News
Clean Energy Project Builder, formerly REDI Resources, now includes solar and small wind companies! Learn more
Little Miss Sunshine and Watt Weenie help power the Twin Cities with solar
Tue, 2012-02-07 09:30 | by StaffRebecca Lundberg and Dan Williams, the owners and operators of Powerfully Green in Champlin, MN, fly by night as Little Miss Sunshine and Watt Weenie. They have been bringing renewable energy to Minnesota's Twin Cities and surrounding areas since 2007 by installing high-quality solar electric and thermal systems. Watch a Clean Energy Superhero video to learn more about their work!
Solar Suppliers Find Place in the Sun
Tue, 2011-11-15 14:15 | by StaffA new push is under way to shine more light on these solar suppliers in hopes of further building up the industry in Minnesota.
State economic development officials and renewable energy supporters have partnered this fall to take an inventory of the state’s solar supply chain. They launched a new website at the State Fair called the Clean Energy Project Builder, an online directory where companies can post their wind and solar capabilities. About 800 manufacturers recently received letters inviting them to register.
“We’re finding that there’s a few different sectors who can supply to the solar industry if they’re not already,” says Kari Howe, an economic development specialist with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
Click here to read the full article.
Dan Haugen, Finance & Commerce
Duluth port hits 1 millionth ton of wind turbines shipped
Tue, 2011-09-13 13:52 | by StaffDULUTH, Minn. - Almost unnoticed, Duluth passed a milestone this summer — surpassing the 1 million-freight-ton mark of wind turbine components shipped through the port.
Officials with the Duluth Seaway Port Authority and Minnesota Power will hold a media briefing today about the industry as the latest shipment of wind turbine components is unloaded at the Clure Public Marine Terminal. The BBC Jade arrived in Duluth early Thursday carrying nearly 4,000 freight tons of wind turbine components from Denmark bound for Minnesota Power’s Bison 1 Wind Energy Center in North Dakota...
Duluth handled the first shipments of turbine components in 2005. Since then, most of the components have been inbound from European suppliers for wind farm projects as far away as Montana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Wyoming and Ontario. But the port has also handled outbound components — turbine blades manufactured in North Dakota bound for Spain, Brazil and Chile.
Click here to read the full article.
Steve Kuchera, Duluth News Tribune
Clean Energy Project Builder unveiled at Minnesota State Fair
Thu, 2011-08-25 12:20 | by StaffThe newly redesigned Clean Energy Project Builder website is being unveiled over the next week and a half at the Minnesota State Fair!
We will have a kiosk where people can check out the website and learn more about the companies serving Minnesota's solar and wind industries. Come to the fair to visit with staff, volunteers, and other renewable energy enthusiasts!
You will find us inside the Eco Experience Building (also called the Progress Center) right in between the Solar and Wind areas. See you there!
Mortenson building its 100th wind project
Thu, 2011-06-09 09:25 | by StaffMortenson, which builds about a quarter of America's wind-energy projects, is underway on its 100th wind installation while also marking its 15th year in the alternative-energy construction business.
The Rolling Hills Wind Farm in southeastern Iowa also is one of the largest projects ever built in the United States. When completed in December, Rolling Hills will generate 444 megawatts -- enough to power about 130,000 homes. The project is being built for Iowa-based MidAmerican Energy of Des Moines.
Mortenson will erect 193 Siemens, 2.3-megawatt, 80-meter-high wind turbines and build access roads and other infrastructure.
Mortenson also is building two wind power projects in Canada and nine in the United States. In all, Mortenson expects to add 1,363 megawatts of clean electrical power to the U.S. power grid by year-end 2011 that can power the equivalent of 400,000 homes.
Click here to read the full article
Neal St. Anthony, Star Tribune
WINDPOWER 2011 Conference Approaching Next Week
Tue, 2011-05-17 16:03 | by StaffWINDPOWER 2011 Conference & Exhibition is the focal point for wind professionals to learn about wind issues, technology, and policy while networking with industry decision makers, and generating high-quality business leads. The event will be held May 22-25 in Anaheim, CA.
