Clean Energy Stories

As part of our initiative to highlight the importance and impact of energy policies on Minnesotan communities, Fresh Energy is connecting with everyday families and businesses to learn their clean energy stories. Below is a collection of these stories.

Connect with us! Are you the proud owner of an electric vehicle? Have you made changes in your home to embrace clean energy? Please email us to share your story: info@fresh-energy.org.


A slam dunk for Crookston. Learn how local organizations and community leaders in Crookston are collaborating for energy efficiency upgrades, clean energy and heating projects, and more.


Osprey Wilds deepens commitment to sustainability with new solar farm. This Environmental Learning Center near Sandstone, MN, recently added a solar farm to offset its energy needs—learn how the nonprofit, electric utility, and solar developer worked together to make it a reality!


The historic James J. Hill Carriage House gets a heat pump. Historic buildings and clean heating technology are a match made in heaven, and this house a block off Summit Avenue is proof.


Going all electric in a cold-weather climate. Learn from Fresh Energy’s own Jo Olson about how she converted her home in South Minneapolis home to run entirely on electricity, no fossil fuels required.


Electric road trip: 5 tips for Minnesota EV owners. Hear from Fresh Energy’s Brynn Kirsling about how to road trip across Minnesota as an EV owner, with some great tips on charging along the way.


Here comes the sun: Solar at Richfield Public Schools. Learn how this Minnesotan school secured financing and incentives to install 1.15 megawatts of solar across five buildings, powering a fifth of the district’s total electricity needs.


Case Study: Oregon’s planet- and pollinator-friendly solar site. Learn how solar energy systems and pollinator-friendly wildflowers and grasses can provide low-cost, clean electricity, improve soil and water quality, and support pollinators.


Gusties on the Go: Mobilizing clean energy and climate action in southern Minnesota. How is the Gusties on the Go program at Gustavus Adolphus College driving clean energy and climate action in southern Minnesota?


Now powered by solar, Erik’s Bike Shop coasts forward n clean energy—and e-bikes. Across the Midwest, no other purveyor of bicycles is as well-known as Erik’s—how did the company’s journey unfold, and where does solar fit in?


Grounds worker stands atop a green lawn mower in front of a white house on a sunny summer day

Diamond Cut Lawn Care pioneers on-the-go solar-powered lawn equipment. When Adam St. Pierre inherited a lawn care company from a high school friend, he couldn’t have known solar-powered lawn care was in his future.


Hot Off the Presses: Owners of Kerkhoven Banner See the Light. The Kerkhoven Banner is one of the only newspapers in Minnesota that can say it’s powered by solar energy. We think it’s front page news!


MiEnergy Cooperative is building an all-electric, efficient future. A Southeastern Minnesota-based electric cooperative takes energy efficiency and electric transportation seriously. See what financial incentives they’re offering their member-owners.


Aryanna and Elena head to D.C. in an EV. A pair of 5th graders set off to our nation’s capitol in an electric vehicle with the help of their dads. Their goal? Encourage policymakers to take action on climate change.


Carlos and Maria save with solar energy. Learn how this rural Minnesota couple saved money by signing up for a community solar garden near their home in Cold Spring.


Deciding what to drive and when to charge: David and Louise share their story. Charging an electric vehicle during off-peak times can really pay off. Learn how David and Louise made it happen.


70 something-year-old couple take a 4,600-mile road trip in their Tesla. Driving cross-country in an electric vehicle? Is it really possible? Yes! See how one retired couple did it.


Villa del Sol under construction

Villa del Sol embraces energy efficiency. A local Saint Paul, Minnesota affordable housing developer upped their energy efficiency game, saving thousands for their tenants in the process.


Lori springs for a used electric vehicle. After her fossil gas-powered car of 15 years finally sputtered out, Lori Greene bought a used electric Leaf to get around town. See how she did it.


Don and Pat say “yes!” to clean energy. Don and Pat take climate advocacy seriously. Looking to make some impactful changes in their life,  they turned to clean energy. How’d they do it?


Michael finally gets an electric vehicle: why was it so hard? Buying an electric vehicle shouldn’t be a hassle. Why did our executive director have such a hard time?


The Schempps take on clean energy. The Schempps are a family of four living in their cozy West Saint Paul home. Excited about climate advocacy, they decided to embrace clean energy.