In the News
Though power grid held steady during cold, Minnesotans brace for natural gas price surge
February 24, 2021 Park Rapids Enterprise Matthew Guerry ST. PAUL — The electrical grid in Minnesota largely withstood the punishingly cold weather that enveloped the state in recent weeks, unlike the grid in Texas, where winter storms last week caused widespread blackouts. But the surge in natural gas demands, both for heat and for power,…
Could Minnesota suffer a Texas-size energy grid failure?
February18, 2021 Sahan Journal Andrew Hazzard The massive power outages in Texas from extreme cold are unlikely to occur in Minnesota, but parts of the state have been hit by rolling blackouts due to high demand on energy grids. Controlled blackouts hit Moorhead this week, leaving residents without power for bouts lasting about 30 minutes,…
Group pushes for more solar and storage in Minnesota resource plan
February 18, 2021 PV Magazine William Driscoll Minnesota’s Xcel Energy could save consumers money by accelerating its plans to build 3.5 GW of utility-scale PV, and allowing for 2.6 GW of distributed solar and 1.3 GW of distributed storage, according to a resource plan developed by Vibrant Clean Energy (VCE) and filed with state regulators…
How Does a Utility Turn a Net-Zero Vision into Reality? That’s What They’re Arguing About in Minnesota
February 17, 2021 Inside Climate News Dan Gearino In the national debate over the role of natural gas power in the energy transition, some of the key players are digging in for a battle in Minnesota. The state is the home of Xcel Energy, the first large U.S. utility to commit to reaching net-zero emissions,…
State regulators fine Xcel Energy $1M over dispute with solar developers
January 21, 2021 Star Tribune Mike Hughlett All Energy Solar filed complaints over delays connecting smaller projects to the electricity grid. Minnesota utility regulators Thursday slapped Xcel Energy with a rare $1 million fine for a bevy of complaints over delays in connecting solar projects to the electricity grid. Almost all of the roughly 120…