A new Great Plains Institute report concludes that the launch of the Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO) market in 2005 led to an increase of average capacity factors for wind turbines in the region by more than five percent. Continue reading »
This paper, “Competitive Markets and Renewables: The Effect of Wholesale Electricity Market Restructuring on Wind Generation in the Midwest,” estimates the effect of having a competitive wholesale electricity market on wind plant generation for the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) electricity market. Continue reading »
With regulatory hurdles cleared at both the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and the U.S. Department of Energy, the Great Northern Transmission Line is set to connect Minnesota Power to Manitoba Hydro, across the U.S./Canadian border. The 224-mile, 500 kV transmission line will connect Minnesota Power transmission system in northern Minnesota to Manitoba Hydro’s grid. Continue reading »
In November, GPI organized a tour for Minnesota utilities and members of the Minnesota Energy Storage Alliance of Indianapolis Power & Light’s (IPL’s) Harding Street Station Battery Energy Storage System, or HSS BESS. The HSS BESS is a state-of-the-art, 20MW energy storage facility connected to IPL’s transmission system. Continue reading »
*This post is co-authored with Jamie Scripps of 5 Lakes Energy*
After nearly two years of hearings, countless substitute bills, and intense negotiations the Michigan legislature finally approved two pieces of legislation that overhaul and update Michigan’s energy policy. Continue reading »
The diverse set of e21 stakeholders have reached another milestone, concluding Phase II of their work with the release of three white papers addressing key issues in Minnesota’s energy future. The phase II report is intended as a cohesive package, with each white paper relating to and supporting the other three. Continue reading »
MINNEAPOLIS – The Great Plains Institute (GPI) and the Center for Energy and Environment (CEE) released a new report today detailing additional steps for Minnesota to protect the public interest by taking full advantage of a cleaner electric system and more customer-centric utility regulatory framework. Continue reading »
The e21 Initiative developed its phase I report on a consensus basis; the ideas and recommendations in in the report were intended as a cohesive package to be taken together and supported as a whole by the e21 stakeholders. Consensus did not mean that each participant is equally enthusiastic about every idea, and, importantly, consensus did not require participants to give up their right to object to future implementation details. 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 »
*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 »
