West Central Case Studies
West Central Minnesota has been the hub of much excitement with the beginning of the Youth Energy Summit (YES!) program, which engages teams of youth in action projects to literally put energy into our future. In Willmar, the high school YES! team took a particularly bold approach—fixing up an old greenhouse, heating it with renewable energy, and...
As the clean energy movement sweeps quickly, yet quietly, across Minnesota, communities are discovering new and unique opportunities for renewable energy development. With its diverse and varied landscape, Minnesota has the ability to participate in clean energy development in several ways.
A new renewable energy project is catching eyes and sparking interest in St. Louis County. Secured on the side of a maintenance garage outside of Duluth are seven solar air heat collectors, ready to combat the cold north shore winds with heat harnessed from the sun. The installment displays the possibilities of solar air heat to all who pass by.
On a cool day in November 2009, Teresa Copley, the New London Middle School’s Youth Energy Summit (YES!) Team Coordinator, contacted John Duevel. YES! had been working with the New London Little Theatre to improve its energy efficiency, and now the students were interested in helping the Theater do a solar project. The Little Theatre is owned and...
Atwater banker Bob Meyerson has been interested in finding ways to enhance farm income since the 1980’s. At that time, he worked in cooperation with The Minnesota Project to explore the idea of farmers as contractors, but was unable to complete the project due to lack of funding.
The West Central Research and Outreach Center in Morris, Minnesota is an excellent model of a community-scale project incorporating research and demonstration of renewable energy.
In August 2003 Pope County Windpower received a USDA grant from the Renewable Energy & Energy Efficient Program to install a 35 kW wind turbine. On October 25, 2003 Earl Hauge, a member of Pope County Windpower, flipped the switch to the turbine located on his farm, land set aside for the Conservation Reserve Program CRP, in southeastern Pope...
Stan Simon, an independent consulting engineer from Kerkhoven, MN, took the opportunity to help a local elementary school realize its potential for energy efficiency by conducting an energy audit for the school, identifying areas where energy efficiency could be improved.
As the demand for workers skilled in clean energy technologies increase, community and technical colleges around the state are stepping up to fill the demand with new 1-2 year degree programs in clean energy.
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