Minnesota

Xcel Energy is making a first-of-its-kind proposal to build out a battery storage network across Minnesota, optimizing the state’s energy grid and helping the company meet the growing electricity needs of the communities it serves. Under its Capacity*Connect proposal, Xcel Energy on October 6 said it will install up to 200 MW of battery storage […]

A California-based renewable energy group said a Minnesota solar-plus-storage project is being supported by state regulators. Primergy on September 4 said its Northern Crescent Solar + Storage installation has unanimous approval from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) for a site permit.

The Pine Bend refinery in Minnesota added a 45-MW solar power array to support the facility’s supply of electricity, reaping the benefits of reduced costs, lower emissions, and more. Owners of commercial and

Several solar power equipment manufacturing companies are building factories in the U.S., with many of those groups saying the investments are due to passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and its incentives tied to domestic production. One of those companies is Heliene, a Canada-based solar power equipment maker. Heliene, which also makes solar panels […]

A battery manufacturing company with plenty of high-profile financial backing said it has picked a site for its first factory that will build “iron-air” batteries. Form Energy touts its technology as a breakthrough for long-duration storage of solar and wind power. Form, which counts Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, and British tycoon Richard […]

Alexandria, MN (October 5, 2022) – Allied Solar, a new joint venture between Greenwood Sustainable Infrastructure (GSI) and SolarGen today formally announced their plans to develop a 40-megawatt (MW) utility-scale solar park on approximately 200 acres of privately-owned land in Alexandria, Minnesota. The proposed project will provide clean, renewable energy to power at least 7,600 […]

Fridley, Minnesota (August 17, 2022) – Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) celebrated the grand opening of a new microgrid lab called the Power Integration Center (PIC) at their Power Systems facility in Fridley, Minnesota. The PIC is a state-of-the-art facility that allows for the configuration, integration, and testing of power system technologies including diesel and natural […]

Rosemount, Minn. (May 11, 2022) – Flint Hills Resources today announced it is moving ahead with building what is believed to be the largest solar installation of its kind in the country. The installation will help power the company’s Pine Bend refinery south of the Twin Cities in Rosemount, MN. The refinery supplies the majority […]

WILMONT, Minnesota (Dec. 16, 2020) – The Nobles 2 wind farm, a 250-megawatt (MW) facility in southwest Minnesota, is now fully operational. The wind farm achieved commercial operation on Dec. 12. “From Day One, local leaders, landowners and the community have been open and receptive to wind development. We are excited to have worked with […]

The largest coal-fired power plant in North Dakota is scheduled to close in 2022, with the Minnesota-based wholesale electric power cooperative that operates the facility saying the lost generation will be mostly replaced by wind power. Minnesota-based Great River Energy, which supplies electricity to the suburbs of Minneapolis and St. Paul, along with other parts […]

The Minnesota-based power cooperative that on May 7 said it would close a large Midwest coal-fired power plant also noted it has a contract with Form Energy, a Bill Gates-backed company that offers a long-duration energy storage solution, one that the group says could provide 150 hours of continuous power. Form Energy has been a […]

Community solar refers to local solar facilities shared by multiple subscribers who receive credit on their electricity bills for their share of the power produced. Community solar allows homeowners, renters

Construction of a $700 million natural gas-fired power plant near the Wisconsin-Minnesota border was authorized by Wisconsin regulators on Jan. 16, over the objections of environmental groups who have said the plant is not needed. Dairyland Power Cooperative and Minnesota Power would jointly own the 625-MW Nemadji Trail Energy Center, which on its current timeline […]

The LoggerMax offers comfort, protection and stability for long hours on the toughest terrain RED WING, Minn. (Nov. 21, 2019) — Red Wing Shoe Company, a leader in safety footwear, has expanded its LoggerMax Collection with five new models – 217, 219, 2216, 2217 and 2219, all of which were designed, developed and assembled in […]

OMAHA, Nebraska (November 5, 2019) – Independent energy company Tenaska closed $158 million in commercial financing today for the Nobles 2 wind project, which is under construction in Nobles County in southwest Minnesota. Tenaska has successfully developed approximately 10,500 megawatts (MW) of natural gas-fueled and renewable power projects. Including the Nobles 2 transaction, Tenaska has […]

