Blog

The Better Energy Community is constantly growing and evolving.

Read about our latest projects and successes on our blog.

The Impact of Wind Generation on Wholesale Electricity Prices in the Midcontinent Market: And Empirical Investigation

September 19, 2017 in Reports & Whitepapers Author: Steve Dahlke

Impact Wind Generation Cover

The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, known as MISO, is the second largest organized competitive wholesale electricity market in the U.S., serving 14 states with over 180 gigawatts of generation capacity, encompassing 6,427 generating units, and 65,800 miles of transmission lines. (FERC, 2017) Wholesale electricity prices in MISO have decreased over the past several years, as both natural gas prices have fallen and as large amounts of wind generation capacity have been added. Continue reading »

Renewable Charging Options in Minnesota for Your Plug-in Electric Vehicle

August 21, 2017 in Transportation & Fuels Author: Katelyn Bocklund

Based on our analysis, we’ve shown that while coal makes up most of the grid’s electricity sources in Minnesota, plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) result in about 50% fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to gasoline vehicles over the life of the vehicle. If you are a PEV driver in Minnesota who wants to achieve even greater emission reductions, you can charge your PEV with energy from renewable sources. Continue reading »

Biogenic Carbon Utilization Initiative

August 4, 2017 in Carbon Management Author: Anna Dirkswager

The Biogenic Carbon Utilization Initiative focuses on developing market opportunities to use or store carbon dioxide (CO2) generated when forest or farm-based feedstocks are processed.  Utilizing naturally occurring CO2 as a revenue stream provides a meaningful opportunity to generate negative emissions while maintaining important industrial economies. Continue reading »

Your Life Runs on It — and It Needs an Upgrade

July 26, 2017 in Energy Systems Author: Rolf Nordstrom

You might think this is about food, love, or coffee. Nope, this is about electricity. It’s hard to name something you’ll do today that doesn’t require it, and yet we mostly take it for granted, unless you lose power or your cell phone dies. Pause for a minute to consider that without electricity we would not have computers, TVs, microwaves, refrigeration, skyscrapers (no elevators), medicines that require refrigeration, and a very long list of other features of modern life. In short, electricity just might be the most important product you never think of. Continue reading »

How a New Project Seeks to Reduce Barriers to Solar in Greater Minnesota

July 21, 2017 in Communities Authors: Sophia Krohn, Trevor Drake

Almost every time we give a community presentation on solar, somebody asks about how the costs of the technology are changing and whether it’s best to wait to “go solar.” It’s a smart question, and indeed the costs of the physical components of solar projects are being driven down by market forces (though arguably not quick enough to warrant waiting). The trouble with this question is that it misses the target in seeing what’s most important, which is not just the cost of hardware but the final cost of an installed system. Continue reading »

e21 Forum Convenes Stakeholders to Explore Consumer-Centric Rates and Performance-Based Compensation

July 12, 2017 in Energy Systems Authors: Sophia Krohn, Trevor Drake

Industry and Projects

On Friday July 14th, over 50 people convened in St. Paul to learn about and discuss innovations towards a more customer-centric regulatory framework and utility business model for the 21stcentury. The event was the second of several e21 Forums in 2017, which are convened by the Great Plains Institute and Center for Energy and Environment and designed to provide an opportunity for interested parties in Minnesota to hear about and discuss important issues facing the electric sector. Below is a recap of the event along with links to slides and resources. Continue reading »

Our Newsletter

Sign Up for Better Energy Community News

Sign up to receive the latest news and announcements from the Great Plains Institute.