Organized by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the conference is a perfect blend of education, exhibition, and networking, offering unparalleled access to the wind industry for those serious about capitalizing on this growing market.
Learn more and register to attend at windpowerexpo.org!
Minnesota Wind Industry Ready to Capitalize on Key Tax Bill Provisions
Mon, 2010-12-20 17:26 | by StaffMon., December 20, 2010, St. Paul, MN – The tax bill that President Obama signed last Friday is very good news for Minnesota’s renewable energy industries. The bill includes a one-year extension of the U.S. Department of Treasury Section 1603 grant program. A minor provision in the overall tax bill, the renewable energy grant program has been the main driver for the strong growth of U.S. renewable energy in 2010—Minnesota included.
“Stable policies and incentives are critical to keep the renewable industry moving forward in not only Minnesota, but across the U.S. and in the global market, as well,” says Cheryl Glaeser, Program Officer at the Southwest Initiative Foundation.
The recent extension continues what began with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, when a 30 percent cash rebate became available to commercial developers of renewable energy systems in lieu of tax credits. The U.S. Department of Treasury Section 1603 grant program has supported thousands of jobs and thousands of megawatts of clean energy over the past two years. Many in the wind and solar industries believed that planned projects couldn’t be built without the program, because they wouldn’t have sufficient financial backing.
Click here to read the full story.
Dan Thiede, REDI Resources
Winds of change blow through clean energy sector in Minnesota
Tue, 2010-11-16 12:30 | by StaffSt. Paul, Minn. - Wind farm developers have proposed bigger and bigger projects over the past few years to feed a growing appetite for clean energy, but wind developer Paul White says the industry may need to take a cue from the restaurant industry when it faced the economic downturn.
Go with more 'bite-sized' projects that are easier to finance and swallow.
Federal tax credits for wind energy projects are due to start expiring at the end of this year, which means developers face the prospect of dishing up proposals for wind farms that can't be financed, said White, president of Project Resources Corp., a Minneapolis company that does 'community wind' development.
The answer, he and others in the community wind industry say, is to go smaller. Smaller projects, which are a hallmark of most community wind projects, are easier to finance and easier to connect to the power grid, they say.
Click here to read the full article.
Leslie Brooks Suzukamo, Pioneer Press
Wind industry catching its breath
Mon, 2010-11-15 08:38 | by StaffMinneapolis, Minn. - State mandates for renewable energy mean wind power is here to stay. And lower natural gas prices could even help.
The wind industry, despite a 2010 slowdown after several years of rapid growth, is not dying. It's growing through a fitful adolescence.
...Minnesota-based utilities such as Xcel Energy and Great River Energy are counting on the wind industry, conservation and other alternative sources to help them meet state mandates in the Midwest to generate up to 25 percent of their energy from renewables.
This is a big deal in Minnesota, which already produces nearly 10 percent of its electricity from wind, compared with about 2 percent nationally. Minnesota is one of 28 states that has adopted a standard of generating 25 percent of electricity from renewable resources by 2025.
Click here to read the full article.
Neal St. Anthony, Star Tribune
Minnesota researchers look to produce fertilizer from wind using eco-friendly system
Wed, 2010-06-09 13:31 | by StaffMORRIS, Minn. - The winds sweeping across the Northern Plains could soon help farmers fertilize their crops of corn, wheat and sorghum.
Minnesota researchers have designed a $3.75 million carbon-free system that uses wind power from a towering turbine to produce anhydrous ammonia, a common nitrogen-based fertilizer.
It's a perfect supply-and-demand match, as the region has no shortage of wind and U.S. farmers use millions of tons of fertilizer, said Michael Reese, director of the University of Minnesota Renewable Energy Center at Morris.
Click here to read the full article.
Dirk Lammers, Associated Press
