Submitted by Joel Haskard on Wed, 06/29/2011 - 10:55am
“Startup America” is a White House initiative to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship throughout the nation. This coordinated public/private effort brings together an alliance of the country’s most innovative entrepreneurs, corporations, universities, foundations, and other leaders, working in concert with a wide range of federal agencies to dramatically increase the prevalence and success of America’s entrepreneurs.
America’s Next Top Energy Innovator: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched the “America’s Next Top Energy Innovator” challenge, which offers start-up companies the ability to license, at a reduced rate of $1000, technologies developed by the national laboratories. As part of the program, DOE is reducing both the cost and paperwork requirements for start-up companies to license one of the more than 15,000 unlicensed patents and patent applications currently held by the national laboratories. The deadline for submitting an application is December 15, 2011. Learn more >>
Entrepreneurial Mentor Corps for Clean Tech Startups The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has launched an Entrepreneurial Mentor Corps Clean Energy Pilot Program that will provide funding to four “private business accelerators” that will match 100 startup companies with experienced business and entrepreneurial mentors. SBA is partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy and its Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) on the program. New “mentee small businesses” are now being accepted into the program. Because the program is limited to 100 mentee businesses, early application is encouraged. Learn more >>
Submitted by Julia Eagles on Thu, 06/23/2011 - 1:10pm
What is the City of Minneapolis Energy Efficiency Business Loan Program?
The City of Minneapolis, through the Business Finance Department of Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED), has established a low-interest loan program to assist Minneapolis-based businesses interested in reducing energy consumption. The City has partnered with the Center for Energy and Environment (CEE) to administer the program and provide financing for energy-efficiency projects in commercial properties. Funding includes a combination of a loan and forgivable rebate. The rebate will be calculated into the loan and paid out in monthly payment reductions.
Program Features:
Rebate in the amount of 20% of project cost after utility rebates (not to exceed $5,000).
Interest rate fixed for term of loan at 0%
Maximum loan amount is $75,000
Closing costs financed in loan
Variable loan term up to 10 years
Eligible Improvements Include:
Lighting retrofits (lamps and/or ballasts only)
Lighting Fixture Replacement and Control Upgrades
HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning) Controls Upgrades and Retrocommissioning
HVAC Equipment Replacement
Envelope Air Sealing
Insulation, Windows or Doors
Refrigeration Controls Upgrades (where refrigeration is present)
Refrigeration Equipment Replacement
Other energy-efficiency improvements recommended by CEE and approved by CPED
Submitted by Jeff Vetsch on Fri, 05/27/2011 - 11:26am
May 12, 2011, New Ulm, MN:Could there be a profitable use for “waste” and other effluents, through use of biogas digesters? Over 40 people met to learn the answer to this and other questions at an event hosted by Southwest Clean Energy Resource Team (SW CERT) held in the lower level of the New Ulm Public Library on May 12th, 2011.
What is biogas? Simply put, biogas digesters convert manure or other organic matter into biogas through anaerobic digestion. Biogas can be combusted to create electricity, used to heat water, or injected into a natural gas pipeline.
Joel Haskard, Co-Director for Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) welcomed folks and introduced the panelists.
Amanda Bilek, Energy Policy Specialist at Great Plains Institute, presented an overview of the biogas industry nationally and in Minnesota. It may come as no surprise to folks in the New Ulm area that Germany leads Europe in biogas production. In the U.S., Wisconsin leads in farm-based anaerobic digestion projects, followed by New York, Pennsylvania, and California, according to Bilek.
“Biogas digester systems are expensive, and unless policies and incentives are in place to help folks, it’s cost prohibitive for most farmers. Wisconsin already has several effective incentives in place,” explained Bilek.
Food and beverage processing facilities can also create biogas. In Minnesota, American Crystal Sugar (East Grand Forks), Seneca Food Corporation (Montgomery) and SunOpta Ingredients, Inc. (Cambridge) are turning their “waste” into biogas.
Jake Fischer, Clean Energy Program Manager at The Minnesota Project, presented the example of Haubenschild Farm’s Dairy methane digester, which has 850 dairy cows in production plus 100 in dry lot. “The plug-flow digester has been extremely efficient,” stated Fischer.
William Lazarus, Professor in the Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota Extension, examined the economics of biogas digesters. Lazarus listed potential benefits of biogas digesters including: energy, odor control, reduced methane, reduction in pathogens, solids (fiber) for bedding, solids as a soil amendment, solids used for energy, and phosphorus and nitrogen reduction.
