This website houses the schedule and agendas for upcoming meetings, and post-meeting documentation for the project: “Energy Grid Optimization: Understanding the benefits and concerns of electrification in Minnesota.”
Project Goal:
Examine the possible benefits and concerns of using electrification as a tool for grid optimization in Minnesota, informed by in-depth research, stakeholder engagement, and the development of an action plan.
Actions:
We will examine use of electrification as a tool for increasing energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions, maximizing grid optimization, and developing recommendations for policy makers, regulatory agencies, and utilities.
To achieve this, a series of stakeholder meetings will be held in 2020 to educate stakeholders and facilitate discussion on electrification regulation and policy, technologies, performance metrics, and grid modernization benefits. We will form a smaller Technical Advisory Committee working group, to meet four times during this process and work through some of the specific technical issues on the topic.
Based on the outcomes of this stakeholder engagement, the project team will develop an action plan detailing whether and how Minnesota can most effectively leverage electrification.
Funding:
This work is funded by a State Energy Program competitive grant award from the U.S. Department of Energy. Minnesota was one of 16 states to receive the competitive grant award, which is funding $5 million in projects, nationwide. The SEP competitive awards are intended to advance innovative approaches for local clean energy development that will reduce energy bills for American families and businesses, protect the environment by reducing carbon emissions, and increase our nation’s energy security. Read more on the awards.
Project Partners:
The Minnesota Department of Commerce Division of Energy Resources has partnered with Michaels Energy on this project, with some stakeholder engagement support from the Environmental Initiative. For questions about the project contact:
Carl Samuelson, Michaels Energy: 612.418.5496 or cwsamuelson@michaelsenergy.com
Anthony Fryer, Minnesota Department of Commerce: 651.539.1858 or anthony.fryer@state.mn.us