May 21, 2019 / Star Tribune By Mike Hughlett Xcel Energy plans to close two more coal-fired power plants several years early and exit coal generation in Minnesota by 2030, while at the same time extending the life of its Monticello nuclear plant by another decade to 2040. The Minneapolis-based utility said Monday it also…

April 22, 2019 / SW News Media By Meghan Davy Sandvold Learn about rooftop solar for homeowners at a solar garden party from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, April 28, at St. Luke Presbyterian Church in Minnetonka. Experts will explore energy efficiency, community solar gardens as an option that doesn’t require panel installation, and ways to…

April 11, 2019 / Duluth News Tribune By Annie Levenson-Falk A couple of opinion pieces published in the News Tribune in recent weeks incorrectly called into question the reliability and affordability of clean energy in Minnesota. A “Statewide View” column headlined, “Minnesotans ought to be concerned by state’s sweeping energy transformation,” was published March 26;…

April 9, 2019 / Duluth News Tribune By Katya Gordon I appreciated the concern expressed in the March 29 letter about transforming to renewable energy (Reader’s View: “100 percent renewables not possible”). The letter decried a my-way-or-the-highway approach to energy, and I completely agreed. All decisions must be made with shared values and in civil…

March 14, 2019 / Utility Dive By Herman K. Trabish U.S. installed solar capacity grew by about a third from 2015 through 2018, but solar policy actions grew by over 50%, according to two recent reports. In particular, there has been increased policy action in two critical areas: developing more equitable solar compensation and establishing growing community…

March 14, 2019 / Albert Lea Tribune Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce has announced the speaker for its annual agriculture lunch and Farm Family of the Year recognition. The event is scheduled for noon March 19 in the  Fairlane Building at the Freeborn County Fairgrounds. Following the presentation of the Farm Family of the Year…

January 11, 2019 / Utility Dive By Peter Maloney Dive Brief: The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on Tuesday issued an order that keeps the state in the forefront of the movement away from traditional cost-of-service rate making and toward performance-based rates. The PUC’s order, the culmination of a process that began in September 2017, establishes the…

December 14, 2018 / MPR News By Dan Kraker Minnesota’s electric utilities will be required to file detailed plans next year on how they will help increase electric vehicle adoption in the state, according to a unanimous decision Thursday by the Public Utilities Commission. Those plans, to be filed by June 30, 2019, must include…

November 14, 2018 / MPR News By Elizabeth Dunbar This week alone, the Citizens Utility Board of Minnesota will help utility customers in a variety of settings: at Target headquarters, at the Minnesota Farmers Union convention and at Bruce Vento Elementary School in St. Paul during parent-teacher conferences. “We really try to go where people…

November 8, 2018 / Minnesota Daily By Emma Dill Following public criticism, the University of Minnesota will stay in the Conservation Improvement Program. Amid public criticism from environmental groups and the City of Minneapolis, the University of Minnesota will remain in a statewide energy efficiency program. On Wednesday, the University withdrew a petition that would…