Getting to Green: Minnesota's energy future

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Minnesota officials have set an ambitious goal for the state to be carbon-neutral by 2050.

Getting there will require generating our electricity from clean sources such as wind and solar, and electrifying vehicles, homes, office buildings, factories and farms that currently rely on fossil fuels.

Getting to Green: Minnesota’s energy future is a MPR News series digging deep into stories of the clean energy transition — and the opportunities and obstacles to reach that milestone.

Have a question or story idea? Let us know with this form.

Minnesota e-bike rebates: 7 questions, answered
The Minnesota Department of Revenue will accept up to 10,000 rebate applications and review them on a first-come, first-served basis. The site, though, crashed Wednesday morning after it launched. Officials say they’re working on a fix.
St. Paul schools turn towards geothermal energy as Minnesota‘s climate shifts
School years in Minnesota can be hot and muggy on either end and freezing in the middle. A high school on the east side of St. Paul wrapped up its first year with a new heating and cooling system to combat climate change that draws energy from the ground.
Lawmakers pass reforms to cut red tape for clean energy projects
Clean energy developers and utilities have complained that the state’s permitting process is a roadblock to getting new wind and solar projects and transmission lines built. Now, reforms to streamline the projects and power lines Minnesota needs as it shifts to clean energy are in place.
New online tool allows for close-up look into Minnesota’s changing climate future
University of Minnesota researchers are launching a new online tool today that allows people to visualize how a future climate will look and feel, down to a 2.5 mile scale. The goal is to help engineers, farmers and others better plan for a climate-changed future.
Why wonky building codes could be key in reducing state’s climate impact
Building codes set minimum safety requirements for how new homes should be designed and constructed. But they can also be an important behind-the-scenes tool to fight climate change.
Report finds Minnesota outpacing the country in carbon-free electricity
For the fourth straight year, Minnesota produced more than half its electricity from carbon-free sources in 2023, helping lead to a 10 percent annual drop in greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector, according to a new report.
Xcel Energy hopes charging more for electricity during peak hours will encourage customers to shift energy use
Utilities are turning to so-called “time-of-use” rates to encourage customers to shift some of their energy use away from periods of high demand, when producing and delivering energy is more expensive and often, more polluting.
Climate solution or pipe dream? Carbon capture and coal power plants
An electric cooperative that serves customers in Minnesota and North Dakota wants to build one of the worlds largest carbon capture facilities. Skeptics doubt Project Tundra will work, but the Biden administration has thrown its support behind the nearly $2 billion project.