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 »
The following statement may be attributed to Patrice Lahlum, vice president of Carbon Management (interim) at the Great Plains Institute:
“The Great Plains Institute welcomes today’s announcement by the US Department of Energy (DOE) of their selection of two commercial-scale and 19 early-stage projects for award negotiations for the Regional Direct Air Capture Hubs program. This selection is pivotal for advancing the development and implementation of direct air capture (DAC) technologies essential for curbing US carbon emissions and achieving midcentury climate goals. Continue reading »
MINNEAPOLIS—The Great Plains Institute released the following statement by President and CEO Rolf Nordstrom:
“We are excited about the announcement that Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has appointed longtime Great Plains Institute (GPI) Energy Systems Vice President, Doug Scott, to serve as Chair of the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) beginning in June 2023.” Continue reading »
