Environmental Initiative Awards celebrate the people and projects working in partnership at the nexus of a healthy environment, a prosperous economy, and an equitable society.

The 2020 recipients were announced, and the Clean Energy Resource Teams and our many partners are honored to receive both of the awards in the Energy and Climate category for the Solar Possible and Cities Charging Ahead! efforts!

2020 Energy & Climate Project Winner:

Solar Possible

Solar Possible is the first ever collaborative procurement process for solar on public buildings and lands in Minnesota aimed at overcoming clean energy barriers.

This effort was led by Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs), Great Plains Institute, and the State of Minnesota's Office of Enterprise Sustainability for a joint Request for Proposals (RFP) for behind the meter solar installations on public facilities utilizing a third-party Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) financing model. Through this process, CERTs and its partners have built a robust set of tools for local governments and schools to utilize for procuring solar.

2020 Energy & Climate Project Honorary Mention:

Cities Charging Ahead!

Cities Charging Ahead, a peer cohort of 27 cities and one sovereign nation led by the Great Plains Institute and Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs), worked to explore and implement electric vehicle (EV) readiness strategies, including purchasing EVs, and installing charging infrastructure, across Minnesota.

Participating cities received technical assistance focused on actions and best practices, based on the GreenStep Cities program, that accelerated the adoption of electric vehicles and improved air quality by replacing internal combustion vehicles with EVs. This project created a suite of resources designed to help other local governments to educate and engage community members about EVs.

CERTs | https://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org