In the heart of the South, Central Arkansas is stepping up to tackle environmental challenges while promoting economic and social benefits. The recently published Central Arkansas Energy and Environment Innovation Comprehensive Action Plan provides a strategic framework for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, improving air and water quality, and enhancing community resilience through five voluntary measures. Continue reading »
State utility commissions are being asked to make decisions today that will shape the future of the natural gas system for decades to come. As states adopt clean energy and climate goals and advance policies to reduce gas use, regulators must weigh how to maintain safe, reliable gas service while protecting customers from financial risk in a system that may shrink over time. Continue reading »
Meeting the climate challenge requires rapid and widespread deployment of clean energy, and distributed energy resources (DERs) are a vital part of that deployment. While DER technologies themselves—such as rooftop solar, community solar, and small storage systems—are increasingly accessible, one of the biggest barriers to broader adoption lies behind the scenes: interconnection. Continue reading »
A successful and equitable energy transition cannot be achieved without supporting the communities that have powered our economy for over a century by hosting essential fossil fuel infrastructure. Across the United States, dozens of coal-fired power plants have been retired in the shift to cleaner, more affordable sources of energy, and dozens more are scheduled to retire by the end of the decade. Continue reading »
On October 28, 2024, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MN PUC) approved a new framework that requires the state’s three largest gas utilities to conduct long-term planning with public participation and commission approval. The approved framework adds to Minnesota’s status as a state that is leading the effort in in making gas utility system planning more robust and transparent. Continue reading »
Round two of the federal Transmission Siting and Economic Development (TSED) Grant Program is approaching. This fall, GPI is gearing up to support communities with their applications, building on our work with successful applicants in round one. Continue reading »
On July 24, 2024, the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Grid Deployment Office (GDO) announced the project selections for the first round of the Transmission Siting and Economic Development (TSED) grant program, awarding over $350 million to states and communities across the country to support timely and equitable transmission infrastructure siting. Continue reading »
High-voltage electric transmission may not be the most exhilarating component of accelerating the transition to a clean energy economy. However, it’s certainly one of the most important and, unfortunately, one in the most need of new ideas, attitudes, and solutions for how we build it. Continue reading »
MINNEAPOLIS – February 6, 2024 – NextGen Highways announced today the launch in Minnesota of its first state coalition to promote the co-location of utility and telecommunication infrastructure in existing corridors, like highways and interstates, to speed development critical for the clean energy transition. Continue reading »
The US Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced a historic investment in our nation’s electric grid, with $3.46 billion for projects across the US to “strengthen electric grid resilience and reliability.” The announcement included $464 million to fund a proposal jointly developed by the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Great Plains Institute, Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), and Southwest Power Pool (SPP) for DOE’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program. The project will spur the development of zero-carbon electricity generation across several states by supporting essential transmission infrastructure. Continue reading »
