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Stormwater Management in Solar Projects: Barriers and Best Practices

October 6, 2021 in Communities, Renewable Energy, Reports & Whitepapers Authors: Brian Ross, Briana Kerber

solar panels during a storm

The site design of a solar project impacts whether a project will improve or negatively impact water quality. Yet solar developers regularly face inconsistent stormwater permitting requirements and standards that were not developed with solar in mind. This can lead to project delay, higher costs, and missed opportunities for environmental benefits. The Photovoltaic Stormwater Research and Testing (PV-SMaRT) project, funded by the US Department of Energy, was created to resolve these issues. Continue reading »

The Medium- and Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicle Market: Plugging into the Future Part I

September 30, 2021 in Transportation & Fuels Author: M. Moaz Uddin

heavy duty ev

Electric vehicles (EVs) are the future! You have probably seen that headline before. The last decade has seen all-electric and plug-in hybrid EVs from many automakers become part of the mainstream market. One cannot help but wonder, where do medium- and heavy-duty EVs stand in the transition to electrification? That is the question this post aims to answer. Our second post will focus on the unique charging needs of medium- and heavy-duty EVs. Continue reading »

The True Land Footprint of Solar Energy

September 14, 2021 in Communities, Renewable Energy Authors: Jessi Wyatt, Maggie Kristian

solar land cover

Solar is a ubiquitous, economically-competitive energy resource across much of the United States. In communities with active solar development, there is often debate about how utility-scale solar might affect existing land uses or natural resources. GPI recently analyzed the potential land use impact of solar on agricultural communities in the continental US. Continue reading »

GPI Statements on Nomination of Brad Crabtree to U.S. Department of Energy

September 2, 2021 in Carbon Management, News & Press Author: Rebecca Lentz

brad crabtree

Statement from Rolf Nordstrom, President & CEO, Great Plains Institute

Today we learned that President Biden’s Administration has nominated Great Plains Institute’s Brad Crabtree as Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy and Carbon Management within the Department of Energy. Brad has spent nearly two decades at GPI, working to build broad consensus around energy policies that meet our climate obligations and maintain a strong economy—and then see those policies enacted. He has played an outsized role in making carbon capture in all its forms part of the nation’s arsenal of emissions reductions strategies that also bring economic opportunity.

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Community-Driven Solar Siting in Minnesota

August 24, 2021 in Communities Author: Jessi Wyatt

Photo courtesy of Jean Christoffels

Community-driven decision-making on land use is critical to the continued buildout of large-scale renewable energy. GPI recently piloted a process and design tool for communities to identify local solar development sites with multiple benefits. The pilot project involved residents of Murray County in southwest Minnesota who used community-informed geospatial analysis to help plan for solar development in the area. The project united community values like clean drinking water and agricultural preservation with future solar development. Continue reading »

Why Fulfilling Our “Justice For All” Pledge Is Savvy Business and Key to a Net-Zero Carbon Economy

August 4, 2021 in News & Press Author: Rolf Nordstrom

Rolf Nordstrom

This blog was originally published by Forbes Business Council.

Most of us remember reciting the Pledge of Allegiance each school day, ending with “and liberty and justice for all.” But what does justice mean in practice? What does it have to do with climate change? And why should business and the growing throng of people, institutions and governments pushing for a net-zero carbon economy care? Continue reading »

Great Plains Institute Joins More than 160 Labor Unions, Conservation and Environmental NGOs, and Industry Organizations to Urge Congress to Scale Carbon Management Priorities

August 3, 2021 in Carbon Management, News & Press Author: Rebecca Lentz

US Congress Building

(Washington, DC) – Today, Great Plains Institute joined more than 160 companies, labor unions, conservation and environmental groups, and other organizations from around the nation in a letter to Congressional leaders urging the inclusion of a comprehensive suite of bipartisan carbon management policies in any larger legislative vehicle this Congress. Continue reading »

Climate and Sustainability Data and Metric Tracking Tools for Communities

July 29, 2021 in Communities Authors: Abby Finis, Jessi Wyatt

st. paul minnesota

Climate change is here, it is wreaking havoc, and no community is immune from its impact. Summer 2021 alone saw heavy flooding across the globe, including in the United States. Fire clouds started wildfires across Alberta, and the US and Canada saw record-breaking, debilitating heat and equally extreme drought. As communities struggle to cope, there is growing recognition that local and place-based action is essential to addressing climate change. For this reason, the Great Plains Institute is excited to share new planning tools we’ve developed to help communities in the US succeed on climate action.

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