Renewable energy in Minnesota receives a battery boost with Connexus project
Click here to read the full article in the Star Tribune.
Economic and Social Justice in Minneapolis’ Energy Transition
Frank Jossi’s recent article “Does Minneapolis plan rely too much on renewable energy credits?” discusses ways in which a transition to renewables could provide the city with economic and social justice benefits, mentioning ETL director Ellen Anderson’s work on community solar and inclusive financing. Click here to read the story on the Energy News Network.
IonE Director Jessica Hellman experiences the German Energiewende Firsthand
IonE director Jessica Hellman recently returned from the 2018 Berlin Seminar on Energy Policy. The seminar, facilitated by Sabine Engel, IonE director of international partnerships, brought a delegation of Minnesotans to Germany to learn about the country’s transition to renewable energy. To read more about Jessica’s experiences with the seminar, click here.
ETL Director Ellen Anderson and other IonE Fellows Receive LCCMR Funding
Five IonE fellows, including ETL director Ellen Anderson, were recently awarded funding from the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) to work on sustainability initiatives. The $550,000 grant that Ellen received will go towards a project on community-scale energy storage for renewable energy. To read more about this project and the other IonE fellows’ LCCMR funded initiatives, click here.
Frontiers in Thermal Energy Storage
Join the University of Minnesota Energy Transition Lab and Fresh Energy on Thursday, June 12, for thought-provoking presentations by Professor Jane Davidson of UMN and special guest Charles Forsberg of MIT, to be followed by a lively conversation! Presentation details below.
Nuclear + Renewables in a Deeply Decarbonized Grid
Presentation by Dr. Charles Forsberg
Professor Forsberg’s slides
One of the biggest challenges nuclear power faces for the long term is very low market prices caused in part by the rapid expansion of fuel-free wind and solar. What if instead of competing with low-priced renewables, nuclear power’s role was to complement them—storing its output as thermal energy when market prices are low, and ramping up quickly when the sun goes down or winds fall off? Can nuclear energy be an important part of the puzzle in a deeply decarbonized multi-state electricity market?
Charles Forsberg, professor in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a UofM chemical engineering graduate, thinks so.
Can Thermal Energy Storage Contribute to an Efficient, Highly Renewable Grid?
Presentation by Dr. Jane Davidson
Is thermal energy storage (TES) a scalable solution to temporal mismatches in energy production and demand? Can TES be integrated in thermal power plants, including nuclear, to provide greater flexibility in plant operation to support the expansion of solar and wind? What breakthroughs in materials and systems are needed to make grid level TES viable?
Jane Davidson, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Solar Energy Lab, will discuss UMN research on these questions.
Thursday, July 12, 2018, 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Room 1-142, Carlson School of Management
321 19th Avenue South, West Bank UMN Minneapolis Campus, 55455
(1 block from West Bank Green Line Station; parking available at 19th Ave. ramp)
Light refreshments will be available. This event is free and open to the public.
ETL studying on-bill inclusive financing for efficiency projects
ETL will be researching on-bill inclusive financing for energy efficiency projects. Click here to read more about the financing model from the Energy News Network.
Ellen Anderson Receives Critical Collaborator Award
Click here to see the winners of the 2018 Environmental Initiative Awards, including ETL director Ellen Anderson who received the Critical Collaborator award.
Minnesota’s renewable energy revolution
Click here to listen to the full story featuring ETL director Ellen Anderson on MPR News.
Energy storage has much to offer, and now is our chance to tap it
Click here to read the full article written by ETL Director Ellen Anderson and Alli Gold Roberts in the Star Tribune.
Advocate Tribune: Conservative MN counties benefit from clean energy
Click here to read the full article from the Advocate Tribune.
