The Minnesota Community Energy Network, facilitated by the Great Plains Institute and Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs), is a peer learning network of local government staff working on clean energy in Minnesota that aims to advance action in communities across the state.
The Minnesota Community Energy Network connects local government staff working on clean energy with their peers and partner organizations to share promising practices, lessons learned, and opportunities for support. The network has quarterly virtual meetings covering a variety of topics, including state and federal funding, technical assistance opportunities, climate and clean energy-related legislation, climate action planning, and community engagement.
Our goals:
We started as the Renewable Energy Procurement Network in 2018 and evolved into the Community Energy Network (CEN) in 2020 to cover a broader range of topics. Since then, we have engaged with members from nearly 80 communities across Minnesota and continue to grow the network.
Minnesota Community Energy Network participants can attend quarterly network meetings and may choose to participate in a work group. The three work groups cover:
(1) Leveraging the Inflation Reduction Act’s direct pay/elective pay opportunities
(2) Manufactured home parks
(3) Geothermal
Do you work on climate and clean energy initiatives for your local government or Tribal nation? Fill out this form to join the Community Energy Network:
Many communities face challenges implementing geothermal heat pump projects due to complex technologies, high upfront costs, and limited information. GPI worked with partners in Minnesota to help local and tribal government staff bridge these gaps by facilitating a geothermal work group for peer learning and developing resources to help communities learn from one another.
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