The Carbon Capture Coalition released a factsheet earlier this year on the economic and jobs creation potential in the US from commercializing carbon capture technologies. The factsheet also “details which projects are at risk for delay or cancelation if Congress fails to act on the Coalition’s recent recommendations crafted in response to the economic crisis caused by COVID-19.” Continue reading »
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Capturing Carbon in Nebraska Webinar Series
September 17, 2020 in Carbon Management Author: Hannah Haas
Capturing Carbon in Nebraska was a three-part webinar series hosted by the Great Plains Institute and Battelle Memorial Institute, which focused on carbon capture, utilization, and storage opportunities in Nebraska. Battelle led project activities, which included geologic characterization of commercial storage sites in Nebraska and Kansas, project risk assessment of an integrated CCUS project in the Midcontinent, regulatory and permitting issues, commercialization and planning of commercial CCUS projects, and public outreach. The series was a product of the Integrated Midcontinent Stacked Carbon Storage Hub research project funded by the US Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory’s Carbon Storage Assurance and Feasibility Enterprise (CarbonSAFE) Initiative. The CarbonSAFE Initiative aims to develop “geologic storage sites for the storage of 50+ million metric tons (MMT) of carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial sources.” Continue reading »
Climate Action Planning Fast-Tracked in Red Wing, Minnesota
September 4, 2020 in Communities Author: Abby Finis
The City of Red Wing, Minnesota, adopted its climate action work plan (CAWP) in early August, which the city developed with the Great Plains Institute using our new, more agile approach to climate planning. The CAWP is a shorter version of a climate action plan, enabling Red Wing to make progress on near-term priorities that go toward its long-term goal of reducing emissions by 80 percent on or before 2040, without getting overwhelmed by a long list of actions. Red Wing is the first city to adopt the CAWP approach developed by GPI; our hope is that more cities—especially small and mid-size cities—use this as a more manageable path to accelerate effective climate action. Continue reading »
Bioincentive Program Contributes $1.2 Billion of Economic Activity in Minnesota in 2019
September 2, 2020 in News & Press, Transportation & Fuels Author: Gail Nosek
A new report finds the Bioincentive Program contributed to $1.2 billion dollars of economic activity through construction and $601.7 million from operations, including employment for more than 8,300 Minnesotans.
The full press release, which is available below, was originally posted on the Bioeconomy Coalition of Minnesota website (the Great Plains Institute facilitates the coalition). You can also access the Economic Contribution of the Biobased Industrial Products Industry: Minnesota 2019 report online. The report was prepared by the University of Minnesota Extension’s Center for Community Vitality and the Great Plains Institute.
Continue reading »
Crabtree Submits Congressional Testimony on the Federal Role in Scaling a Carbon Capture Industry
August 25, 2020 in Carbon Management Author: Patrice Lahlum
Great Plains Institute Vice President for Carbon Management Brad Crabtree submitted written testimony to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to inform a Wyoming field hearing this week examining “Energy and Environmental Innovation: Wyoming’s Leadership in Using and Storing Carbon Dioxide Emissions.” Continue reading »
Kehinde Bello Shares Her Experience as a GreenStep Cities Intern
August 18, 2020 in Communities Author: Kehinde Bello
My name is Kehinde Bello and this past spring I interned with the Great Plains Institute, where I assisted with GPI’s work as a partner of the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program. Through this internship, I not only made connections with mentors and colleagues, but I also learned how collaborative community engagement can lead to a more significant impact. Continue reading »
Solar and Wind in Michigan: A Local Government Guide for Siting Utility-Scale Projects
August 14, 2020 in Communities, Energy Systems Authors: Jenna Greene, Jessi Wyatt
The Great Plains Institute is engaging local governments across the Upper Midwest on long-term planning for renewable energy. As part of this effort, we developed a guide to provide communities in Michigan with an overview of long-term utility- and community-scale solar and wind development—systems sized one megawatt (MW) or greater. Continue reading »
Solar Plus: How Solar-Integrated Agriculture Could Reduce Barriers to Large-Scale Solar Deployment
August 12, 2020 in Renewable Energy Author: Brian Ross
The United States could see 300 gigawatts of large-scale solar deployment in the next decade, with 150–200 gigawatts concentrated mainly in the Midwest where existing land use is often tied to agriculture. The significant land use and siting barriers to this large-scale solar deployment are daunting and warrant re-thinking the role of solar in agricultural economies. By moving toward beneficial solar-integrated agriculture or co-location of solar and agriculture—vs. solar as a single-use development—we can capture the benefits of both while reducing potential conflict. Continue reading »
Community Partnerships Accelerate Electric Vehicle Charging in Minnesota
August 11, 2020 in Communities, Transportation & Fuels Author: Diana McKeown
Last summer, the Great Plains Institute facilitated a project to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) through public EV charging installations in the Minnesota cities of Shoreview and White Bear Lake in partnership with employees from Cummins Inc. Both communities host Cummins facilities and were excited to collaborate on EV chargers as part of their work to advance sustainability. Cummins was looking for a project to advance sustainability in the communities where they have facilities and where many of their local employees live. The EV project demonstrated the value of partnerships in making progress on community sustainability efforts. Continue reading »
Webinar: Preparing to Plan for Climate Change—What Tools Do We Need for Local Governments?
August 10, 2020 in Communities Author: Jessi Wyatt
Results from a national survey of planning practitioners provide insight into the types of tools and templates that local governments need to see progress on climate action. The Great Plains Institute collaborated with American Planning Association (APA) divisions on an in-depth survey that identified opportunities to support cities on climate action—from climate goals to implementation. We recently presented the survey results during two APA webinars with our association colleagues (video recording and slides available below). Continue reading »
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