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The concept of energy storage is simple, it is technology that stores energy produced at one time for use at another time. The potentials, however, are anything but simple. Energy storage, or battery storage, could be the key to harnessing clean energy solutions. One big criticism of wind and solar energy has always been, “what do we do when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining?” The answer, scale up battery storage technology so that it is reliable and cost effective and deploy it en masse to ensure clean, reliable and affordable energy.

The solar industry is growing at a rapid and exciting pace, pushing the country closer and closer to a clean energy future with every megawatt installed. While demand is higher than ever, supply is in flux in large part because of the U.S. Department of Commerce investigation into potential tariff circumvention.

The 2022 Minnesota Energy Factsheet Rollout Webinar event on Monday, April 25, 2022 was to amplify the new report, provide an overview of the data points and hear how the report impacts Minnesotans from a panel of clean energy business and industry experts. Sponsored by the McKnight Foundation, the webinar was put on in partnership with the Business Council for Sustainable Energy and BloombergNEF and attended by over 100 participants.

The 2022 Minnesota Energy Factsheet highlights Minnesota’s clean energy industry’s progress and perseverance in the face of a challenging year. The 2021 numbers show the impact of the pandemic and turbulent energy market on Minnesota’s clean energy economy, but overall trends predict a promising future for Minnesota’s energy sector. With increased renewable power generation and installations, Minnesota has taken steps on its path toward energy independence.

Clean power solutions coupled with energy efficiency technology drives decarbonization. Many of these clean solutions are still in development, and there are a lot to keep track of. Hydrogen, for example, has been proven as a highly adaptable and applicable source of power, but there are concerns about its scalability, cost and environmental impact as well.

Grid Catalyst, a program of CEEM, announced its first demonstration cohort for 2022. Five clean energy startups have been paired with Minnesota businesses to demonstrate their emerging technology in our Northern climate. These projects are a crucial step for startups to prove their technology can work on a larger scale.

According to the 2021 Clean Jobs Midwest Report, advanced transportation was the fastest growing sector of jobs in the clean energy economy in Minnesota in 2020. Currently there are 3,252 Minnesotans employed in advanced transportation.

There are over 55,000 jobs in Minnesota’s clean energy industry. Of these jobs, nearly 75 percent are in energy efficiency. Work in Minnesota’s energy efficiency sector reduces greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and energy costs across the state. To better understand the responsibilities of an energy efficiency worker, we’ve looked at the impacts our member businesses have in this sector.

The 2022 Virtual Clean Energy Business Day at the Capitol was March 2, 2022 and was a day dedicated to sharing with legislators how Minnesota’s clean energy businesses are leading technology innovation and helping shape the future of Minnesota’s clean energy economy.