FirstEnergy Solutions (FES), Xcel Energy, and Arizona Public Service (APS) will demonstrate hydrogen production at three nuclear plants they own starting in 2020 and 2021. The projects, selected as part of the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Nuclear Energy’s Advanced Reactor Development Project funding pathway, aim to improve long-term competitiveness of the nuclear sector […]

A group of project managers and engineers overcame a host of challenges to help an iconic Minnesota power plant complete its switch from coal-fired power to natural gas. Converting a coal-fired power plant to

20-year agreement for entire 200 MW capacity; Construction anticipated in 2021 JACKSON COUNTY, Minn., June 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Scout Clean Energy (“Scout”), is pleased to announce the completion of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (MMPA) for the purchase of 200 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy from the Three Waters Wind […]

Xcel Energy on May 20 announced it would close its two remaining coal plants in Minnesota over the next decade, and the utility said it also wants to operate its Monticello nuclear plant in the state until at least 2040. Xcel, which is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and serves electricity and natural gas customers in […]

Minnesota and Wisconsin recently joined the list of states aiming for a 100% clean-energy future, while some Illinois lawmakers are pushing for not only carbon-free power, but also 100% renewable energy. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) was the latest to announce a set of policy proposals designed to lead his state’s electricity sector to 100% […]

Utility-sponsored energy-efficiency programs have always seemed like a contradiction to me. Obviously, power companies make money by selling electricity, so encouraging customers to install energy-efficient

Xcel Energy said it will buy a natural gas-fired power plant in Minnesota from Southern Power, a subsidiary of Southern Co. The $650 million deal for the Mankato Energy Center puts Xcel in charge of a facility from which it has purchased power since the plant’s first unit came online in 2006. A second unit […]

A bill that would have provided more cost-recovery certainty for Xcel Energy’s two Minnesota nuclear plants didn’t get through the state House of Representatives prior to the legislative session ending on May 20, effectively killing the measure. The bill would have allowed Xcel to submit proposals to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) designating each […]

Following the lead of Illinois and New York, which have enacted policies supporting nuclear power plants, the Minnesota Legislature is weighing a bill that could help the owner of two nuclear facilities within its borders. Minnesota is home to the single-unit 671-MW Monticello nuclear plant and the dual-unit 1,100-MW Prairie Island plant (Figure 1). Xcel […]

Deployment of microturbine energy technology has been slow to develop, but analysts predict growth on the horizon as more businesses use the small units to power their facilities and reduce their carbon

Xcel Energy plans to add about 1,550 MW of wind power to its portfolio in the Upper Midwest with the addition of seven wind farms expected to be operational by year-end 2020. The additions are among 11 new wind farms announced over the past year by Xcel in seven states that would add a total […]

Bipartisan lawmakers in Minnesota want utilities in that state to procure 50% of power sold by 2030 from renewable sources. The measure, if passed, could put the state’s renewable efforts on par with California’s. The bipartisan bill introduced in the Minnesota Legislature on February 27 seeks to double the state’s renewable energy standard, which is […]

A bill signed by Minnesota’s Gov. Mark Dayton (D) on February 28 allows Xcel Energy to build a 786-MW combined cycle gas-fired power plant without approval from state regulators. The governor signed Chapter 5, House File 113, a bill that had bipartisan support of the state’s legislators, to allow the Minneapolis-based power company to move […]

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) voted unanimously to support Xcel Energy’s latest long-range plan, which will transform the company’s energy fleet. Xcel expects to more than double its renewable energy portfolio as a result, delivering greater than 60% carbon-free energy to its Upper Midwest (Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin) customers by […]

September 27, 2016 06:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time DULUTH, Minn. & SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Minnesota Power and Smart Wires announced today their partnership to deploy an innovative solution for optimizing the flow of power on the grid. Smart Wires is a leading provider of power flow control technology for transmission systems. “The Minnesota Power deployment represents […]