MN Energy Stories Blog from CERTs

For more and to dig into the details, download Jill’s presentation.

Utilities

Equipment grants available for innovative uses of woody biomass

Fritz Ebinger — Mon, 03 Dec 2018 18:29:20 +0000

The U.S. Forest Service recently announced $8 million in grant funding available for applied research projects that expand wood product and wood energy markets and improve forest health. Applications for funding will be accepted through January 23, 2019.

Eligible applicants include businesses; State, local, and Tribal governments; school districts; communities; non-profit organizations; institutions of higher education; and special purpose districts (e.g. public utility districts, fire districts, conservation districts and ports).

Eligible projects include:

Funding for stationary wood energy equipment,
Engineering designs, cost analyses, and permitting,
Developing manufacturing capacity and markets for wood products
Showcasing quantifiable environmental and economic benefits of using wood as a green building material in a commercial building and projected benefits
Developing a cluster of wood energy projects in a geographic area or specific market segment (i.e. hospitals, universities, manufacturing sector)
Overcoming barriers and stimulating expansion of wood energy in the commercial sector.

This Request for Proposals prioritizes projects which reduce hazardous fuels and improve forest health on National Forest System and other forest lands; reduce costs of forest management on all land types; and, promote the economic and environmental health of communities.

Applicants must contribute a 50% match of the grant funds requested from the Forest Service. In other words, for every $2 of Federal funding requested, the applicant must provide at least $1 in match from non-Federal sources. The match portion may include cash or in-kind contributions with third-party letters of support confirming the dollar value of in-kind contributions.

A couple examples of past projects that CERTs has supported or promoted include a biomass heating for poultry project in Albany, MN (report or event summary) and a wood torrefaction project at UMD’s Natural Resources Research Institute lab in Coleraine (report or event summary).

For more information and application materials, check out at the Forest Service’s Wood Innovations webpage.

Fittingly for #ForestProductsWeek, we've opened the period for Wood Innovations grant proposals. https://t.co/V2kd9FE2nX via USFS_NA_SPF</a></p>— Northeastern Area (USFS_NA_SPF) October 24, 2018

Want to chat about a potential project? Contact Fritz at CERTs.

Fritz Ebinger is the CERTs Rural Energy Development Program Manager for UofM RSDP and Extension. In this role, he works on energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives with agricultural producers to reduce farm production costs and advance utility conservation planning. Fritz graduated from St. John’s University in 2001 and served in the Peace Corps as an Agroforestry Volunteer in Panama from 2001-2003. He attended Drake Law School, graduating and passing the Minnesota Bar in 2008. While at Drake, he focused on agricultural, environmental, and natural resources law and wrote for the Drake Agricultural Law Journal. Following graduation, Fritz clerked for Judges Joe Chase and Robert Birnbaum in Minnesota’s Third Judicial District from 2008-2010 and was a solo practitioner from 2011-2013. Most recently, he comes to CERTs from The Minnesota Project where he managed their farm energy programs.

Contact info: ebing007@umn.edu or 612-626-1028.

Region:

Hogging energy savings: Swine farmers learn about efficiency, solar

Fritz Ebinger — Tue, 27 Nov 2018 19:21:26 +0000

Over 35 farmers, utility staff and community members met on the morning of November 15 to learn about methods and technologies to manage energy consumption in swine barns. The event was hosted by Southwest CERT, Great River Energy, and the Minnesota Pork Producers Association. And a huge thank you to the Martin County Pork Producers for the great pork chops at lunch!

Start with Energy Efficiency and Know Where Your Barn Uses Energy

Jill Eide, CEM from Great River Energy kicked off the session explaining Great River Energy and its member cooperatives focus on energy efficiency to keep production costs down. Jill described Great River Energy’s new farm audit program, “Energy Wise for your Farm” which launched this past summer with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program. This program covers 75% of the cost for a farm energy audit and provides a comprehensive energy management plan tailored to the farmer’s needs.

A farmer’s first, simple step is to call 1-800-441-8525. GDS Associates, Great River Energy’s project partner, will review the farm’s eligibility, discuss the kinds of assessment the farmer would like, and schedule the walk-through over the phone. GDS Associates personnel then perform the scheduled farm energy audits. See the program details to learn more. Ms. Eide noted GDS Associates energy auditors are well versed in biosecurity protocols, including shower in and out of barns, donning Tyvek suits, and waiting 72 hours between swine barn visits. Energy auditors also prefer is to perform walkthroughs between herds and will work with the farmer to schedule visits accordingly.

Ms. Eide highlighted several on-farm energy uses with good savings potential which may be coupled with utility rebates to facilitate with implementation:

LED lighting
Engine block timers (new rebate for 2019!
Ventilation fans
Variable frequency drives (VFDs)
Hog creep mats

Electric & Thermal Consumption in Commercial Swine Facilities

Fritz Ebinger stepped in to share results from recent research by Kirsten Sharpe and Faculty of the UMN West Central Research & Outreach Center (WCROC). The WCROC conducted energy monitoring at six commercial swine barns near Morris, MN to better understand what equipment is being used and how that equipment impacts energy use. The study researched two breed-to-wean barns, two nursery barns, and two finisher barns. Kirsten’s slides provide great charts and detail.

At high level, some key findings included:

The two breed-to-wean barns had the highest energy usage per pig. Roughly 60% of the electricity used in consumption was from heat lamps. The WCROC is currently researching creep mats as a more efficient alternative to heat lamps.

