June 17, 2020 Star Tribune Mike Hughlett and Brooks Johnson Xcel Energy to tackle $3B worth of projects earlier than planned; Minnesota Power will spend $40M on new solar arrays. Xcel Energy would accelerate nearly $3 billion in spending, particularly on large renewable-energy projects, in response to calls from state utility regulators to jolt Minnesota’s…
09Mar
Schools and Renewable energy: A Smart Combination
Published March 9, 2020 Solar energy is becoming a popular investment for Minnesota cities and counties. With the great opportunity to utilize school rooftops, fields and parking lots, some schools have installed solar, and others are showing interest in investing in renewable energy. For schools, solar can provide potential cost savings, offer a learning experience…
18Oct
Xcel Energy working on Integrated Resource Plan
October 17, 2019 Mankato, Minnesota (KEYC) Holly Bernstein Xcel Energy is currently working on an Integrated Resource Plan, which determines how it will provide electricity to its customers for the next 15 years. For consumers, the plan maps out the source of their home electricity and how much energy comes from coal, gas, wind and solar power….
03Oct
Make your voice heard: Cleaner, cheaper electricity for Xcel customers
If you follow this blog, you know that Xcel is in the midst of its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), the map of where Xcel will get its electricity from for the next 15 years. If you’re an Xcel customer, you care about clean energy, and/or you don’t want to be charged millions too much on…
06Sep
Keeping our eye on Integrated Resource Planning
It’s been two months since Xcel Energy submitted its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). Over the last 60 days, CUB and several other parties have had a chance to give the plan a good once (twice, three times) over. The plan brings to light, once again, the amazing transition Minnesota’s…
03Jun
Financing Home Energy Improvements
There are a lot of demands on a homeowner’s budget: mortgage, insurance, property taxes, and maintenance. Inevitably some improvements needed or desired are going to come up. How can/should energy efficiency improvements fit into the budget? A smart investment in energy efficiency will save your household money in the long run and can also increase…