MINNEAPOLIS — Today, the Great Plains Institute (GPI) and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) announced the launch of Charging Smart designation program that prepares and recognizes communities for electric vehicle (EV) readiness. Charging Smart is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office. Continue reading »
CERTs (Clean Energy Resource Teams) just announced its 2024 selection of projects to receive seed grant funds for kickstarting community-based clean energy projects across the state of Minnesota. The seed grants are offered every other year through a request for proposals process. Continue reading »
Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs), the Minnesota statewide partnership to support community-based clean energy projects, is now accepting applications for seed grants for 2024! Applications are due at noon on October 10, 2023, and projects will be conducted from January 2024 through January 2025. Read the request for proposal for the full criteria and eligibility. Continue reading »
This blog was updated from a blog originally authored by Diana McKeown on November 15, 2022.
In November of 2022, the Great Plains Institute launched the EV Smart program in Minnesota. EV Smart is a voluntary certification and recognition program funded by the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Clean Transportation Pilot Program. GPI designed EV Smart to provide communities with a road map to electric vehicle (EV) readiness and help them equitably achieve their EV-readiness goals through technical assistance and a peer cohort model. Continue reading »
Minnesota legislators and advocates seized a unique opportunity this spring to pass transformative clean energy and climate policy that will jump-start the state’s transition to a lower-carbon economy. The state’s legislative session adjourned on May 22, and it was a busy few months at the Capitol. The state’s historic budget surplus, unified Democrat-Farmer-Labor (DFL) control of state government, and significant federal investments in clean energy set the stage for ambitious policymaking in 2023. Continue reading »
Between good-natured jabs about which state has the better trail system and shared enthusiasm for supporting their communities, 24 local governments from Michigan and Ohio became the first cohort in the novel EV Smart program. EV Smart is a technical assistance program focused on electric vehicle (EV) readiness for local governments. This first cohort was facilitated by Great Plains Institute (GPI), with technical assistance provided by GPI along with in-state partners Clean Fuels Ohio, Michigan Municipal League, and Ecology Center. This cohort was funded by General Motors’ Corporate Giving Climate Fund. Continue reading »
The guide for stormwater best practices for solar farms developed for the groundbreaking Photovoltaic Stormwater Management Research and Testing (PV-SMaRT) project is now available. The best practices provide guidelines to communities, developers, and state and federal regulators on how solar development should be evaluated under the Clean Water Act. This guidance can resolve many uncertainties in the permitting process regarding stormwater management and surface water quality. Continue reading »
March 29, 2023, MINNEAPOLIS—A nonpartisan group of Minnesota local elected officials is launching a new coalition focused on influencing state policy and regulations to help cities as they ratchet up their climate and clean energy goals.
The Minnesota Cities Climate Coalition includes representatives from cities across the state. That includes one or more representatives from 21 local governments—such as Bloomington, Duluth, Minneapolis, Moorhead, and Saint Paul—that have passed resolutions declaring climate change emergencies. Continue reading »
Photo by Dennis Schroeder / NREL
The Renewable Energy Siting Campaign, a new partnership between the Great Plains Institute (GPI) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC), with funding provided by Crown Family Philanthropies, will engage diverse stakeholders to identify “win-win” synergies that push clean energy development forward across the Midwest while preserving community values, protecting natural resources, and benefiting agricultural systems. Continue reading »
Find out what made our list of most-read stories in 2022, which includes posts we’ve published over the last year and a half. Continue reading »