In the two nursery barns, the dominant energy consumption use was ventilation. This reinforced the need to maintain fan belts, keep louvres lubricated, and fan blades clean. Fritz referenced the BESS Labs tool at the University of Illinois to help understand the energy efficiency of ventilation fans.

The two finisher barns, representing the most common swine barn in MN, highlighted the difference in energy usage between mechanically ventilated barns versus side curtain barns. Mechanically ventilated barns use a lot more energy, in this case almost four times more.

Attendees had a good discussion about how best to track energy usage by farm site and how operators may access that data. All of the utilities in the room reinforced they are a one-stop resource for energy consumption data. Should anyone ever have data questions, they just need to call their local utility. Some utilities have that information online in easy to use spreadsheets. If you are not the listed contact for a particular meter account, you might just need to work with the owner to sign a data release to access that information.

There was also a good discussion about whether the research evaluated heat lamps using 250 watt or 150 watt lamps and what a farmer might see in terms of savings between the two bulbs. Mr. Ebinger confirmed with Ms. Sharpe the lamps in the study were actually 125 watts on the more efficient end of the spectrum. To understand the savings, one would calculate current costs (250 watts/hour x number of hours of run time x cost of energy in ¢/kWh) and then compare that with the new bulb wattage. Participants indicated a lower wattage lamp would not likely be quite as high a savings as simply comparing 150 watts to 250 watts for 40% savings since farmers may end up running the 150 watt bulbs for more hours.
Read more about the West Central Research and Outreach Center’s swine work.

Solar for your Farm Operation

Fritz Ebinger, CERTs Rural Energy Manager for the UMN Extension, Regional Sustainable Development Partners then dove into all things solar, but not before stressing how important it is to start with energy efficiency. Any solar system should be sized to load and if you can shrink that energy load, you can install a smaller system. Key highlights included:

Solar Resource in Minnesota: In general Minnesota’s solar resource is good though siting a system is dependent upon local conditions and having a good southern or southwestern solar window. You can check out your site with the Minnesota Solar Suitability App to get a general sense. Through the USDA-funded Renewable Energy for Greater Minnesota program, Mr. Ebinger will come out to your farm to conduct a renewable energy site assessment and financial report. This process includes evaluating your solar resource, where to site solar (based on buildings, tile lines, points of interconnection, etc.). He will also help you review your electric bills and understand financing options and tax incentives.

Installation Costs: Current solar costs for commercially installed systems are in the ballpark of $2.30-$2.50 / watt. The major component to making a project work is the tax incentives. Right now, farmers can access a 30% Federal Business Energy Investment Income Tax Credit (it has a 1 year carry back, 20 year carry forward period). This tax credit stays at 30% through 2019 and then steps down in subsequent years. Accelerated depreciation (MACRS) is another big part of the savings. Mr. Ebinger then walked through a cash flow example for a solar project. He assumed an electric rate of $0.10/kWh so if you pay less per kWh or have a demand rate, your payback time will be longer. This will depend upon your utility and your rate class. Before advancing a project, you should always work with your local utility. They can walk you through their net metering program.

Financing a Project: Property Assessed Clean Energy—or PACE—can be a good option. There are two PACE programs available. One is through the St. Paul Port Authority (SPPA), and the other through the Rural Minnesota Energy Board (RMEB)! Lending is based upon equity in your property (up to 20% of the assessed tax value of your property). You then repay the loan at 5% interest for projects with paybacks of 10 years or less on your property tax bill on six month increments. The SPPA and RMEB will only lend out to projects that are cash-flow positive and are looking for projects that will save you money.

Download Fritz’s presentation to learn more or visit the Renewable Energy for Greater Minnesota program page.

Hen-Way Manufacturing Solar Tour

Hen-Way Manufacturing is a 40-year old business with 32 employees, specializing in the manufacture of hog equipment and “anything a hog operation might need.” As solar panel prices came down about three years ago, proprietor Lonny Schwieger decided to make the move and install a 177 kW solar array to offset energy costs. The installer predicted 60% savings and Hen-Way has gone from paying, on average, $5,200/month to only $2,200/month, in line with the project estimates. Mr. Schwieger was happy they have been able to cover much of their energy usage, but now they are trying to tackle demand charges which are the largest part of their bill.

The total 177 kW system cost $431,000. Hen-Way received the 30% federal tax credit which brought their total out-of-pocket cost down to $287,000. Mr. Schweiger anticipated an 8-year payback as the system is sized to offset their energy usage. Hen-Way Manufacturing is interconnected on Federated Cooperative lines and receives 3 cents/kWh (avoided cost rate) when they export power, mostly on weekends, because their system is larger than the 40 kW net metering capacity limit.

See photos from the event:

Find out how you can power your farm or business with the Renewable Energy for Greater Minnesota program

Region:

Southwest

Energy Efficiency

Local Government Energy Action

Farmers

Mankato public building benchmarking workshop helps governments and schools save energy and money

Chris Meyer — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 20:43:57 +0000

On Thursday, November 1st, Southeast Clean Energy Resource Teams (SE CERT) hosted a “Capturing Savings from Public Building Energy Efficiency: Benchmarking through Financing – Getting your Project Done” session at the Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Centennial Student Union. CERTs has worked for years to reinforce that the cheapest energy is the energy you don’t use. Turns out that the 50 attendees at the event know that’s true and were enthusiastic to hear from the range of speakers about varying strategies for reducing the impact of energy costs on their bottom line.

