable home for members of the Tribe.

Minnesota’s family farmers are already experiencing the climate crisis. There is more extreme weather, unpredictable growing seasons, and increased pressure of plant and animal diseases. Farmers understand the risks of climate change and are coming up with new ways to remain resilient, such as putting carbon back in the soil. 

Clean Energy Economy MN (CEEM) develops and supports public policy that promotes the growth of clean energy jobs and the economic opportunities provided by clean, affordable and reliable energy. Working with state lawmakers between the aisle (not across it), and alongside government policy and regulatory agencies, CEEM provides the business voice of clean energy to help shape policy decisions and grow clean energy market opportunities.

Hello! I’m Virginia, the new Manager of Community Relations. I am excited to begin 2021 working with Clean Energy Economy Minnesota to strengthen our relationships with our members and the broader community. I’m hoping that we will be able to bring back in-person events this year, too!

Transmission policy is a complicated business, and 2021 will involve a number of important policy debates. Transmission policy revolves around markets that ensure power reaches our homes and businesses, often crossing wide regions and crossing state lines. We refer to the regional power delivery system as the transmission or bulk electric grid. Coordinating energy supply and demand across wide regions involves complex policies for building out new transmission, ensuring reliable operation of the system, and regulating market activities on that system.

The following webinar recap is based on “The 2020 election & what clean energy businesses need to know” event held by Clean Energy Economy MN (CEEM) on December 10, 2020 at 1 PM CST. The slides are available for review but there are no recordings of the event. 45 attendees joined the webinar to hear from Benjamin Stafford, CEEM’s Director of Government Affairs, Representative Patty Acomb (DFL - Minnetonka) and Senator David Senjem (R - Rochester). 

Clean energy can be a confusing topic. What is clean energy? How does it work in cold climates? Is it going to raise my bills? These are all questions people working in the industry get every day, and they’re good questions! In this blog, we will take you through the top ten most frequently asked questions about clean energy and give you the facts behind each. 

Each month, we ask our member-businesses to submit new projects that they are working on or have completed to be featured in our newsletter. There are a huge variety of amazing clean energy projects in Minnesota and here we archive these great stories. If you are a CEEM member and would like to submit a story, please email tconnelly@cleanenergyeconomymn.org.

The 2020 election season is over. No matter which side of the aisle you lean, it’s most likely safe to say we’re all glad it’s over. The results of this year’s election at both the state and federal level will impact the potential for clean energy policy progress in 2021. We continue to be engaged. For example, our CEEM members met with candidates for State Senate to provide education on our industry and policy opportunities. We continue to look for opportunities to inform policymakers about how and why clean energy policy matters.

According to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, residential and commercial buildings account for 40% of the energy use and emissions in the United States. As policymakers and businesses aim to improve sustainability and quality of life (for example, hundreds of cities are signed up for the Minnesota Green Steps Program) it is clear that to achieve important goals, the United States needs to drastically reduce its reliance on fossil fuels in homes and commercial buildings. Increasing the focus on energy use in buildings leads to a new focus - on electrifying buildings. Building electrification can help lower emissions, costs, and unleash innovation economy-wide.  

Elected officials work hard to represent the interests of their constituents at the capitol and local, state and national levels. These offices want to hear input from the communities they represent. Personal testimonies, pictures, and stories are important tools for elected officials to use in debates over clean energy issues. It is you, the neighbors and constituents that these elected officials rely upon.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic began, communities in Greater Minnesota were facing uncertain futures. Now, nearly six months into a peacetime emergency that was first declared by Governor Tim Walz on March 13, 2020, the impacts of COVID-19 have only exacerbated the economic development challenges Greater Minnesota has faced for years. Farm incomes are at historic lows, local government revenues are down, and thousands of jobs have been lost. 

Minnesota’s clean energy sector has consistently added jobs at a faster rate than overall statewide job growth. In 2019, clean energy jobs grew 2.5 times faster than all other sectors of Minnesota’s economy. Before the pandemic hit, clean energy employers projected 7 percent growth in 2020 -- or adding more than 4,500 new jobs. Over 10,000 clean energy workers lost their jobs during the pandemic, but with Minnesota’s history of solid growth, we expect to see them and more come back as the economic recovery begins. 

Considering a career in clean energy? You’re not alone. In 2019 Clean Jobs Midwest reported that there were more than 61,800 people working in clean energy jobs across the state—1 in 3 of them in Greater Minnesota—an increase of over 1,000 jobs just that year.

According to the Clean Jobs Midwest 2020 Report, Advanced Grid and Energy Storage jobs grew 5 percent in 2019. Overall, 2,899 Minnesotans were employed in this sector last year, making up 4.7 percent of the clean energy jobs in the state. Many Minnesotans are unaware of what exactly Advanced Grid is and what people who work in this field do. We talked to two of our member-businesses, Nokomis Energy and Werner Electric to learn more about what Advanced Grid and Energy Storage entail and what employees working in this sector do. 

The adoption of clean energy in Minnesota boosts the economy, creates jobs, and helps create a more sustainable future for the state. To assist with the clean energy transition, lawmakers have enacted legislation to assist this emerging industry. As these industries mature, there are several policies currently in play at the Capitol that would be beneficial to businesses as clean energy markets adapt to lower electricity prices and new issues arise.  Today, we are breaking down a brief history of Minnesota’s policy leadership, the current state of clean energy legislation, and how new proposals will help transition Minnesota to a decarbonized, clean energy economy. 

With new reports every day about COVID-19 job losses and their impact on the world and the clean energy industry, it can be hard to keep track! We are breaking down the top things to keep in mind about clean energy jobs in Minnesota from 2019 data. We are also sharing how those numbers have changed since the start of the pandemic, and how the past strength of the industry can be a key to Minnesota’s economic recovery. 

The legislature ended its Special Session the morning of Saturday, June 20 with little progress on major bills. The Energy Conservation and Optimization (ECO) Act failed to pass despite strong bipartisan support in both chambers, and from leadership in the Energy and Utilities Committee in the Senate. There was no deal made on a bonding bill. If passed, a bonding bill could create $350 million in energy projects at Minnesota’s public colleges and universities alone.