Costs of biogas digester systems vary depending on the size of the operations. Panelists stated that due to the high cost, funding incentives and government grants are key for those looking to install biogas digesters.
After a round of questions from the audience and a break, speakers on a second panel addressed Minnesota biogas projects.
David Schmidt, Assistant Extension Engineer, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering at the University of Minnesota, presented the case of Jer-Lindy Farms dairy digester, which has 135 milking cows and uses an Andigen digester.
Kevin Hennessy, Associate Scientist in Co-Products at Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI), provided examples of how AURI has developed new uses for and value-added improvements to Minnesota agricultural commodities.
Bob Peplin explained how Agri-Waste Energy, Inc. and its strategic partners have used a gas conditioning facility to turn raw biogas from digesters into pipeline-quality gas, which they have sold and exported to other parts of the nation.
Meeting attendees networked after panelists responded to questions from the audience.
“We hope this forum helped folks gain a better understanding of the opportunities and challenges of using biogas digesters in southern Minnesota,” states Jeff Vetsch, WC and SW CERT Coordinator. “Size of the farm operation and available incentives are important when people are considering the economic feasibility of biogas digesters. As this forum demonstrated, there is a lot of interest and expertise in Minnesota, and communities should connect with these speakers if they’re interested in learning more.”
Submitted by Dan Thiede on Wed, 05/25/2011 - 1:33pm
Below are a few posting for great green jobs that we’ve seen around recently and want to share with you. Good luck!
Program Coordinator with Energy Smart: The Energy Smart program helps Minnesota businesses achieve cost savings through energy efficiency. Through direct, personalized assistance, Energy Smart helps businesses take full advantage of utility Conservation Improvement Programs (CIP) and other products and services that achieve energy efficiency. Energy Smart is a program of Minnesota Waste Wise, a non-profit affiliate of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. The Energy Smart Program Coordinator is responsible for coordinating and conducting new business outreach and research, maintaining program data base, creating monthly activity reports, providing Energy Star building benchmarking services and assisting other program staff as needed. Learn more and apply >>
Community Outreach Manager with Chinook Book: With a smart, fun aesthetic, Chinook Book has become a beloved consumer media brand promoting sustainable communities and shopping local. The parent company, Celilo Group Media, is seeking a dynamic individual to fill the role of Community Outreach Manager in its Minneapolis office. The Community Outreach Manager develops and manages key relationships with local schools, non-profit organizations and merchants to successfully implement advertising and circulation sales and promotions. Would friends and co-workers describe you as motivated, organized and creative? If so, this position may be for you. Learn more and apply >>
Director of Environmental Projects with Minnesota Environmental Initiative: The director of environmental projects is a senior management-level position with a primary responsibility for designing and managing stakeholder dialogue projects at MEI. Specific responsibilities in 2011 are likely to include: leadership of dialogue projects focused on air quality and on agriculture and water quality; work on MEI events related to environmental policy and business sustainability; design and development of new dialogue projects. The director of environmental projects will work closely with MEI’s executive director, senior manager of development and communication, chief financial officer, senior director of strategic project planning, project managers and project associates. The position reports to MEI’s executive director, and is responsible for directly supervising multiple project staff. Learn more and apply >>
Program and Administrative Assistant with Energy CENTS Coalition: The Energy CENTS Coalition has worked to ensure affordable and continuous utility service for low income Minnesotans for over 20 years. We develop policy proposals, provide legislative and regulatory advocacy, design energy programs and offer energy services. We strive to gain fair treatment from utilities, legal protections from government and adequate resources from both to keep people’s homes warm and lights on. Learn more and apply >>
Where do you look for work in the clean energy industries in Minnesota? Here are just a few places that we know of.
Submitted by Lissa Pawlisch on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 11:19am
Cleantech Openis inviting clean tech innovators to submit an application to enter the program and compete on a unique national platform for over $1 million in training, cash and start-up services for clean tech businesses. The application deadline is May 24, 2011.
Applications are being accepted in the following categories: air, water and waste; energy efficiency; renewables; smart power; green grid; storage; transportation and green building. Click here to learn more and apply.