Strategy 1: Energy Benchmarking!

Cheri Schneider of the Weidt Group kicked off the session with an introduction to the key elements of the Buildings, Benchmarks and Beyond—B3—Benchmarking Tool. Cheri highlighted the different ways that jurisdictions can use B3 to information to understand and prioritize which buildings are most in need of efficiency upgrades. The group discussion reinforced that measuring and tracking energy data is an essential first step to anything else. Data can be used to support the need for facility upgrades and improvements and can also be used to document the savings benefits. See Cheri’s presentation.

Strategy 2: Get a Plan!

Louis Schwartzkopf, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Physics and former Chair of the Environmental Committee at Minnesota State University, Mankato then presented on the Minnesota State Mankato Climate Action Plan. Lou walked the group through the process of forming an Environmental Committee to advise and promote sustainability activities, getting buy-in from leadership in 2013, and working with a graduate course research and establish a carbon baseline (they drew from this University of New Hampshire tool). Lou also emphasized the number of meetings they had with the campus community to gather input on sustainability actions. They have cut emissions by ~16% over 6 years. Energy projects have been the key part of meeting these targets as energy (largely electricity) was the primary component driving the baseline emissions. Beyond the energy work though, what was initially a Climate Action Plan has really become a more complete sustainability plan identifying a whole suite of potential actions. See Lou’s presentation.

Strategy 3: Implement Projects!

To better understand the energy and carbon savings Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU,M) accomplished, Paul Corcoran, Assistant Vice President for Facilities Management walked the group through the major project that drove these savings. Paul described their $7.5 million Guaranteed Energy Savings Program (GESP) project that financed improvements across 2 million square feet of buildings. Paul stressed a few key points, highlighted below. See Paul’s presentation.

A champion is critical to making a project happen. For MSU,M Ron Fields was the key champion who drove the project forward.
Working with GESP allows an entity to access private capital – not your own $ – to get a project done
Bundling projects allows an entity to aggregate the payback across short term and long term projects to get more projects done.
They received a $500,000 rebate from Xcel Energy for the project that they can now put to other repairs.
Lighting color matters.
Lighting upgrades, in addition to saving energy save on the hassle of getting to hard to access lights and save on fluorescent light disposal costs.

Strategy 4: Capture Rebates!

John Hutchens, Blue Earth-Nicollet-Faribault Cooperative Electric Association (BENCO) and Scott Kurtz, Xcel Energy both shared with participants that their utilities have resources and rebates to help their jurisdictions (among others!) move their projects forward. Each utility offers different types of rebates but both mentioned that LED lighting offers great payback. In response to an audience question about color temperatures and a study about the health impacts, John Hutchens referenced the American Medical Association study on LED street lighting from 2016. Both John and Scott said utilities are always happy to hear about your projects as soon as possible. Read a case study about Mankato State’s efforts from Xcel Energy.

Strategy 5: Harness the Capacity of Students to Work Toward Your Goals!

Chris Meyer highlighted the way in which La Crescent, a Minnesota GreenStep City, harnessed assistance from a Winona State University intern to get started on its path to savings. Access the GreenStep intern guide to get started setting up your internship. Reach out to Chris Meyer for additional assistance. She’s already been identifying potential opportunities with interns from Winona State University, Minnesota State University Mankato, and Carleton.

Strategy 6: Leverage Existing Programs and Resources!

Peter Lindstrom and Peter Berger teamed up to describe the Local Energy Efficiency Program (LEEP). The best thing to do is read Peter Berger’s presentation. Pete described the process which starts with an initial walk through assessment, then a jurisdiction determines which buildings to move forward for a full investment grade audit. This audit can then serve as a road map to improvements moving forward—for a capital plan or to bite off improvements over time. Jurisdictions using LEEP can also access funding through the Energy Savings Program (ESP), an annual appropriation lease managed by the St. Paul Port Authority. Additional LEEP resources include the Minnesota Department of Commerce website and the CERTs website.

Strategy 7: Learn from Others!

After the formal portion of the gathering, participants had a chance to tour campus. The group visited the University Dining Center to check out their compost process. They have greatly reduced the amount of trash they haul, and the facility is so well run you really couldn’t even smell it. On the tour participants also got to check out outdoor efficient lighting upgrades and the new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. Read a case study about Mankato State’s efforts from Xcel Energy. Many participants also joined speakers to get some one-on-one technical assistance and guidance on their own next steps. From B3 to LEEP, it sounds like there may be some other energy savings projects moving forward across southern Minnesota.

Many thanks to all of our speakers!

Cheri Schneider, Weidt Group
Louis Schwartzkopf, Professor Emeritus, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Paul Corcoran, Facilities Management, Minnesota State University, Mankato
John Hutchens, Blue Earth-Nicollet-Faribault Cooperative Electric Association (BENCO)
Scott Kurtz, Xcel Energy
Chris Meyer, Southeast CERT Coordinator
Peter Lindstrom, Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs)
Peter Berger, Minnesota Department of Commerce

See photos and media coverage form the event

Media stories about the event:

About the Local Government Energy Action Series:

This effort tells the stories of Minnesota municipalities, counties, and schools and the tangible results of their energy-saving efforts to inspire others to take their own actions. See all stories in this series >>

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Story Series:

Four Minnesota short solar videos win awards at annual MnSEIA conference

Dan Thiede — Tue, 13 Nov 2018 20:01:02 +0000

For the last three years the Clean Energy Resource Teams have hosted a Minnesota Solar Video Contest at the Minnesota Solar Energy Industry Association’s Midwest Gateway to Solar Conference. We’ve been blown away by the creative, powerful, funny, and informative submission we get, and this year was no different! Keep reading to see who won this time around and watch their videos.

