How to Electrify Your Fleet: Lessons from Cities Charging Ahead Fleet Studies

September 4, 2019 in Transportation & Fuels Author: Joe Cella

An electric vehicle charging signStakeholder groups working to increase electric vehicle (EV) adoption often highlight the money you can save by driving an EV over the lifetime of the vehicle as one of several benefits of switching to an EV. Many studies support this finding on EV savings (such as this one from MIT) and have caught the interest of cities which manage a fleet of vehicles. Recently, Minnesota cities working together in the Cities Charging Ahead effort (more info here) saw firsthand through an analysis of their fleet just how much they could save by replacing certain vehicles in their municipal fleets with EVs. Continue reading »

Exploring Renewable Energy Procurement Options with Cities

August 1, 2019 in Communities Author: Abby Finis

A man making a presentation about renewable energy procurement

Cities and other local governments are actively participating in the renewable electricity market. Whether they’re participating for environmental or economic purposes (or both), communities continue to see the benefits of clean electricity and seek opportunities to add more for government operations and more broadly for residents and businesses. Navigating renewable energy procurement can be complex, especially as additional purchasing options become available. Continue reading »

Want a 100 percent Carbon-Free Electricity Grid? Keep Carbon Capture in the Mix.

July 8, 2019 in Carbon Management, Energy Systems Author: Franz Litz

People in hard hats talking

A number of states have set 100-percent clean energy standards or targets for their electricity sectors, with many others openly considering such a goal. In its recently released A Road Map to Decarbonization in the Midcontinent: Electricity Sector, the Midcontinent Power Sector Collaborative (which is convened by the Great Plains Institute) suggests that these 100-percent targets are achievable by 2050 with currently demonstrated technologies. The road map also supports a mid-century strategy that remains open to a mix of very low-carbon and carbon-free resources, including carbon capture. Continue reading »

Major Announcements and Action Typify this Year’s CO2NNECT Conference

July 2, 2019 in Carbon Management Authors: Jill Syvrud, Patrice Lahlum

Heidi Heitkamp holding the Carbon Capture Blueprint

Leaders and stakeholders who are catalyzing carbon capture, storage, utilization, and removal efforts in the US recently gathered in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Now in its second year, the CO2NNECT Conference, hosted by the Great Plains Institute (GPI), focused on what deliberate and strategic actions are needed for carbon capture, storage, removal, and utilization to reach its full potential as a national energy, jobs, and emissions reduction solution. Continue reading »

Behind the Wheel: GPI Electric Vehicle Drivers Share Their Experience on Public Radio

June 19, 2019 in News & Press Author: Gail Nosek

Katelyn Bocklund, Abby Finis, and Trevor Drake

Many of our Great Plains Institute (GPI) staffers have become owners of fully-electric vehicles in recent years. Over the last several months, Minnesota Public Radio shared their stories on air. While there are some common threads in their electric vehicle (EV) experiences, some of the differences might surprise you. Read more below and click the links to hear the audio. Continue reading »