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MN Dept. of Commerce
Wed, 05/08/2013 - 10:37am
The following is a sample of new energy-related funding opportunities being promoted by the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources.
RFP for Conservation Applied Research and Development Grant Program – Seeks proposals from organizations or individuals interested in applied research and development projects that serve to accelerate the development and adoption of new energy efficient technologies and strategies in Minnesota. The information obtained from this effort is intended to inform electric and natural gas utility Conservation Improvement Program (CIP) development and state energy policy.
Eligibility: Individuals, public or private entities actively involved in electricity and natural gas efficiency program implementation or research and development
Topic: Conservation...
Jenna Lewein
Tue, 04/30/2013 - 3:20pm
The Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL) on the Hunt Utilities Group Research campus in Pine River, Minnesota, has been working to address energy poverty for over a decade. It runs a statewide Solar Assistance program that is supported by RREAL’s solar installation and design services in an effort to make renewable energy accessible to everyone.
To address energy poverty, RREAL has partnered its Solar Assistance program with nine Minnesota Community Action Agencies to help low-income residents to reduce their energy bills. The Solar Assistance program provides homeowners with solar powered furnaces (SPFs) that can be attached to the sides of eligible houses to give residents a source of heat that saves them from the high cost of conventional fuels. RREAL follows the same guidelines as Federal Assistance (LIHEAP) when assessing a household’s need...
Joel Haskard
Mon, 04/22/2013 - 11:28am
The US Department of Agriculture announced their Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grant application recently. These grants can pay for up to 25% of the eligible costs of a renewable energy project. This is a great opportunity to take advantage of funding and implement your renewable energy and/or energy efficiency projects in the Minnesota. The deadline is now May 31, 2013.
What’s available? USDA Rural Development has recently been made aware of access to additional funding for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) which will increase the 2013 funding from approximately $20 million to $60 million.
What are the deadlines? The application deadline for the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Improvement (REEI) and Feasibility Study grants has been extended from April 30, 2013 to May 31, 2013 to facilitate the spending of these additional funds. The application...
Joel Haskard
Wed, 04/10/2013 - 12:19pm
Folks who attended the last session of the CERTs 2013 Conference gave themselves a unique challenge.
The Process: Dividing themselves into seven separate rooms according to their region of Minnesota, participants worked together for an intensive hour and a half to identify around five energy efficiency or renewable energy projects in their region that could potentially be implemented by the next CERTs Conference in February 2015.
The Projects: CERTs supports clean energy projects—energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy projects—that are in the public sphere (not policy). With this in mind, participants came up with a wide range of projects. Some of the ideas were broad and needed additional definition, others were fairly specific. Below are several examples from each region!
What’s Next? CERTs staff, steering...
Alexis Troschinetz
Wed, 04/10/2013 - 12:18pm
Announcements, Announcements! Requests for Proposals (RFPs) are available for two interesting opportunities for clean energy service providers!
Deadline: The deadline for submitting both proposals is April 22, 2013.
Opportunity #1: Professional Engineering Services for Development of Standardized Tables Characterizing Residential Solar Installations RFP
The Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources is requesting proposals for technical services from qualified, licensed individuals or firms to complete a structural engineering analysis of residential rooftop solar energy systems to be placed on existing single and multiple family dwelling structures in Minnesota and to develop standard tables with the appropriate live and dead loads in accordance with the 2007 Minnesota Building Code. This project is intended to benefit existing residential dwellings where the...
Alexis Troschinetz
Tue, 02/12/2013 - 3:44pm
Over 25 attendees joined Northeast Clean Energy Resource Teams (NE CERT) on a cold and blustery October 25th to learn about renewable energy, energy efficiency, and local food projects on the North Shore. The tour included visits at the Finland Community Center, the Finland Fire Hall, Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, and Victus Farm of Silver Bay’s Eco-Industrial Park.
Meeting attendees learned from inspiring clean energy leaders in their community about local projects featuring solar electric, solar thermal water, geothermal, biomass, wind, lighting, energy efficiency improvements, as well as a self-contained food and energy generating ecosystem.
The Finland Community Center is a brand new, multi-use facility for community events and rental in the Northern Lake County area. The building...
Dan Thiede
Wed, 02/06/2013 - 7:06pm
At the CERTs 2013 Conference, a half day of in-depth workshops and an evening reception on February 20th, 2013 will be followed by a full day of sessions, networking time, and exhibits on the 21st.
With the conference less than three weeks away, we’re excited to share with you the full agenda for both days of the conference, complete with workshop and session descriptions and speaker names. If you were wondering what the conference holds in store for you, it doesn’t get much more clear than this!
See all of the details below…
Pre-Conference Workshops & Reception
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
11:00AM-12:00PM
Registration, Networking & Exhibitor Time (Terry Haws Hall C)
12:00-1:00PM
Lunch, Networking & Exhibitor Time (Terry Haws Hall C)
1:00-5:00PM
Your...
Dan Thiede
Wed, 01/30/2013 - 8:59pm
There are already 300 people registered for the CERTs 2013 Conference, with many more joining each day. We hope you’ll choose to come, too—but we know you want to find out what you’ll get out of the program!
The CERTs Conference is two days—February 20-21, 2013. It’s taking place at the River’s Edge Convention Center in St. Cloud, MN. You can see the full agenda here, but we wanted to take this moment to tell you more about the pre-conference Workshops on Wednesday the 20th.
Solar: Taking Your Project from Dream to Reality – Join solar professionals, Minnesotans with installed projects, and peers to talk about real, concrete steps toward moving your solar project forward. There will be opportunities to discuss your project with a variety of solar professionals. To prepare, feel free to...
Diana McKeown
Wed, 01/16/2013 - 7:34pm
The GreenStep Cities program begins 2013 by announcing the 50th city to join the program.
At the end of December, the Maple Grove City Council approved a resolution for the city to take part in this voluntary program of the League of Minnesota Cities and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), among others.
“Since the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program was officially launched in June 2010, cities from all over the state and of varying sizes have decided to take advantage of the free assistance program,” said Philipp Muessig, GreenStep Cities Coordinator, MPCA.
Minnesota GreenStep Cities is a voluntary challenge, assistance and recognition program to help cities achieve their sustainability and quality-of-life goals. This free...
Lissa Pawlisch
Thu, 01/10/2013 - 9:23pm
The 5th Statewide CERTs Conference – Community-Driven Clean Energy – is coming up on February 20-21, 2013 in Saint Cloud, and more than ever before it will be focused on conversations and action.
You should return home with connections, project ideas, and even collaborators who live and work in your part of the state. The conference will culminate in Regional Sessions that allow you to do just that ( see how they fit into the full agenda ). Because it’s the first time we’ve done something like this, we wanted to fill you in more about exactly what the Regional Sessions hold in store.
What are the goals of the Regional Sessions?
The ultimate goal of the CERTs Conference Regional Sessions is to identify five energy efficiency or renewable energy projects that can be...
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