First Place Video:
“Let’s Go Solar” by Fernando Saldivia and Alan Zheng, Students at Carleton College in Northfield

Acceptance speech: “Renewable energy sources are among our most valuable and democratic allies at the moment as we face the challenges of global climate change. It is everybody’s mission to work our way toward a sustainable future. We would like to thank CERTs and MnSEIA for giving young people like us the opportunity to promote the use of solar energy through video. Thanks for the valuable work you and others in the solar industry are doing!”

Second Place Video:
“Project Earth Solar Panels” by Isabel Dunning and Natalie Swanson, Students at Edina High School and members of the Project Earth Club

Acceptance speech: “We’d like to thank CERTs and MnSEIA for putting on the video contest and to everyone in the room for all of the important work you’re doing. We’re excited by the direction the solar industry is going!”

Third Place Video:
“Solar in Morris” by Syd Bauer and Sam Yuan, Students at University of Minnesota Morris

Acceptance speech: “Thank you so much to CERTs and MnSEIA for this award! We had a blast filming, interviewing, and sharing this solar video with our community. Morris residents are passionate about these ideas and being able to share their voice with you all means so much to us. This video has also showcased to the entire state that Morris is a renewable energy destination. All of our prize money is going directly to the Morris Robotics Team to help them with their solar project. We are so grateful for the award and thank you all for your support!”

Fourth Place Video:
“The Future Energy Gang” by Marley and James

The winning Minneapolis duo returned with a couple of their buddies for this delightful (and very nerdy) spoof on The Energy Gang podcast, receiving a voting boost in the final hours of the competition after Twitter mentions from two hosts of the real Energy Gang!

What would TheEnergyGang</a> be like if we were kids? This fan video of the 'lil Energy Gang actually made me cry. Incredibly heartwarming that a fan took the time to make this. (And 'lil Stephen is a much better host. He's got a job if he wants it!) <a href="https://t.co/NHxlydjsxY">https://t.co/NHxlydjsxY</a></p>— Stephen Lacey (Stphn_Lacey) November 9, 2018

This is awesome and a must see of everyone who loves TheEnergyGang</a>, I love how "little Jigar" is actually eating the microphone :) <a href="https://t.co/nZSsTUql0s">https://t.co/nZSsTUql0s</a></p>— Jigar Shah (JigarShahDC) November 9, 2018

Watch the rest of the submissions from all three years >>

Thanks to MnSEIA and Sundial Solar for their support and sponsorship of the Solar Video Contest!

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Metro

Click here to see a map of the 45 site on this year’s tour >>

Minnesota shines during National Solar Tour

Bailey Atkinson — Sat, 20 Oct 2018 19:58:38 +0000

Billed as “the largest grassroots solar, renewable energy, and sustainable living event in the nation,” the National Solar Tour is a collection of solar open houses and local solar tours around the country on October 6 & 7 in 2018. 725 homes across the country participated in 2018, with 45 participating homes and other sites right here in Minnesota.

A CERTs member was able to visit a participating home in Falcon Heights. Roger Aiken gave a tour of the inside and outside of his home and was informative and ecstatic to be introducing household sustainable technology. On the roof, the Aiken’s have 15 solar panels that generate approximately 4.4 kW. “Each panel will produce about a kilowatt per hour,” noted Roger. “Whenever we make any excess, our energy provider buys off that extra energy and we can either pay for some back on a bad day or let them keep the energy. Our electricity bills have not surpassed $5 a month since.”

The panels only took two days to install, not that Roger is a stranger to solar installations: He and his wife also own a solar thermal system to heat their water. “It has been in operation now for 35 years and has paid for itself twice over during that time. It has required one major repair involving the pumps. Otherwise it has operated flawlessly.”

Asked “why solar?” Roger noted “my main reason is not an economic one. My main reason is an environmental one. I believe that we as responsible human beings should be concerned with looking after and caring for the planet God has given us.”

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Visit The Power of Minnesota website to see the full documentary, more clips, to see upcoming events, and to download a viewing guide or host a screening >>

Lakeland PBS in Bemidji hosts inspiring clean energy events

Joel Anastasio — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 21:43:43 +0000

Back to back clean energy events at Lakeland PBS on Thursday October 11th featured a tour of solar, geothermal, and energy efficiency projects, a screening of a new MN clean energy documentary, and local speakers.

Geeking out: Touring clean energy projects at Lakeland PBS in Bemidji

An afternoon event featured a behind-the-scenes tour of the Lakeland PBS facility, including their cost-saving solar, geothermal, and energy efficiency projects. Over 40 people from Bemidji and across the region attended the tour, with interests ranging from sustainability to economics, and from technology to community engagement.

Bill Sanford, CEO and Director of Engineering at Lakeland PBS, led the tours and elaborated on their energy projects and how others could do the same.

