The scoop on CERTs impact in 2025

November and December are the most exciting months of the year for me as the evaluation coordinator at CERTs. 

It’s the season where we crunch numbers and get a holistic look at what we accomplished over the year. In a lot of ways, this year looked like last year — we saw solar installed across Minnesota, we hosted 70+ events and reached over 300 communities across the state. But in other ways, 2025 looked different.  

Air source heat pumps were in the spotlight in 2025.

From local governments to small businesses to residents, CERTs supported communities in more efficiently heating and cooling their spaces. I expect heat pumps will continue to be important in 2026 through our work as part of the Air Source Heat Pump Uptake Working Group as well as our updated air source heat pump resources that will be available later in 2026.

The multi-stage nature of our work shows up through our work with schools as well.

In 2025, we worked directly with 20 school districts interested in solar energy. However, we reported new solar installations in 67 schools in nearly 40 districts and two universities collectively generating over 11 million kWh annually.

CERTs’ technical assistance of supporting schools with their funding applications and Requests for Proposal development often takes place years before the panels hit the roof. 

Deep engagement by community members takes CERTs work to the next level. This year, I got the chance to work with Aaron Hanson, Energy Program Specialist at the Institute on the Environment. He is a thoughtful contributor to our work on large-scale solar siting, as well as the coordinator for our two amazing interns who provided extra capacity to our energy burden work this summer. 

When I started working on the annual report, I saw his name appear again. Aaron is one of the first certified members our Community Energy Ambassadors program. His project involved successfully leading his hometown of Lindstrom to apply for a Solar on Public Buildings grant — a key focus area of CERTs this past year. Leaders like Aaron, who weave their way through our work, allow CERTs to do what we do. 

As Aaron shares, “While I have enjoyed working with CERTs in my professional role on research projects and education programs, working with their Community Energy Ambassadors program and technical assistance staff is what gave me the confidence to approach my local community. In January 2026, the City of Lindstrom was awarded grants from the State of Minnesota for solar installations on two city-owned buildings.”