Since the original 2006 launch in Silicon Valley, Cleantech Open has supported more than 470 cleantech companies and helped Alumni raise over $300 million in external capital. In 2010, the organization launched the program in the North Central region and all of the North Central finalist companies secured funding within 6 months of graduating from the program.
A free webinar providing information and assistance to potential applications will be held on Thursday, May 12. Click here to register for the webinar.
For a limited time only, Minnesota businesses and organizations have the opportunity to dramatically cut their water and energy use with simple, inexpensive upgrades.
This statewide Water Saving Bulk Buy Program is an effort of the Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) and Niagara Conservation. We’re encouraging businesses, schools, local governments, and anyone else with a spray valve to join in and save.
Through September 1st, 2011, you can sign up at http://splash.mncerts.org and take advantage of bulk-rate prices on efficiency upgrades to your pre-rinse spray valves and faucet aerators. If you can’t make changes yourself, pass this great opportunity along to people in your community and networks who can!
Pre-rinse spray valves are used to remove food before placing the dish in the dishwasher or sanitizer. The latest models of spray valves are designed to decrease the amount of water needed to achieve fast and easy cleaning, saving restaurants, schools, hospitals, churches, and organizations hundreds of dollars a year on their water and energy bills. Upgrading to a new model can cut water and energy by 57%, saving over $400 a year. This is a smart investment with a payback of 1-2 months.
Faucet aerators, also included in this bulk-buy program, are an even easier upgrade. Not only are they simple to install, but they only cost half a dollar each. The savings, however, are not small—the average Minnesotan can save 21,000 gallons and $180 per year for each aerator replaced!
“These are some of the fastest paybacks I’ve come across,” says Michelle Vigen, CERTs Campaign and Metrics Coordinator. “The new spray valves and aerators are a great and easy way to keep your energy and water costs down. CERTs and Niagara Conservation are excited to offer the new efficient spray valves and aerators at such a deep discount.”
Through September 1st, participants can purchase spray valves and faucet aerators at a special discount rate, 60% off on spray valves and 75% off on faucet aerators.
To learn more about the Minnesota Water Saving Bulk Buy and take action, visit http://splash.mncerts.org and take a look at the resources we’ve put together.
Submitted by Joel Haskard on Fri, 04/29/2011 - 11:12am
We recently updated our statewide map of solar and small wind installers and dealers (based on the updated list compiled by the Office of Energy Security)… Wow, take a look at all the little suns on the map across the state! This got us thinking of the entrepreneurial energy that continues to build in the solar energy sector (both photovoltaic and thermal) here in Minnesota. Below are some of the recent projects, resources and highlights that have come across our desk in recent months.
Minnesota Renewable Energy Society is spearheading an innovative program, Make Mine Solar H2O, to help residents in the Metro area take advantage of current rebates as well as participate in a bulk purchase program to install solar thermal hot water systems; interested residents in greater Minnesota can connect with manufactures via CERTs here
Silicon Energy is building a manufacturing plant in Mountain Iron. Learn more here
TenKSolar, another photovoltaic manufacturing company based in Bloomington, Minnesota, presented at the recent CERT conference. See their presentation here
RREAL, a solar thermal air heat manufacture based in Pine River, Minnesota, presented at the recent CERT conference. See their presentation here
Solar Skies, a solar thermal hot water manufacture based in Alexandria, Minnesota, presented at the recent CERT conference. See their presentation here
Austin, Owatonna, and Rochester now offer their customers rebates for installing solar thermal hot water systems (as well as PV rebates). See Austin’s rebates here
CERTs has been doing a series of webinars with ERM, the group that provides their expertise to the schools involved in Minnesota Schools Conserving Energy and Water (formerly Minnesota Schools Cutting Carbon). The webinar is designed for building operators and school administration to look more closely at best practices and lessons learned at schools. It delves deeply into the technical side of operations, with a keen eye toward financial payback and rates of return.
Submitted by Joel Haskard on Fri, 04/08/2011 - 1:34pm
Friday, April 8, 2011, Duluth, MN – Duluth spends $200 million a year on energy costs, with $80 million of that in the residential sector, primarily to heat homes. How can people add to their home’s comfort while saving substantially on their energy bills? People gathering at the Central Hillside Community Center for the Northeast Clean Energy Resource Teams (NE CERT) on April 7th learned about the Duluth Energy Efficiency Program (DEEP), a one-stop model to implement energy efficiency measures.