“We’re excited to be partnering with Clean Energy Resource Teams and several other great organizations in hosting this sustainability tour and the screening of The Power of Minnesota at our facility,” said Bill Sanford, CEO and Director of Engineering at Lakeland PBS. “Back when we were planning our new facility over six years ago, we had a focus on sustainability and energy efficiency and designed the building to be very energy efficient with super insulation and geothermal HVAC systems. That said, we didn’t have an unlimited budget and had hard choices to make just like any other business. When construction began, we didn’t include everything we wanted regarding sustainability because they all didn’t make financial sense at the time. Since that time, we’ve switched to LED lighting in our building and added a 40kW solar PV array on the roof due to the real cash costs falling low enough to allow the projects have a reasonable payback. If there’s one thing I want people to take away from this event, it’s that projects like ours are more than just good for the environment, they can make financial sense too and actually save you money in the long run if you do your homework and reduce the upfront costs as much as you can.”

Roger Garton, Energy Management Representative for the Bemidji and Crookston Areas at Otter Tail Power Company, covered their energy efficiency and renewable energy programs in detail.

“It is encouraging to work with such an energy minded organization in Lakeland PBS that understands the importance of energy efficiency measures in obtaining their overall energy goals,” said Roger Garton, Energy Management Representative for the Bemidji and Crookston Areas at Otter Tail Power Company.

Film screening, local speakers, and networking, oh my!

An evening event included a film screening of The Power of Minnesota, a new documentary highlighting the many community stories behind Minnesota’s quickly-growing clean energy economy.

More than 60 people from Bemidji and beyond came to watch the film, hear speakers, find resources, and make connections for their own project ideas. Below are excerpts from a couple of the speakers, with links to download their presentations under that.

“Bemidji is proud to be a leader in energy reduction,” shared Rita Albrecht, Mayor of the City of Bemidji. “We’ve taken a community approach that includes a variety of strategies including participating in GreenStep Cities, installing electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, and adopting a residential solar energy ordinance. We promote energy efficient homes and rain gardens on our annual sustainability tour. As the first city to participate in Minnesota’s Guaranteed Energy Savings Program (GESP), we are excited to share our success. This program helped Bemidji upgrade nine city buildings and retrofit our street lights with LED bulbs. The big winners are city taxpayers. Our savings from reduced utility and maintenance costs help keep taxes low.”

“Bemidji State University is continuing its progress toward the ultimate goal of carbon neutrality, and is particularly motivated by the will of its students” shared Jordan Lutz, Sustainability Project Manager at Bemidji State University. “Clean sources of renewable energy align with what they desire for their future as well as our university’s mission statement. Thus, we are very excited to continue collaborating with local and regional partners on various clean energy projects, and to support in any way possible opportunities for a more sustainable future.”

“A lot of people don’t know how many clean energy projects are happening at Leech Lake—we’re doing a lot, we’re just not braggy about it,” shared Brandy Toft, Environmental Deputy Director with Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. “We have the nation’s first community solar garden on tribal land entirely benefiting low-income households, we have an even larger GESP performance contract for energy efficiency across our buildings than the City of Bemidji, we were first Minnesota GreenStep Tribal Nation, and we have won several awards for our energy and sustainability work.”

A new documentary called The Power of Minnesota was screened, which tells the story of how clean energy is making local economies throughout the state even stronger (https://www.powerofmn.com).

Speakers included:

Mayor Rita Albrecht, City of Bemidji (download presentation)
Anna Carlson, Assistant Professor, Center for Sustainability Studies, Bemidji State University (download presentation)
Bill Sanford, CEO and Director of Engineering, Lakeland PBS (download presentation)
Brandy Toft, Environmental Deputy Director, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe (download presentation)
Jordan Lutz, Sustainability Project Manager, Bemidji State University (download presentation)
Joel Anastasio, NW CERT Coordinator; Headwaters Regional Development Commission (HRDC)

These two events were co-hosted by: Lakeland PBS, Otter Tail Power Company, Bemidji State University, City of Bemidji, Headwaters Regional Development Commission, and the Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs).

Watch a news piece from Lakeland PBS on the events:

See photos from the event by Sarah Gazelka:

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Visit The Power of Minnesota website to see the full documentary, more clips, to see upcoming events, and to download a viewing guide or host a screening >>

Utilities

Chisago County's role as Solar Capital of Minnesota celebrated at community event

Dan Thiede — Fri, 05 Oct 2018 21:26:45 +0000

On Thursday, October 4, Chisago County took center stage at the Chisago Lakes High School Performing Arts Center in Lindstrom to celebrate the county’s role as the Solar Energy Capital of Minnesota.

Solar in Chisago County: The 100MW North Star Solar installation in Chisago County is Minnesota’s largest, and produces enough electricity to power about 20,000 homes. Chisago County is also home to several community solar gardens and installations on area homes and businesses. This event, and The Power of Minnesota film, focused on telling the many stories of the people behind this enormous accomplishment.

Event highlights:

Michael Noble, Executive Director of Fresh Energy, kicked off the event with a talk about the country’s dramatic shift to a clean energy economy, and the role that Chisago County is playing. He spoke about the drastic price reductions in solar, wind, and battery storage that are making this swift transition possible, and the necessity of wringing all of the waste out of our economy by becoming as energy efficient as possible and then powering our lives with clean electricity—including transportation.

The Power of Minnesota film was then screened at the event. It was created to highlight the benefits and successes of solar and wind power projects throughout the state, and to foster community engagement and awareness. The documentary features stories about the many ways in which clean energy is both driven by and supporting Chisago Lakes area landowners, officials, educators, and businesses. It is available to watch at https://powerofmn.com.

