Greetings!
Welcome to the February issue of the Energy Innovation Corridor e-Newsletter. Thank you for your continued interest in how we are partnering to develop a cleaner energy and transportation future for Minnesota. Questions or comments? Send us an e-mail. |
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Getting ready for electric vehicles | 
The City of Saint Paul and Drive Electric Minnesota recently unveiled the first of eight Ford Transit Connect plug-in all-electric vans to arrive in Minnesota. Approximately 100 interested stakeholders participated in the event, including Gov. Mark Dayton, Mayor Chris Coleman of Saint Paul and Mayor R.T. Rybak of Minneapolis. Purchase of the van was made possible with help from Xcel Energy's Chairman's Fund and a Department of Energy grant.
Drive Electric Minnesota is a partnership of local and state government, private business and nonprofit organizations working to bring electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in charging infrastructure to Minnesota. Partners in the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Hennepin County, Metropolitan Airport Commission, State of Minnesota and Xcel Energy are purchasing Ford Transit Connect vans through an Xcel Energy Chairman's Fund project announced in Sept. 2010. Partners will test and evaluate the vans' operational performance, with special consideration of Minnesota's extreme climate conditions.
Drive Electric Minnesota plans to install about 30 plug-in charging stations throughout the metro area in ramps, flat lots and on-street locations. Four to six of these publically available charging stations will be solar powered. Many of these plug-in charging stations will be located in the EIC. Stay tuned for site locations.
Didn't make it to the event? Check it out. YouTube - Xcel Energy (3:26) | Saint Paul (16:57) and Xcel Energy blog (Jan. 21) | Fresh Energy blog (Jan. 14 & 18). |
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Energy Efficiency Loans for Minneapolis Businesses | The City of Minneapolis' Energy Efficiency Business Loan Program has been  updated with new and improved loan terms, making the financing even more attractive for Minneapolis businesses.
Program highlights:
- Interest rate has been lowered to 0.5%
- 20% of the project costs can be claimed as a forgivable rebate (double the previous rebate amount)
- $75,000 maximum loan amount, up to 10-yr term.
Businesses can use the loan funds to finance lighting upgrades, HVAC equipment/controls, insulation, windows and doors, refrigeration equipment/controls, and more.
Central Corridor businesses in Minneapolis should act soon to take advantage of the program - the City expects the funds to go fast! For more information and to apply for a loan, contact Mark Opdahl at the Center for Energy and Environment, 612-335-5885. |
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LEED-certified Union Depot to anchor east end of EIC |
 Under the direction of the Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority, the 33-acre Union Depot site will be transformed into a state-of-the-art multimodal Midwest regional transit hub, bringing together rail, bus, motor vehicles, bicycle and pedestrian traffic. Major renovation work began in mid-January. The Union Depot project will vie for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification, utilizing some of the most innovative environmental and energy efficient techniques available. Minnesota-based Mortenson Construction is leading the work. Here's a small sampling of the energy savings that are planned for the Union Depot Interior daylighting improved by restoring historic windows and skylights. - Interior lighting controlled by daylight sensors
- Restoration of doors and windows and installation of storm windows to reduce air infiltration and improve ventilation performance
- Parking garage ventilation using carbon monoxide sensors for fan operation
- Ventilation using variable volume systems and high efficiency motors
Additionally, Ramsey County and the City of Saint Paul are coordinating efforts for the installation of two on-street and two ramp electric vehicle charging stations.  The Union Depot project brings welcomed jobs and economic stimulus to Saint Paul and the region, creating some 3,000 jobs for all companies involved in the project on-site and off-site. Over the two-year construction period, on-site trades jobs are estimated to be 1,200, totaling 750,000 work hours. The on-site workforce will peak at 300 and more than 95 percent of the on-site jobs are expected to be local tradespeople. Interested in more information? Check out: Union Depot and Drive Electric Minnesota.
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New, energy-efficient lighting installed at Hennepin County Government Center |  A project to install new, energy-efficient overhead lamps in offices and public spaces at the Hennepin County Government Center was completed in December. Hennepin County contracted with The Retrofit Companies to replace 21,658 lamps in the 29-story building.
Realizing the importance of energy-saving measures, Hennepin County dedicated more than $1 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to cover the cost of this and other projects to improve efficient lighting in County buildings. Xcel Energy encouraged the lighting retrofit by providing a rebate of $1 per lamp.
