The Great Plains Institute is launching a survey requesting feedback on best practices in standby rates for combined heat and power (CHP). According to Lola Schoenrich, vice president of communities at GPI, “Best practices for standby rates have begun to emerge, but we need to further define and standardize these practices. The purpose of this survey is to begin to critically examine these emerging recommended practices with interested stakeholders such as regulators, potential CHP users, developers, technical experts, and utilities.” Continue reading »
New Analysis: Carbon Capture and Storage Infrastructure for Midcentury Decarbonization
June 30, 2020 in Carbon Management, News & Press, Reports & Whitepapers Author: Dane McFarlane
The Great Plains Institute (GPI) is excited to announce the final results of more than two years of research and modeling on carbon capture and storage opportunities throughout the US. The white paper, Transport Infrastructure for Carbon Capture and Storage: Regional Infrastructure for Midcentury Decarbonization, summarizes our findings and details our analytical approach. The analysis identifies near-term capture and storage opportunities, then designs and plans the regional transport infrastructure required to maximize CO2 abatement while minimizing cost and land use impact. Continue reading »
Announcing Powering Ahead with Vehicle Electrification (PAVE)
June 30, 2020 in Communities, Transportation & Fuels Author: Diana McKeown
Powering Ahead with Vehicle Electrification (PAVE) will provide resources and technical assistance to sixteen municipal utilities across Minnesota to educate and engage customers to meet their community’s electric vehicle (EV) adoption goals.
Together: Scaling Local Action for the Greatest Climate Impact
June 26, 2020 in Carbon Management Author: Morgan Zehner
This blog is one in a series that celebrates the variety of professionals who have been touched by the Great Plains Institute (GPI). Together—GPI’s spring fundraising campaign—showcases people who work in multiple industries and have various constituents and customers, but all play an important role in helping America transform its energy system.
NAME: Larry Kraft
AFFILIATION: City of St. Louis Park, Minnesota
TITLE: At Large Council Member Continue reading »
How Repowering Aging Renewables in the Midcontinent Impacts Carbon Emissions
June 18, 2020 in Energy Systems Authors: Jessi Wyatt, Maggie Kristian
Many wind and solar energy projects in the Midcontinent will face the decision to repower or decommission as they reach the end of their useful lifespan between 2020-2050. These decisions will impact the energy mix of the existing electricity system—and its carbon emissions. We analyzed potential scenarios for repowering the Midcontinent’s wind and solar energy fleet, sharing potential implications for the region’s electricity system and carbon emissions. These scenarios show why repowering aging renewables in the Midcontinent is important to continue reducing the region’s electricity emissions. Continue reading »
US Cities Step Up to Join a New Clean Energy Challenge
June 15, 2020 in Communities, News & Press Author: Lola Schoenrich
US Cities Step Up to Join a New Clean Energy Challenge
Initiative supports local clean energy action by 30 cities in 5 states
For Immediate Release: Contact: Lola Schoenrich, Sustainable States Network, Cell: 612-720-9558, Email: [email protected]
Minneapolis, MN—How well do small and mid-sized US cities stack up when it comes to clean energy goals? That’s what the Sustainable States Community Energy Challenge aims to show with tools and support for 30 communities in five states to assess their clean energy goals and initiatives. The challenge will compare clean energy achievements across similarly-sized cities, assess future initiatives, and provide project implementation assistance. Additionally, participating communities will be a part of an in-state peer cohort and will receive technical assistance to completing a pressing clean energy initiative.
Together: Creating Technology for Real-World Impact
June 10, 2020 in Carbon Management Author: Morgan Zehner
This blog is one in a series that celebrates the wide variety of professionals who have been touched by the Great Plains Institute (GPI). Together – GPI’s spring 2020 campaign – showcases people who work in multiple industries and have various constituents and customers, but all play an important role in helping America transform its energy system. Read all the stories in the Together series here.
Together: Collaborative, Multi-Sector Efforts Drive Progress on Clean Energy
June 10, 2020 in Carbon Management Author: Morgan Zehner
This blog is one in a series of stories celebrating the wide-variety of professionals who have been touched by the Great Plains Institute (GPI). Together – GPI’s spring 2020 fundraising campaign – showcases people who work in multiple industries and have various constituents and customers, but all play an important role in helping America transform its energy system. Continue reading »
Performance-Based Regulation in Minnesota: A Decade of Progress
June 9, 2020 in Energy Systems Author: Trevor Drake
Performance-based regulation for electric utilities is gaining increased attention across the US. States like Hawaii and New York are already testing new models to align utility performance with public policy goals. Minnesota took a slow and steady approach to performance-based regulation, building a foundation over a decade to ensure that changes to utility regulation are in the public interest and avoid unintended consequences. The development of performance-based regulation in Minnesota continues to garner national attention and was recently the subject of a Smart Electric Power Alliance case study in their three-part best practices toolkit series on the same topic. Continue reading »
How to Compensate Farmers for Emission Reductions Through a Midwestern Clean Fuels Policy
June 8, 2020 in Transportation & Fuels Author: Brendan Jordan
In working towards a Midwestern clean fuels policy, there’s a great deal of interest in compensating farmers providing feedstock for fuels for the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction benefits they’re creating on the farm. Research from South Dakota State University is playing an important role in informing those discussions. Continue reading »