The documentary was followed by several local speakers:
- “Our foray into solar energy, which began as a daydream of a bunch of 7th graders, is saving Chisago Lakes Schools between $3-6 million dollars over 30 years,” said Pat Collins, a 7th grade teacher at Chisago Lakes Middle School. “It takes a lot of fundraisers and bake sales to equal that amount. And the much bigger question is what are we really teaching our students? The solar panels on our school roofs teach our students to look ahead, to innovate, to think differently, to see beyond our time, and to be leaders rather than followers”. Chisago Lakes School District has five rooftop solar projects at the high, middle, and primary schools, as well as Taylors Falls and Lakeside elementary schools. They also have a community solar garden subscription. These solar panel systems not only save energy dollars but also provide science learning opportunities for students and help to meet the district’s sustainability goals.
- George McMahon, 2018 Chair of the Chisago County Board of Commissioners, talked about how Chisago County is receiving more than $250,000 per year in property tax relief because of solar power, and how the school districts in North Branch and Chisago Lakes are also benefiting from solar energy production tax revenue, amounting to several tens of thousands of dollars a year.
- Farmers and other landowners in Chisago County, several of them featured in The Power of Minnesota, now think of solar energy as another crop—one that provides a steady stream of income year after year. “Our 22-acre solar garden produces enough power to support 1,000 homes,” said Ed Eichten, second generation farmer in Chisago County and owner of Eichten’s Bison. “It is reassuring to know that my land produces a profit and clean energy at the same time.”

The event ended with a screening of a new episode of the popular Prairie Sportsman program from Pioneer Public Television about how prairie is being planted under and around large solar arrays in Minnesota to create habitat for local wildlife and pollinators—a practice that’s taking off in Chisago County. After that several people stuck around for a full screening of The Power of Minnesota film.

10 organizations provided resource tables: Clean Energy Resource Teams, Chisago Lakes School District, Chisago County, Chisago Lakes Area Chamber, Center for Energy and Environment, Xcel Energy, IPS Solar, All Energy Solar, Minnesota Native Landscapes, and Fresh Energy.

The celebrating continued at Chisago Lakes Grill at a gathering featuring Solar Sweet Farm Cider from Milk & Honey Ciders, made using honey from prairie plantings at Minnesota solar farms.

Sad you missed it? You can watch The Power of Minnesota online at https://powerofmn.com, watch the full October 4th event when it replays on Chisago Lakes Cable Television Public Access Channel, and watch the new episode of Prairie Sportsman when it airs in January 2019.

The event was co-hosted by: Chisago Lakes School District, Chisago County, Chisago Lakes Chamber & Information Center, Chisago Lakes Area Initiative, and the Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs).

Check out photos from the event:

Watch a clip from the documentary about Chisago County:

Region:

Metro

Visit The Power of Minnesota website to see the full documentary, more clips, to see upcoming events, and to download a viewing guide or host a screening >>

Over 100 gather in Canby for The Power of Minnesota film screening and conversation

Lissa Pawlisch — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 21:56:07 +0000

On September 18th, over 100 people gathered at the Minnesota West Community and Technical College in Canby for the first official screening of The Power of Minnesota documentary. Pioneer Public Television also unveiled a segment of an upcoming Prairie Sportsman episode that features solar and pollinator habitat (and honey and beer and cider).

The Power of Minnesota film is about people, their communities, and their stories about clean energy development around the state. Following the screenings, participants shared conversations with their neighbors about what they learned and what surprised them about the film. For example: people we shocked to learn that there are nearly 60,000 clean energy jobs in Minnesota!

They shared their clean energy questions: for example, how do we get more youth engaged in the clean energy industry and careers? Minnesota West of course, had some great answers about how they are partnering with industry, recruiting K-12 students to their training programs, and then equipping students with the expertise they need to pursue good paying jobs.

Jim Nichols, local farmer and clean energy elder statesman, closed out the event by praising the work done by so many across Southwest Minnesota to ignite the clean energy industry in Minnesota and keep it growing strong. There are many more clean energy stories in the making across Southwest and West Central Minnesota. Thanks to everyone who joined us and made this night a terrific celebration!

The event in Canby was hosted by Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs), Pioneer Public Television, Minnesota West Community and Technical College, Minnesota Energy Center of Excellence, Southwest Regional Development Commission, and the Upper Minnesota River Valley Regional Development Commission.

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Hill Vue Farm in Rushford upgrades to solar to cover energy needs

Kirsten Zoellner — Wed, 26 Sep 2018 18:02:29 +0000

This article was republished from the original by Kirsten Zoellner with the Fillmore County Journal.

With the costs related to farming on the rise, Rushford resident and farmer Jon Peterson is always on the lookout for ways to increase efficiencies and maintain sustainability efforts. This May, Peterson and his family installed a 37.5 kilowatt-generating solar array at Hill Vue Farm, their 800-acre organic farm.

“This was really the only option we considered,” says Peterson. “I had thought about wind in the past, but decided on solar because of much less maintenance and cost.” The farm currently milks 65 cows, feeding out bull calves and replacement heifers, along with a herd of beef cattle and sheep. Specific energy drains on the farm including milk cooling, vacuum pump, ventilation fans, water heaters, and water pumping, in addition to everyday energy consumption. The new array covers the energy demand of these and then some.

Prior to beginning the project, Peterson talked with other farmers in his dairy cooperative who had completed similar projects. From this, he was able to locate the best options, eventually deciding to partner with MinnSolar to determine the project scope, provide materials, and do the installation. In March of this year, they applied for permitting.

According to Peterson, there was little groundwork that needed to be done prior to installation. A location with direct southern exposure was already selected and Paul Kreidermacher, owner/engineer of MinnSolar, did the installation in one week, completing the project June 1.