The lighting retrofit will save the County an estimated 475,000 kilowatt-hours of energy - about $55,000 in cost savings annually. The lighting retrofit project also retained about two full-time employees with The Retrofit Companies. |
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Improved lighting pays off for Minneapolis | | The City of Minneapolis received $2.2 million in federal stimulus funds for energy efficiency improvements on City-owned buildings. Some of these funds were used at the Currie Maintenance Facility (which maintains over 1,000 city vehicles and equipment) to upgrade lighting from HID to T8 fluorescent bulbs. After Xcel Energy's lighting rebates, the payback was only 10 months, plus the color more pleasing. Annual cost savings will be about $38,000. Learn more at MinneapolisRecovery. |
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Midwest's largest solar thermal array atop Saint Paul's RiverCentre |  Despite the record winter weather, it's been sunny in Saint Paul. With the assistance of a $1 Million Solar Cities Market Transformation grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, District Energy St. Paul has been constructing the Midwest's largest solar thermal project atop of the Saint Paul RiverCentre. Not only is it the largest installation in Minnesota, it's also the only hot water solar project in U.S. integrated with a district heating system with a Megawatt peak production capacity. The project is scheduled to be complete in March 2011. |
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Save money, energy... get your rebates | |
Customers can warm their homes with energy audits and rebates
Customers can explore a variety of money-saving CenterPoint Energy rebates to decide which are right for their home. Rebates are available for air sealing and insulation, high-efficiency heating systems and water heaters, and fireplaces with electronic ignition. Visit CenterPoint Energy.
Businesses can save on natural-gas bills with rebates
An energy-efficient furnace can earn you a cash rebate up to $250. Watch for products with the ENERGY STARŽ logo to ensure the appliance is energy efficient. Almost all heating system dealers in our natural gas service area have information forms for this rebate program. If yours doesn't, call Xcel Energy's Energy Efficiency Specialists at 1-800-481-4700 or send an e-mail for a brochure and rebate form, or visit Xcel Energy for more information on furnace and boiler rebates. Learn about lowering monthly bills and decreasing energy usage in Xcel Energy's Commercial Heating podcast. |
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Thanks for your continued interest and support of the Energy Innovation Corridor - Minnesota's showcase area - making energy-efficiency, renewable energy, smart technologies and transportation a reality.
Sincerely,
The Energy Innovation Corridor Communications Team | |
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| About
Energy Innovation Corridor | |
Located within one of the most unique urban communities in the country, the Energy Innovation Corridor was formed to create a sustainable energy and transportation showcase. The first-of-its-kind, this clean energy and transportation model extends along the 11-mile Central Corridor light rail transit project route, from downtown Saint Paul to Target Field in downtown Minneapolis, along Washington and University avenues, via the Minnesota State Capitol and entire University of Minnesota-Minneapolis campus. Visit our website.
Please forward this e-newletter to other interested parties and encourage them to join our mailing list! | |
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Seven Saint Paul parking ramps save city nearly $150,000 annually | |
For the last year, the City of Saint Paul has been tackling parking ramp lighting. Think this isn't interesting? Read on. So far, seven ramps along the EIC have had their old, inefficient lighting converted from high pressure sodium bulbs to more efficient fluorescent lamps. Recommendations were made by the Center for Energy and Environment's One-Stop Lighting program. Total project costs were $392,466, and were offset by EECBG funds of $112,939 and rebates from Xcel Energy of $143,236. The city picked up the remaining $136,291. Do the math - with projected annual savings of $149,865 - the city saved more than it spent in just one year. What a bright idea!
Check out the RiverCentre parking ramp project on the showcase. | |
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Achievements happen | |
The goal of the EIC is to achieve economic vitality through carbon avoidance. Within the EIC showcase area, partners measure electric and natural gas energy savings, renewable energy generated and consumed, electric vehicle impacts, car-sharing/bike-sharing programs as well as smart technologies that have been implemented. How have we done so far? Check out the EIC achievements. | |
| Welcome NEW partners! | |
We are thrilled to announce that Saint Paul Area, Minneapolis Regional and Midway Area Chambers of Commerce have joined forces with the EIC. Welcome EIC partners! | | |
| Focus the Nation Clean Energy Forum | |
Be a part of empowering a generation to power a nation. Register
for the Feb. 24 forum held at Augsburg College. Did you know that Augsburg is in the EIC? And, it uses 100% WindsourceŽ to power its campus? Learn more about how Augsburg is 'Going Green by 2019' and how you can get involved too! | | |
| Showcase alert | |
Be sure to check out the EIC showcase. Exciting new projects are added often! The EIC has it all: renewable energy, energy efficiency, transportation and smart technologies. | | |
| Interested in LRT progress? |  | |
Sign up with the Metropolitan Council for updates about the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit project construction. |
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