To see and learn more about the current opportunities, please view a recent WDIO TV segment by Renee Passal highlighting this meeting and the DEEP rebates:
DEEP is a comprehensive, citywide program that helps Duluth homeowners save money, conserve energy, and lessen their impact on the environment. It offers systematic and sensible steps for whole-house energy efficiency, including air sealing, insulation, heating, appliances, lighting, safety and more. In addition, DEEP connects residents to financial assistance available for home energy improvements.
“There are 36,000 households in Duluth, and around 50% of them were built before 1930,” says Dean Talbott, DEEP Program Manager. “This means there is substantial opportunities to improve energy efficiency and increase the comfort levels in these homes.”
“DEEP has leveraged a lot of resources and partnerships to create a really innovative program,” says Joel Haskard, Clean Energy Resource Teams Co-Director. “If households are financially eligible, they hook them up with the Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency for weatherization. DEEP works with Minnesota Power so people can see fill out and see their Home Energy Report (see http://bit.ly/gtJePt). They connect them with federal, state and utility incentives , help schedule the energy audits, and schedule access to trained contractors. DEEP really makes energy efficiency easy.”
During the meeting, Mr. Talbott stressed that additional rebates were currently available for all income levels, up to $2150 for single family homes covering 25-35% of the contractor installed cost; add $500 per unit up to a maximum of $3,650 for a 4 unit property.
People at the meeting touched on how difficult it can be to remove as many barriers as possible to implement energy efficiency and still run into homeowner apathy. Michelle Vigen, CERTs Campaign and Metrics Coordinator, talked about behavioral change models. “DEEP is doing a great job with making the program easy to access and understand, and they have knocked on 22,000 doors with residents as part of the Green Energy Canvass with partners Community Action Duluth, Minnesota Power and Comfort Systems. This kind of ‘social norming,’ where everyone is getting familiar and comfortable with a program, is a key ingredient for that program’s success.”
In addition to the working with homeowners, DEEP is dedicated to building training and jobs in the clean energy sector. They have connected interested building contractors to Building Performance Institute (BPI) training at Fond Du Lac Tribal & Community College (see http://bit.ly/i8aJBX) and have a lending library with tools like infra-red camera to model for contractors interested in getting into the industry. Beyond that, DEEP is willing to provide some of the written materials they have created for their program to other cities and communities interested in starting a similar program.
To learn more about the Duluth Energy Efficiency Program (DEEP), visit:http://duluthenergy.org.
Submitted by Dan Thiede on Thu, 04/07/2011 - 4:52pm
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is now accepting applications for organizations interested in participating as a host site for the 2011-2012 year of the Minnesota GreenCorps program.
Minnesota GreenCorps is an environmentally-focused AmeriCorps program, coordinated by the MPCA, which places AmeriCorps members with organizations around the state to spend a year of service addressing critical environmental issues, while gaining experience and learning valuable job skills.
Applications from eligible organizations interested in hosting Minnesota GreenCorps members are due by 5:00 pm on May 5, 2011. Host site application packets are only available by emailing your request to mngreencorps.pca@state.mn.us.
Amanda Bilek, Energy Policy Specialist at Great Plains Institute, presented an overview of the biogas industry nationally and in Minnesota. It may come as no surprise to folks in the New Ulm area that Germany leads Europe in biogas production. In the U.S., Wisconsin leads in farm-based anaerobic digestion projects, followed by New York, Pennsylvania, and California, according to Bilek.
Jake Fischer, Clean Energy Program Manager at The Minnesota Project, presented the example of Haubenschild Farm’s Dairy methane digester, which has 850 dairy cows in production plus 100 in dry lot. “The plug-flow digester has been extremely efficient,” stated Fischer. 
David Schmidt, Assistant Extension Engineer, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering at the University of Minnesota, presented the case of Jer-Lindy Farms dairy digester, which has 135 milking cows and uses an Andigen digester. 
Faucet aerators, also included in this bulk-buy program, are an even easier upgrade. Not only are they simple to install, but they only cost half a dollar each. The savings, however, are not small—the average Minnesotan can save 21,000 gallons and $180 per year for each aerator replaced! 
“There are 36,000 households in Duluth, and around 50% of them were built before 1930,” says Dean Talbott, 
People at the meeting touched on how difficult it can be to remove as many barriers as possible to implement energy efficiency and still run into homeowner apathy. Michelle Vigen, 
Clean Energy Resource Teams