“We chose Paul from the recommendations of others and I liked the fact that he took care of all the paperwork and he did all the construction and electrical work himself with two helpers,” adds Peterson. The final result was a 120-panel array consisting of two rows. The entire spans 120 feet, reaching 10 feet in height. The array needs little maintenance, other than standard inspection and is designed to meet a variety of weather conditions.

Watching the meter for the first time and seeing power being sent off instead of coming in has been the biggest highlight for the family, which also includes Jon’s wife, Lori, son, Taylor, and his wife, Gina.

There are several system components required which make power correctly function. “The solar rays are converted from direct current to alternating current power through four inverters located on the supports of the panels. It is then fed back into the power grid and meters measure how much power you produce and how much you use. A running total is kept for the year and if more kilowatt hours are produced than used the power company pays you for those; its called net-metering,” explains Peterson.

With interconnection rules in Minnesota, systems up to 40 kilowatts are allowed to offset consumption with companies paying various rates for excess power, according to MinnSolar’s online data. “Our electricity costs average $700 a month. So far, the solar has produced that plus extra kilowatt hours that are being carried forward. That can be used in the winter when the solar production may not be as much,” adds Peterson.

MinnSolar suggests properties determine annual energy consumption and size systems based on consumption, designing slightly oversized systems to offset potential connection charges. Other assistance to projects comes by way of Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit, equating to a deduction of 30% of installation costs from federal taxes. In addition, solar systems receive exemption through Minnesota Solar Energy Sales Tax Exemption, as well as annual property taxes. Further assistance comes through grant eligibility in Minnesota’s Fix-Up Loan Fund Program or US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program grants, and in some cases, rebates provided directly from utility companies. Add to this data from Minnesota Department of Commerce which shows the cost to install solar systems has dropped 50% in the last five years and it’s no wonder more are considering the solar advantage.

The array is expected to produce enough for Peterson to recoup installation costs within 10 years.

Find out how you can power your farm or business with the Renewable Energy for Greater Minnesota program

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Southeast

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Farmers

Minnesota now boasts over 160 clean energy projects financed using PACE

Peter Lindstrom — Fri, 21 Sep 2018 20:45:04 +0000

From the Greenway Office Building in Minneapolis to Timm’s Trucking in Morristown and from AirCorps Aviation in Bemidji to the First National Bank in Saint Paul, businesses are benefitting from solar and efficiency improvements with no up-front costs and streamlined payments through their property tax assessments.

Updated map: 63 of Minnesota’s 87 counties now allow PACE financing, as you can see on the map below. In these counties, there are more than 160 businesses, multi-family apartment buildings, nonprofits, places of worship, and other commercial entities with exciting projects under their belts. Click around to learn more!

Upcoming Webinar: Join CERTs Wed, Oct 31 from 9:30-10:00am for a webinar called Utilities: Meet CIP Goals with PACE Financing. During the webinar you’ll see why utility rebates & PACE have spurred over $50 million of projects in MN.

New video: Learn how the Greenway Office Building in Minneapolis, owned by Wellington Management, installed solar with no money down through their property taxes using PACE financing (Property Assessed Clean Energy) through the Saint Paul Port Authority. Video by the talented Natalie Swanson!

What is PACE? Property-Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) is a new way to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades to the buildings of commercial property owners. Energy-saving measures pursued by the owners receive project financing and are repaid as a separate item on their property tax assessment for a set period. PACE eliminates the burden of upfront costs by providing low-cost, long-term financing.

Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) is a new way to finance energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades to the buildings of commercial property owners.

Energy-saving measures pursued by the owners receive project financing and are repaid as a separate item on their property tax assessment for a set period. PACE eliminates the burden of upfront costs by providing low-cost, long-term financing.

See more resources and available programs >>

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New Wastewater Optimization Pilot Project offering free assistance

Joel Haskard — Fri, 21 Sep 2018 19:06:57 +0000

Effective wastewater treatment systems are critical infrastructure to manage waste effluent within hundreds of communities in Minnesota.

The Minnesota Rural Water Association (MRWA) is partnering with MPCA, MnTAP, City of St. Cloud and Met Council on a Wastewater Optimization Pilot Project (Pond and Mechanical). Optimization includes getting better results through existing infrastructure. The goal of the project is to provide assistance to comply with water quality standards without needing expensive new construction and increased nutrient removal and improved operational efficiencies. There is NO cost to participate in this project!

More case studies highlight energy efficiency at Minnesota wastewater treatment plants

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) operate in approximately 600 communities in Minnesota. Energy can account for 25-40% of the operating budgets of wastewater utilities. Through a U.S. Department of Energy grant, the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and the Minnesota Technical Assistance Program worked to capture energy efficiency opportunities in the wastewater sector by providing tools and technical assistance to small and midsized facilities across the state. Through the facility assessments completed over the course of this grant, a multitude of low-cost, no-cost energy efficiency opportunities were implemented that reduced WWTP energy use between 5-30% and saved each plant an average of $13,000 in annual energy costs. The project team has published new case studies that highlight these energy- and cost-saving opportunities at Minnesota wastewater facilities, including:

City of Saint Peter: $12,300 annual energy savings – Download case study
City of Altura: $14,000 annual energy savings – Download case study
Pelican Rapids: $11,600 annual energy savings – Download case study
Pine River Area Sanitary District: $4,100 annual energy savings – Download case study
Northfield Wastewater Treatment Plant: $93,300/year potential energy savings – Download case study
Kasson Wastewater Treatment Plant: $18,000/year potential energy savings – Download case study
City of Montevideo Wastewater Treatment Facility: $44,000/year potential energy savings – Download case study

For more information on wastewater treatment efficiency, please visit the MnTAP project website and the B3 Wastewater Treatment Plants page.

