MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Great Plains Institute President & CEO Rolf Nordstrom announced today that Brian Ross and Abby Finis have joined the GPI team to lead its solar energy development work and contribute to the Institute’s growing practice aimed at helping cities and others achieve their clean energy and sustainability goals. Continue reading »
Small businesses are often the anchors of a vibrant community. They’re the places we go to find unique experiences, delicious foods, and local knowledge. They also have a role to play in transforming our energy system and boosting the economy by implementing actions to save energy, reduce overhead costs, and grow their business.
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A bill that would establish a set of production incentives for commercial deployment of advanced biofuels, renewable chemicals and biomass heat was heard and passed out of two committees in the Minnesota legislatures on February 18th. HF 536/SF 517 is a legislative proposal supported by the Bioeconomy Coalition of Minnesota, which Great Plains Institute facilities and coordinates. Continue reading »
Those who have lived in the Midwest a long time may remember the power line fights of the 1970’s, when farmers across Minnesota organized against electric transmission development. One large project required deployment of half of Minnesota’s highway patrol troopers to complete construction. One reason for the controversy back then was infrastructure projects were planned behind closed doors with minimal regulatory oversight. Continue reading »
Biogas projects come in all shapes and sizes and are implemented across a variety of industrial, municipal and agricultural applications. For a biogas project, there is no “one size fits all”. The variety of biogas feedstock sources and end-use applications sets it apart from other biomass project configurations. Continue reading »
Today in the Minnesota legislature Senator Tom Saxhaug (DFL-Grand Rapids) and Representative Rod Hamilton (R-Mountain Lake) introduced a bill creating a production incentive program for commercial development of advanced biofuels, renewable chemicals, and biomass thermal energy. The bill is the top legislative priority for the Bioeconomy Coalition of Minnesota, a multi-stakeholder partnership of private industries, agriculture and forestry interests, and non-profit organizations. GPI organizes and facilitates the Coalition. Continue reading »
MINNEAPOLIS – Former Illinois Commerce Commission Chairman Doug Scott has joined the Great Plains Institute (GPI) as Vice President for Strategic Initiatives. Continue reading »
Energy policy discussions these days are dominated by talk of innovation on electric distribution systems. New clean energy technologies are developing so quickly it can be difficult to keep up with the relevant buzz-words; as digitization of the smart grid leads to rapid innovation, new distributed energy resources are causing disruptive challenges requiring electric utility and energy market reform. Continue reading »
The sustainability of biomass supplies for energy and fuel production has been a topic of ongoing discussion for decades. The completion and commissioning of commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol facilities in 2014 is giving this discussion a renewed sense of urgency. 2014 was the year that cellulosic ethanol moved from something that was five years away to reality due to the commissioning of commercial-scale facilities. Continue reading »
This report is written primarily for Minnesota’s electric utility regulators, policymakers,
organizations representing ratepayers, and others who have a stake in the direction of
Minnesota’s future energy system, and includes specific recommendations for statutory
changes and regulatory action. Continue reading »
