The collaborative effort works to make action on climate mitigation, resilience, and sustainability the norm for every community. — By Gail Nosek, Communications Director, Great Plains Institute Great Plains Institute (GPI) will now manage the national Sustainable States Network, which is working to make action on climate mitigation, resilience, and sustainability the norm for every community. The network connects efforts across 12 states to allow members to share resources…

Get more comfortable, save money, and improve the environment by increasing your home energy efficiency. By Connie Volcke, Executive Assistant, Great Plains Institute Improving the energy efficiency of your home is a win-win-win. It makes your living space more comfortable, saves you money, and is good for the environment. Leading…

Cities find out how much money they can save by switching their fleet vehicles to electric models. — By Joe Cella, Great Plains Institute’s Minnesota GreenCorps member Stakeholder groups working to increase electric vehicle (EV) adoption often highlight the money you can save by driving an EV over the lifetime of the vehicle as one of several benefits of switching to an EV. Many studies support this finding…

By Jennifer Christensen, Managing Editor & Senior Writer, Great Plains Institute From podcasts to the latest analysis, you can check out what we’re reading, listening to, and watching in this regular series ( view previous GPI staff picks). Podcast | The Interchange: energy conversations from GTM, “Solar & Wind Curtailment…

By Dane McFarlane, Director of Research, and Matt Prorok, Senior Policy Manager, Great Plains Institute GPI recently released a white paper analyzing the economics of direct current fast charging (DCFC) as part of our work with the Midcontinent Transportation Electrification Collaborative (MTEC). DCFC stations are critical for widespread adoption of…

Reaching long-term emissions reduction targets requires faster, increased deployment of the very low-carbon and carbon-free resources that are available today. — By Franz Litz, Program Consultant, Great Plains Institute A number of states have set 100-percent clean energy standards or targets for their electricity sectors, with many others openly considering such a goal. In its recently released A Road Map to Decarbonization in the Midcontinent: Electricity Sector, the Midcontinent Power Sector…

By Gail Nosek, Communications Director, Great Plains Institute The American Automobile Association ( AAA) expects 100 million Americans and more than 50 percent of families to pack up the car for a road trip this summer ( even more than last year ). In Minnesota, the popular trip ‘Up North’…

By Brendan Jordan, Vice President, Transportation & Fuels, Great Plains Institute Minnesota’s emerging electric vehicle (EV) industry is at an important pivot point. After years of effort by many people and organizations, the conditions are right for growth in EV adoption with the numerous economic and clean air benefits that…

By Jessi Wyatt, Energy Planner and Analyst, Great Plains Institute The City of St. Louis Park in Minnesota passed an ambitious Climate Action Plan in 2018 which documented the city’s goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040. Within the plan, the city also details a goal to achieve 100 percent…