Recent GreenStep Cities workshop on wastewater energy-saving opportunities

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Local Government Energy Action

Government group buying helping to spread solar across Minnesota

Frank Jossi — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 14:57:16 +0000

This article is reposted from the original by Frank Jossi in Midwest Energy News.

Cities, school districts, and government agencies are using a shared contract to streamline the process of procuring solar power.

The state of Minnesota and nearly a dozen other government entities will use a collaborative buying approach to build 4 megawatts of on-site solar.

Called Solar Possible, the initiative used a master contract and a joint request for proposals to select vendors and gather pricing data. The Minnesota Department of Administration’s Office of Enterprise Sustainability and two partner organizations developed the program.

Participating school districts, government agencies and city governments are getting better prices than they would have on their own, said Office of Enterprise Sustainability director Larry Herke.

“We’re seeing savings of 10 to 15 percent on projects by using the collaborative effort of working together,” he said.

Purchasing solar collaborating is a small but growing trend. The World Resources Institute has created a collaborative purchasing guide for governments and businesses that highlights a example of an initiative now several years old in Silicon Valley.

Solar United Neighbors has offices around the country, including Minnesota, to serve residential customers with collective procurement. A group of colleges on the East Coast announced a collaborative agreement earlier this year to buy solar from a facility in Maine operated by NextEra Energy Resources.

In Minnesota, government agencies in Solar Possible have chosen 47 sites, both on rooftops and on land. The process reduced a solar vendor applicant pool of 11 to three companies: IPS Solar, iDeal Energies LLC and Mouli Engineering, Inc.

Solar Possible’s other major advantage is that local governments avoid dealing with multiple proposals from solar vendors, said Peter Lindstrom, local government outreach coordinator Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs), a partner in the initiative.

Many communities and school districts receive calls from solar companies offering projects of various sizes on different buildings. “They might have two, three, four, five or even six proposals and they’re having a challenging time figuring out what to do,” Lindstrom said. “While local governments do a lot of things well making these types of judgements is not up their alley.”

Having CERTs, the state and the Great Plains Institute, another partner, involved “takes a lot out of the guesswork” out of the process for communities not accustomed to clean energy proposals, he said.

Trevor Drake, project manager for the Great Plains Institute, worked on a community solar garden specifically built for government subscribers by the Metropolitan Council, a regional planning agency. In both projects cost savings was a major benefit, but the time saved by having another entity run the process “was an even bigger benefit,” he said. “They’re saving a lot of staff time in this process.”

One of the communities fitting that description is Faribault, city of 24,000 about an hour south of the Twin Cities. While interested in placing solar on municipally owned properties city officials feel ill equipped to manage solar procurement.

“A city our size doesn’t have the expertise and or the time to determine whether putting solar PV will save us money, and what the advantages and disadvantages are,” said city planner David Wanberg.

He and city officials have spoken to solar companies but its “difficult to compare apples to apples what they are offering,” he said. “This program gives us some confidence we’re getting some good information before we decided whether to go forward on solar.”

The city has selected nine sites that could be used for solar, Wanberg said. Vendors in Solar Possible are visiting in a few weeks to study which sites are feasible, costs and payback. The city council will want to see that a project makes economic sense.

At the same time, the city sees “value” in the city government being able to model clean energy and build a more resilient Faribault, Wanberg said. The council would want a highly visible city property, such as a fire station next to city hall.

“I think there may be reasons beyond economic but economic will be really important for this council,” he said. Several of the city’s major employers, Wanberg added, are adding new space and have discussed whether solar could work.

Communities will have options for paying vendors – cash or a host of financing options, Herke said. Vendors agreed to offer a 25-year warranty on panels and a 10-year guarantee on workmanship on equipment, he said.

The first project will be the largest, a 433-kilowatt installation in a park behind the Minnesota State Capitol and on five office buildings. The project will add to an existing 133 kW of solar installed on the Senate Building.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation will likely follow with three sites selected for solar. Several suburban communities involved in Solar Possible will make their decision whether to invest in solar over the next several months. “It might take longer for them to make a decision,” he said.

The master contract and RFP will be reviewed annually, said Herke, and new vendors may be added as the markets evolved. The initial collaboration focused only on Xcel Energy’s territory in the state, he noted, though Solar Possible will broaden into Greater Minnesota.

What was designed to assist state agencies with buying solar now is being spread to communities and districts throughout the state, he said.

“Our main focus is to help the agencies out, our secondary focus all along is to help local governments,” said Herke, whose office also developed a sustainability tool for state agencies that will offered to other local governments throughout the state.

State agencies and other government units can use the master contract without being part of Solar Possible, he added. He’s heard from more than a few agencies who may use it to negotiate and hire vendors on their own.

Projects in the pipeline now should be completed by next spring and summer. The first round should generate more interest in Solar Possible, said Lindstrom, because the appetite for solar on government buildings and land is only growing.

“All over the state local governments and schools are interested in solar,” he said. “It just happens to be the financials work out well in Xcel territory for now. Believe me, everywhere I go people are asking ‘how can we do this in our city, for our schools, in our county.’”

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