Report Documents First-Ever Collaborative Procurement of Solar Garden Subscriptions by Group of Local Governments

March 13, 2017 in Communities Author: Trevor Drake

Community solar programs are gaining increasing interest from electric utility customers across the nation. Unlike individual solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, community shared solar systems, also known as Solar Gardens, create an opportunity for multiple individuals and organizations to receive the benefit of a larger solar installation without requiring it to be located on-site. For local government entities, these benefits include supporting clean energy and its positive local economic impacts, saving on energy bills for public facilities, and hedging against the future price volatility of electricity. Continue reading »

Greenway Office Building in Minneapolis Adds Solar Electric System Using PACE Financing

November 7, 2016 in Communities, Energy Systems Author: Diana McKeown

*This post originally appeared on the Clean Energy Resource Teams website here. To learn more about Metro CERT, please visit GPI’s Metro CERT project page here.*

Built in 1999, the Greenway Office Building (GPI is a key building tenant) includes solar PV, geothermal heating and cooling, and a green roof. Constructed to many of the design points of LEED (Leadership Energy Efficient Design) this ENERGY STAR building hosts many nonprofit and for-profit tenants working toward better housing and a more energy independent future. Wellington Management recently utilized PACE financing to replace the building’s aging solar PV array. Continue reading »

Bringing National Solar Resources to Midwest Communities

September 27, 2016 in Communities Author: Brian Ross

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 »

Klimaschutz Part II: Doing Is Believing

September 27, 2016 in Communities Author: Abby Finis

Part II of our Klimaschutz series will summarize and highlight key achievements in each of the cities and major takeaways from the trip. 

I want to point out an added value gained from this effort beyond learning from our German partners, and that is how much was learned from each other. For the Minnesota participants, the time we had together to talk through issues and think about how we can solve them within our own political reality was an incredibly important aspect of this partnership, and will be extremely valuable as these cities work together to lead Minnesota in its effort to minimize our impact on a changing climate. Continue reading »

Illinois Solar Toolkit

August 22, 2016 in Communities Author: Brian Ross
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 »

Wisconsin Solar Toolkit

August 22, 2016 in Communities Author: Brian Ross

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 »