Transportation Blog Posts
Bringing you news about clean energy projects and opportunities happening across the state. Tell your story.
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Dan Thiede
Tue, 05/15/2012 - 9:24am
CERTs is pleased to announce that next Monday, May 21st we will open a request for proposals (RFP) for technical assistance to catalyze community energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. So stay tuned for that announcement, or sign up for email updates so that you don’t miss it.
Each region has $10,000 to award. Each team’s Steering Committee will make its own selections and project funding levels will vary by region. Projects can apply for up to the full $10,000 in their region, but historically regions have funded multiple projects in each region. See more information below about previously funded projects.
We awarded grants in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2012. The amount varies depending on the year and the project.
All projects
This map includes all projects ever funded by CERTs, color-coded by the year the award was...
Dan Thiede
Tue, 05/15/2012 - 8:04am
Before your calendar starts filling up for February 2013, we want to make sure you mark off February 20-21, 2013 (a Wednesday and Thursday) so that you can join us for the fifth biennial Clean Energy Resource Teams statewide conference!
What can you expect? We can’t tell you exactly what the agenda will look like, but we do know that the event will be an exploration and celebration of successful energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, and that it will be a coming together of hundreds of amazing people who are working to create a clean energy future in their communities and beyond. After the conference you will return home and to work with tangible and practical information for planning projects, as well as great connections to help you move forward and continue collaborating....
Joel Haskard
Tue, 04/17/2012 - 1:29pm
There has been a lot of attention recently focusing on electric vehicles (EVs) like the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf (see recent blog posts here and here), but what about other modes of electrified transportation? We caught up with Melissa Wenzel to hear about her experiences with electric bikes and scooters.
Joel Haskard: You own both an electric bike and an electric scooter. Can you tell us their make, model and year?
Melissa Wenzel: Sure. My bike is eZee Liv, purchased August 2011. My electric scooter is an eZip, purchased in 2010.
Joel: Why both a bike and a scooter?
Melissa: I initially bought the scooter as an afterthought ($500) in case my bike broke down or because I was having elective surgery...
Laura Cina with MRES
Tue, 04/10/2012 - 1:19pm
What is a Solar Boat Regatta, you ask? At the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society (MRES) Solar Boat Regatta teams demonstrate knowledge of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to design and build boats powered by the sun. They compete in a number of races, culminating with a one-hour endurance race! This year’s event is taking place on May 19th, 2012 from 10am to 4pm at the beach house at Lake Phalen in St. Paul. The Solar Boat Regatta is looking for teams and volunteers (and of course people who just want to come watch)!
This event has given hundreds of junior and senior high school students valuable and unique experience with solar electricity, wiring, motors, fluid dynamics, boat design, construction, and teamwork. By racing the solar powered boat that they have built, students experience the thrill of...
Michelle Vigen
Fri, 03/30/2012 - 12:19pm
A great article by the Rocky Mountain Institute, a Colorado-based independent, entrepreneurial, nonprofit think-and-do tank, summarizes some of the innovations at the South by Southwest Interactive event. I’ve mentioned “gamification” before, but his article really brings some concepts home and offers a great example of how gamification can be applied to transportation.
First, they acknowledge the challenge of behavior change:
Most people say they care about saving energy—for either financial or environmental reasons,” said Yoav Lurie, founder of Simple Energy. “But, like in weight loss, smoking cessation, and personal finance, caring is often an...
Robert Moffitt
Wed, 03/21/2012 - 3:39pm
Among the shiny new cars and trucks on display at the recent 2012 Twin Cities Auto Show at the Minneapolis Convention Center was a new exhibit, the Biodiesel Green Room.
Sponsored by the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council and staffed by Minnesota soybean farmers, MEG Corp and the American Lung Association in Minnesota’s Clean Air Choice program, the Biodiesel Green Room featured 16 “green vehicles” from various automakers, including two clean diesel vehicles.
Auto Show attendees learned more about Minnesota’s first-in-the-nation biodiesel requirement, how B5 biodiesel is helping to clean our air (the emissions equivalent of removing 55,000 vehicles from MN roads every year), and how much cleaner today’s diesel engines and fuels are, compared to those used in the past. You can watch a story on the Biodiesel Green...
Joel Haskard
Mon, 03/19/2012 - 9:47pm
Drive Electric Minnesota is a partnership of local and state government, our largest utility, private business and nonprofit entities working in collaboration to bring electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in charging infrastructure to Minnesota. We spoke with Fran Crotty at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to learn more.
Joel Haskard: Tell us a little bit about Drive Electric Minnesota.
Fran Crotty: Through the Drive Electric Minnesota partnership we have been able to get our state ‘EV Ready’ through the installation of EV charging stations and the procurement of electric vehicles by public fleets. We have also been able to provide public education about EVs through events, media coverage, and our web page.
For example, the City of Saint Paul has 14 charging stations installed in public ramps....
Dan Thiede
Fri, 03/16/2012 - 10:32pm
Original Star Tribune story by Rochelle Olson.
Witness the harnessing of the mighty power of the sun at St. Paul’s Como Park. The city is set to fire up two solar-powered electric car charging stations at Como Lake and the nearby McMurray Fields. The official opening is expected within a couple of weeks.
The sites are the latest in St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman’s unfurling of the welcome mat for green energy, electric vehicles in particular. Several downtown city ramps have charging stations, as does the city-owned ramp at the Spruce Tree Center on the corner of University and Snelling avenues. Como, however, has the only solar-powered chargers so far…
St. Paul used a portion of $2.8 million in federal stimulus for the solar stations. They cost $35,000 apiece, but get one-time rebates from Xcel Energy of $4,200 each. Each station...
Dan Thiede
Thu, 02/09/2012 - 11:51am
An innovative education program centered on renewable energy and conservation is helping students in Northeastern Minnesota re-imagine our energy future—creating a model that can be used across the state.
Established as a pilot program in 2008, Energy Explosion dispels the myth that science education is boring, through a variety of activities specifically designed to get students involved and excited about the material. Some of these activities include student volunteers playing musical instruments such as an electric guitar with an amp and an electric keyboard powered by a photovoltaic (PV) solar array, a biodiesel generator, a small 400 Watt wind turbine, and an energy bike powered by one of their peers.
Energy Explosion classes take place both at the Nature Center and in the schools, by making use of a mobile energy education trailer named Electron.
“The mobility piece was a...
Joel Haskard
Tue, 01/24/2012 - 5:26pm
As we kick off 2012, we are excited to announce the projects awarded CERTs seed grants in each of the seven Minnesota CERTs regions. Each region awarded $10,000 worth of seed grants, catalyzing energy efficiency and renewable energy projects across the state. The funding is provided by the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources.
There were 27 seed grants awarded in total, across a broad spectrum of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. Many projects also include components of education, outreach and community building, and research. Read on for all of the details! Thanks to everyone who submitted a proposal. To learn more about past funded projects, our CERTs-Supported Projects page.
Download a PDF with all projects >>...
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