A new Great Plains Institute report concludes that the launch of the Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO) market in 2005 led to an increase of average capacity factors for wind turbines in the region by more than five percent. Continue reading »
This paper, “Competitive Markets and Renewables: The Effect of Wholesale Electricity Market Restructuring on Wind Generation in the Midwest,” estimates the effect of having a competitive wholesale electricity market on wind plant generation for the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) electricity market. Continue reading »
On December 1st, a small team of community members and folks from the Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) went out in pairs to door-knock in Chisago City and the City of Lindstrom to encourage small business owners to participate in a free energy and/or solar assessment of their business through the Chisago Clean Energy Hub. Continue reading »
The GreenStep Workshops address a variety of topics related to GreenStep Cities best practices. Resources from the 2016-2017 workshop series – including PDFs of the workshop presentations and handouts – are available below. Continue reading »
With regulatory hurdles cleared at both the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and the U.S. Department of Energy, the Great Northern Transmission Line is set to connect Minnesota Power to Manitoba Hydro, across the U.S./Canadian border. The 224-mile, 500 kV transmission line will connect Minnesota Power transmission system in northern Minnesota to Manitoba Hydro’s grid. Continue reading »
As 2016 comes to a close, we’re taking a look back at what we’ve accomplished alongside our partners, stakeholders, and supporters over the last year. Continue reading »
The Great Plains Institute clan (and our projects) has grown a lot this year, and wow, have we been busy! We’re sure you have wondered, “What’s all the hustle and bustle over there?” This holiday letter is meant to celebrate some of our successes of the last year, so let’s look back: Continue reading »
In November, GPI organized a tour for Minnesota utilities and members of the Minnesota Energy Storage Alliance of Indianapolis Power & Light’s (IPL’s) Harding Street Station Battery Energy Storage System, or HSS BESS. The HSS BESS is a state-of-the-art, 20MW energy storage facility connected to IPL’s transmission system. Continue reading »
*This post is co-authored with Jamie Scripps of 5 Lakes Energy*
After nearly two years of hearings, countless substitute bills, and intense negotiations the Michigan legislature finally approved two pieces of legislation that overhaul and update Michigan’s energy policy. Continue reading »
The diverse set of e21 stakeholders have reached another milestone, concluding Phase II of their work with the release of three white papers addressing key issues in Minnesota’s energy future. The phase II report is intended as a cohesive package, with each white paper relating to and supporting the other three. Continue reading »
