FEBRUARY 15, 2023, MINNEAPOLIS—Stormwater management practices, permitting, and regulations at solar sites often do not account for the unique characteristics of large-scale solar installations, a new U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded study has found. Continue reading »
As companies across the United States (US) start using carbon capture or direct air capture to reduce the nation’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, we need to plan how we’re going to transport the CO2 to sites for secure geologic storage or utilization. While the US has over 5,000 miles of CO2 pipelines already, we’ll need to expand this infrastructure to use or store captured CO2 and meet our midcentury climate goals. Continue reading »
FEBRUARY 1, 2023, MINNEAPOLIS—The US needs at least 1,104 additional new fast-charging electric vehicle (EV) stations as part of a nationwide network able to support seamless long-distance EV travel. That’s more than double the charging stations that currently meet minimum federal funding requirements, according to a new road map and analysis from Carbon Solutions and the Great Plains Institute (GPI). Continue reading »
MINNEAPOLIS—The Great Plains Institute released the following statement by President and CEO Rolf Nordstrom on the Carbon Capture Coalition’s announcement of Jessie Stolark as its new executive director (GPI convenes the Coalition):
“We are thrilled and grateful to welcome Jessie Stolark as the Carbon Capture Coalition’s first executive director. Continue reading »
Do clean fuels standards like the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) increase the price of fuels at the pump? As states in the Midwest consider adopting a clean fuels standard, consumers want to know how such policies will impact their wallets. Continue reading »
On January 9, 2022 NextGen Highways issued a press release announcing continued funding from Breakthrough Energy to develop national and state-level coalitions in 2023. The primary focus of these coalitions will be to advocate for the use of existing public rights of way (ROWs) to enable the transmission development needed to meet the nation’s aggressive decarbonization and electrification goals. Continue reading »
With support from the Great Plains Institute, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) conducted an investigation into the potential implications of community choice energy (CCE) authorization in Colorado. CCE is an alternative to traditional investor-owned, municipal, and cooperative electric supply models and is currently authorized in several other states. 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 »
Photo courtesy of Cooperative Energy Futures
Despite increasing solar adoption across the United States, underserved small businesses—especially BIPOC- and immigrant-owned businesses—have historically lacked equitable access to the information, resources, and culturally-appropriate and accessible financing needed to install and receive the benefits of rooftop solar. The Great Plains Institute is a core partner in a newly announced project to help address these inequities in the Twin Cities. Continue reading »
The US Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technology Office recently awarded $1.8 million to GPI to lead a new nature-based solutions project, Designing & Deploying Solar Community Ecosystem Benefits. The award was soon followed by newly announced federal efforts to expand support for nature-based climate solutions. Continue reading »
