As Minnesota moves from centralized coal plants to cleaner distributed energy resources like wind and solar, the flow of electricity on the grid is no longer going in just one direction. We need to modernize the rules that govern our electric system to ensure new clean energy can come online.
Clean Electricity
Into the weeds on rural wind, solar fees
For several years, rural Minnesota families and businesses have been dealing with uncertainty surrounding their solar and wind investments. Now, after years of discussion, the Public Utilities Commission is set to make a decision on fees charged by electric cooperatives by the end of 2017.
Hosting capacity: how a more transparent grid can clean things up
Fresh Energy is working to simplify the way small systems connect to the grid by first making the whole process a lot more transparent.
Solar sites serve up the Tesla of honey
Solar is blooming in Minnesota—and as ground-mounted solar sites spring up around the state, most include an important feature: pollinator habitat. Beekeepers are jumping on the opportunity.
Time of use electricity pricing: good for bringing even more wind online
In a previous post, we argued time-of-use pricing will boost wind development by increasing demand for electricity during times of high wind generation. In this post, we walk through a simplified electricity market to show how this works.
How are other states expanding access to solar?
Fresh Energy led development of the overarching Minnesota law that requires utilities to develop community solar programs. The policy we shaped and drove was rooted in lessons learned from other states. As Minnesota takes the next steps to shape a community solar offering specifically for low-income households and communities, Fresh Energy is going through the same process.
