Eight projects in the west central part of Minnesota have been awarded seed grants from Minnesota’s Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) to support renewable energy initiatives. These grants are intended to assist underserved communities with high energy burdens. Each of the seven regions in Minnesota will receive $43,000 to distribute among the selected projects. The final selection of grant recipients is made by local resident panels known as CERT regional steering committees.
Joel Haskard, CERTs co-director, stated that these seed grants will help support community-identified initiatives, create job and training opportunities, and engage communities in achieving their clean energy goals.
The CERTs seed grant program was established in 2006 and has provided nearly $2 million in funding for 509 projects. In 2024 alone, 45 programs across the state received funding.
In the west central Minnesota region, the projects that received grants include:
– City of Morris: $5,000 to explore the feasibility, adoption, and performance of heat pumps in cold climate zones. This project aims to improve understanding of decarbonizing thermal loads in municipal and residential buildings.
– City of St. Cloud: $5,000 to translate materials into Somali and Spanish to promote awareness of green hydrogen at the St. Cloud Recovery Facility.
– City of Willmar Parks and Recreation: $3,500 to replace gas-powered equipment on sports fields and install LED light scoreboards. This will reduce energy costs and eliminate localized pollution and noise.
– Neighbors United Resource Center Food Shelf: $2,800 to make energy efficiency upgrades in order to allocate more funds to serve the community, reduce the building’s carbon footprint, and create a more welcoming and inclusive environment for shoppers.
– River of Life Lutheran Church: $3,400 to install LED lighting in the Friends Building, which houses various community programs.
– Slipstream Group Inc.: $5,000 to develop a curriculum for contractors and weatherization staff on manufactured home structures, heating systems, ductwork, and building science principles.
– Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership: $8,300 to conduct feasibility assessments and estimate costs for converting heating and water heating systems to heat pumps in three multifamily residential properties.
– United Community Action Partnership: $10,000 to provide energy-saving ideas, install low-cost energy-saving products, update appliances with energy-efficient options, and perform energy audits.
To learn more about other qualifying programs across Minnesota, visit the CERTs website.
