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Learn about technologies and projects that can work
for you and your community!
There are many different ways to get started and stay in the loop—whether you’re looking for information about a particular technology or about planning projects for your community, we have you covered. You can also browse our publications to find case studies, reports, and presentations that delve deeper into project models and specific issues. And our blog will help you stay current on what’s happening across the state in the clean energy realm.
Recent Blog Posts
Matt Kazinka - LEDC
Fri, 02/03/2012 - 4:33pm
For restaurant owners like Lorenzo Ariza, energy costs can make the difference between profit and loss any given month. “Every time I looked at my expenses, I wondered how I could reduce them,” says...
Abby Finis
Fri, 01/27/2012 - 11:08am
Construction workers from Raymond, Willmar and the surrounding area have benefited from steady work provided through a partnership with the Heartland Community Action Agency. Using money from the American Recovery...
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...
Featured Case Study
Planning your own projects?
The success of any clean energy project depends on how you plan and utilize community, organizational, and financial resources. This is a place for you and your community members to learn from what others have done and strategize about how to accomplish your own clean energy project goals. Learn more
CERTs Supported Projects
CERTs awards mini-grants to community groups for energy efficiency and clean energy projects across Minnesota. We awarded grants in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010. The average amount is $5,000. We have descriptions and maps of all of the projects that we’ve funded. Check them out to see what folks are doing! See projects
Clean Energy Superheroes
Bob the Builder and Quinnzillion (known to their friends and coworkers as Bob McLean and Quinn Swanson) are movers and shakers at the Hunt Utilities Group and Happy Dancing Turtle in Pine River, MN. Watch more heroes
Learning about technologies?
If you’re looking to learn more about a specific technology, like energy efficiency, solar, or wind, we have what you’re looking for. Our technology resources include everything from basic introductions and frequently asked questions to CERTs case studies to recent reports and organizations that can help you go deeper. Learn more
CERTs Documentary
CERTs is about to release a new documentary, ENERGIZED: Communities Building Minnesota’s Clean Energy Future. It’s is about the sparkplugs behind clean energy projects happening across the state, and the growing movement to determine our clean energy future that these communities are a part of. Learn more
Check out our Glossary
There are a lot of terms out there in the energy world that merit explanation, especially to someone who is new to energy in general, or to a specific field or technology. We’ve done our best, with assistance from the Minnesota Department of Commerce, to provide helpful definitions for terms you run into on the CERTs website. Learn more
Recent Project Case Studies
This program was designed to combat the two key shortcoming of existing energy efficiency programming. They are: (1) the low level of implementation of energy-saving actions (found in both residential audits and strictly educational programs) and (2) the low number of participants in most conservation programs. To address poor implementation, the home...
Plenty of us have imagined the ideal sustainable community: Greenhouses attached to every house, growing your own fruits and vegetables, knowing our neighbors, and being able to take a short walk to shops and entertainment. Hunt Utilities Group (HUG) in Pine River, MN is trying to make the idea of resilient living a reality with a number of research...
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 residents of the Midwest know, the growing season is painfully short. When it’s twenty below, what else can you do besides go to the supermarket and buy tomatoes shipped from thousands of miles away? Whitewater Farms in Altura, Minnesota has found a solution. The farm, owned and operated by Sandy and Lonny Dietz, contains a geothermal greenhouse...
It’s difficult to get teenagers to clean their room, much less take on a project, but that’s just what the students at Northfield School of Arts and Technology (ARTech) did. ARTech is a charter school in Northfield, Minnesota, comprised of talented students in grades 6-12. The first time the school received a grant from the SE CERTs, it was for an...
Clean Energy Resource Teams