Five Minnesota cities in the Twin Cities Metro have been selected as partners for the Local Government Project for Energy Planning (LoGoPEP), an initiative that is developing energy planning tools for local governments.
The five selected partner cities include Oakdale, Eden Prairie, Falcon Heights, Maplewood, and Saint Louis Park. These cities will help pilot test the tools developed by the LoGoPEP team, including case studies of exemplar cities, a scenario planning or “wedge” tool that will quantify the level of action needed to meet reduction targets, and an energy planning template that can be incorporated into local government comprehensive plans.
After the pilot testing is complete (anticipated March 2017), these tools will be made publicly available and training sessions will be offered to help local governments integrate energy planning into their comprehensive plans.
LoGoPEP is funded by the Department of Energy and is co-managed by the Minnesota Department of Commerce and LHB. The team includes energy planning experts from the Great Plains Institute and the University of Minnesota’s Energy Transition Lab and Center for Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy.
