Minnesota communities in Hennepin County recently worked to lower energy costs and deploy cleaner, more resilient energy options by streamlining solar zoning and permitting processes. As a result of their work, they achieved Silver designation from the SolSmart program, which provided free technical assistance and recognition to communities on their path to supporting local solar projects (SolSmart is part of the broader Energy Ready program suite). Continue reading »
Distributed green ammonia (DGA) fertilizer, produced on-farm or within agricultural regions, offers several benefits that not only support sustainable agriculture but also provide local economic benefits and enhanced supply security. A new report prepared by the Great Plains Institute for the Hydrogen Economy Collaborative, Distributed Green Ammonia: Demonstrating Modular Systems for Sustainable Agriculture, highlights the regional economic benefits that DGA production can bring to agricultural regions. Continue reading »
As large-scale solar becomes a bigger part of our landscape, it’s crucial to make informed decisions on how to best deploy it with the needs of host communities in mind. The US Department of Energy-funded PhotoVoltaics Supporting Cultural and Community EcoSystem Services (PV-SuCCESS) project aims to achieve just that. Continue reading »
The Hydrogen Economy Collaborative (HEC) is a network of state agencies, researchers, environmental nonprofit organizations, and industry professionals working to advance the role of low-carbon hydrogen in the clean energy transition. GPI facilitates the HEC as a platform to foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing on policy, technology, and market developments to advance low-carbon hydrogen adoption. Continue reading »
The Big Lake agrivoltaics project in Minnesota, led by US Solar in partnership with The Food Group, NREL, Connexus Energy, and GPI, demonstrates how renewable energy can coexist with sustainable agriculture to benefit communities.
Continue reading »
Rapid development of distributed (small-scale) and large-scale solar energy projects is essential to accelerating the transition to net-zero carbon emissions in a way that delivers equitable, broad benefits to communities. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory and others have demonstrated there are ample suitable lands to achieve ambitious large-scale solar deployment goals, enough to power millions of homes annually. Continue reading »
Legislation passed in Minnesota earlier this year to incentivize a new solar permitting tool called “SolarAPP+” that offers direct financial benefits to homeowners, local governments, and Minnesota’s growing solar industry. Continue reading »
A new report by GPI staff for the national SolSmart program, Expanding Solar Access to Underserved Communities Through SolSmart, focuses on centering solar equity as a key principle of solar programs and policies. Centering solar equity will not only make solar energy more accessible but also distribute meaningful benefits to disadvantaged communities. Continue reading »
As the world’s energy landscape evolves, clean hydrogen emerges as a promising solution for achieving clean, net-zero carbon energy. Hydrogen transportation has also emerged as a key challenge to address in the energy space. A new issue brief from a work group of the Hydrogen Economy Collaborative (HEC), convened by GPI, focuses on these challenges and highlights opportunities to address them. Continue reading »
La Crescent is the first city in Minnesota and the fourth municipality nationwide to achieve SolSmart Platinum designation. To achieve Platinum, La Crescent took action to increase solar readiness in their community and adopted an automated solar permitting platform. Continue reading »
