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Since March is Women’s History Month, Clean Energy Economy MN is taking the opportunity to highlight some of the talented women working in our industry. We asked several women what they most enjoy about their work in clean energy, check out their responses.

Some 200 clean energy supporters filled the Minnesota Capitol this week for Clean Energy Business Day on March 4.

The first weeks of March will be a busy time for clean energy discussions in St. Paul. March marks the beginning of legislative deadlines. Every year the leadership in the House and Senate establish deadlines for committee action on bills. Committee deadlines winnow the list of topics to be dealt with in a given legislative year. Here are three trends to watch as we head toward deadlines.

The 2020 legislative session is officially underway! The early weeks continue to be a busy time for clean energy discussions in St. Paul. Here are three trends to watch as we head toward the end of February.

The Center for Energy and Environment is working with partner organizations like Clean Energy Economy Minnesota and others on two significant clean energy initiatives, that together offer the opportunity for the most significant bipartisan action on clean energy since the Next Generation Energy Act in 2007.  Those two initiatives are Clean Energy First and Energy Conservation and Optimization. Both initiatives are the result of extensive stakeholder negotiation, and Governor Walz has proposed both as clean energy initiatives for the 2020 session.

While lithium-ion batteries get much of the attention when it comes to talk about energy storage, a  recent forum by Clean Energy Economy MN on the topic, shed light on other alternatives. In this piece we touch on some of the different reasons why energy storage can be a smart solution for building owners, and why policy plays a big part in the conversation. 

Clean energy is everyone’s party, hear how Minnesotans' attitudes on climate and clean energy are shifting. We'll tell you how climate change is showing up in new and different ways at the legislature plus why we think energy efficiency is having a moment this year! 

This year we saw more people across the political spectrum discussing clean energy issues and climate change than ever before. The business community is doubling down on clean energy investments, and citizens are speaking up and taking action. There’s a lot to celebrate about 2019 and the cultural shift it’s brought to the clean energy conversation. Here are some of the highlights from the last year. 

Deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV) in Minnesota and across the U.S. shows no signs of slowing. In an effort to head off potential problems seen with other kinds of electronic waste (like stockpiling and improper disposal), the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has begun researching and collecting input on how PV panel disposal should be handled.

The electrical grid that serves most Minnesotans’ homes was built in the early 1900’s. It was constructed when renewable energy technologies were just a wisp of a dream. But our rapidly changing energy transformation has changed a whole lot more than just how we power our homes and businesses. It’s going to take a transformation in how we plan for the systems that distribute that power. 

Since 2009, the cost of wind energy has fallen 69 percent, and solar prices have fallen 88 percent. And, according to a Bloomberg article, the price of storage has dropped 85 percent from 2010 – 2018. The low cost and high demand should be the ingredients for a perfect storm of development, fueling terrific job growth and economic development for rural communities. Instead, we are facing a shortage of transmission infrastructure that can deliver new low-cost, clean, renewable energy and are missing a great opportunity to advance the renewable energy economy in the Midwest.

Energy nerds unite! You may know what an IDP is, but does your spouse? How about your best friend? We invite others into the energy insiders’ conversation with a little briefer on 8 energy and utility-related acronyms everyone should know this fall.  

There are 8,700 designed “opportunity zones” across the United States. There are 128 zones designated throughout Minnesota, 60 percent of them located outside of the Twin Cities metro. A group of clean energy sector professionals recently gathered together at Avisen Legal for a lunch and learn hosted by CEEM on this very issue.

With climate debates making headlines nationwide, clean energy is increasingly a hot topic at the dinner table, at city hall, and all the way up to the Governor’s mansion. Recently, Clean Energy Economy MN has joined community discussions on climate, offering a perspective that fewer voters hear, how clean energy is growing jobs in their neighborhoods.

This innovative financing tool has made big waves in Minnesota’s clean energy marketplace, particularly in recent months due to a policy fix that CEEM advocated for in the last legislative session.

The argument for encouraging building owners to choose energy efficient options is a smart economic decision – and one that benefits all Minnesotans. Efficiency is cheap: the cost to save one kilowatt hour is about 2 cents; compare that to the cost to buy a kilowatt of electricity, which averages 8 cents. We asked that our Minnesota elected officials support a multi-year extension of the Section 179D provision through at least 2020, and we would strongly support extending it beyond 2020.   

With summer winding down and the return of school quickly approaching, interns Claire Lund and Petra Holtze wanted to reflect on their time here at CEEM.

Working  in the clean energy ecosystem inevitably leads to an ‘alphabet soup’ of acronyms. This is the first of a several-part blog series breaking down the many acronyms that help power Minnesota’s clean energy economy. 

With such a huge footprint, the building sector is a critical target for energy efficiency measures. However, it can be difficult for large institutions, particularly public entities like schools or government buildings, but also hospitals and universities, to find the funds for energy efficiency projects. That’s where Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) can be a helpful tool.