The City of Duluth, Minnesota recently launched a new web-based solar energy mapping tool for its residents and businesses that will help lower the barriers to solar development in the city. The app, called “Duluth Shines,” helps users evaluate their rooftop’s solar potential and estimate the size and cost of a solar installation. The tool is generating new interest in solar opportunities and has received coverage in local and regional news. Continue reading »
The Minnesota Department of Commerce has been awarded a $2 million grant that will help realize Minnesota’s goal of generating 10 percent of its electricity from the sun by 2030. Continue reading »
The Great Plains Institute is working in partnership with the SolSmart national team to get local governments across four Midwestern states certified as “solar-ready.”
SolSmart is a new national designation program, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative through the Solar Powering America by Recognizing Communities (SPARC) initiative, designed to recognize communities that have taken key steps to address local barriers to solar energy and foster the growth of mature local solar markets. Continue reading »
As part of the Grow Solar Partnership, toolkits have been assembled to equip local governments in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois with information regarding solar development as it relates to planning, zoning, and permitting. The purpose of these toolkits is to provide resources that will assist communities in addressing barriers to solar energy installations in a manner tailored to each community’s needs.
As part of the Grow Solar Partnership, toolkits have been assembled to equip local governments in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois with information regarding solar development as it relates to planning, zoning, and permitting. The purpose of these toolkits is to provide resources that will assist communities in addressing barriers to solar energy installations in a manner tailored to each community’s needs. Continue reading »
The Great Plains Institute is working with communities across the Midwest to develop local solar resources and capture the economic and environmental value of solar energy. Continue reading »
If you google “oil reserves” (or natural gas reserves, or coal reserves, or uranium reserves) you will be inundated with data sources, such as the resource map below. There is a whole industry of companies and agencies who track and measure our country’s traditional energy fuel reserves.
On the other hand, if you search for information about solar energy reserves, your result is considerably different. Continue reading »
