GPI is pleased to announce that Dr. Deidre Sanders will join our board of directors in October 2020. Dr. Sanders brings more than 20 years of experience in energy policy related to environmental justice, equity, and climate change. Continue reading »
The Sustainable States Network has a brand-new online presence to showcase its growing impact on sustainability and clean energy at the local and state levels, and across an increasing footprint in the US. The new website, SustainableStates.net, provides information about the network, specific state programs, and how large, medium, and small local governments are putting sustainability on the local policy agenda and taking action on thousands of clean energy goals. Continue reading »
As most things in 2020, the Metro Clean Energy Resource Team (CERT) at the Great Plains Institute made our 13th Annual Resource and Networking Event virtual, minus the networking part. We rescheduled the event from April 30 to October 1, hoping we would be able to meet in person by the fall. Of course, that was not in the cards. We shifted the topic of the event from electrification to rebuilding efforts in Minneapolis following the killing of George Floyd while in police custody on May 23.
A new report lays out how Minnesota can link solar power with electric vehicle (EV) charging and enable the state to maximize both technologies’ broad benefits. Leading a project team that included utilities, EV and solar industries, local governments, state agencies, and clean energy advocates, the Great Plains Institute developed the report on capturing the synergies that can be realized through solar plus EV applications. The report presents the detailed case for solar plus EV synergies, the barriers and opportunities for capturing them, and the needed next steps for a market transformation effort.
The Great Plains Institute works with local governments across the Midwest, and nationally, to help communities prepare for utility-scale renewable energy development. We’ve partnered with counties to host workshops across the Midwest and developed several guides tailored to states in the region. Through these conversations with local government staff, elected officials, and community members, we heard about similar concerns and the need for more information on specific topics related to utility-scale solar and wind siting. Continue reading »
In September, the Great Plains Institute and World Resources Institute held a virtual Capitol Hill briefing to hear how Congress can spur economic activity in the US industrial sector, helping to create and maintain jobs in the near term, while putting American industry on a long-term path to deep emissions reductions, high-wage job retention and creation, technology leadership, and economic competitiveness.
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Dear Better Energy Community,
While so much is uncertain in our country right now, I am sure of one thing; Midwestern and Gulf Coast states are essential to the economic recovery in the US.
The recovery is even more challenging with an already devastating hurricane season on the Gulf Coast, destructive wind storms in Iowa, and wildfires in the west. Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by these disasters. It has added even more urgency to our already urgent work.
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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 »
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 »
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 »
