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Teaming Up for Clean Energy

Author
DIANA McKEOWN
Metro CERTs Network Coordinator
What is CERTs? No, it's not a breath mint! It is a resource for communities across Minnesota who would like to plan and implement local energy projects. CERTs (Clean Energy Resource Teams) was launched in 2003 with the mission of connecting people to the technical resources needed to identify and implement community-scale energy efficiency and clean energy projects. CERTs is made up of community members from across the state who have developed a bold vision for Minnesota's energy future: one that can be reached through

Energy Transition

Author
PHILIPP MUESSIG
Twin Cities Energy Transition Working Group
Huge energy price increases. Tight oil supplies. Climate change. Energy conservation. Major investments in renewable energy.

To many people, it looks like the world is in the midst of an energy transition. What is driving this transition, where are we going, and what can we do?

This energy transition is driven by three seemingly unstoppable trends:

Society's desire to prevent extreme climate change-burning fewer fossil fuels and developing more renewable energy sources.

Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

The Energy Bulletin, energybulletin.net

Climate Crisis Coalition, climatecrisiscoalition.org

Read Up!

Twin Cities Peak Oil Resource Guide, by Twin Cities Energy Transition Working Group, thenec.org.

Peak Everything: Waking Up to the Century of Declines, by  Richard Heinberg, New Society Publishers, 2007.

The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience, by Rob Hopkins, Green Books Ltd., 2008.

Act Locally!

Fresh Energy
St. Paul, MN
651-225-0878
fresh-energy.org            

The Neighborhood Energy Connection
St. Paul, MN
651-221-4462
thenec.org

How Do Fuel Cells Work?

Author
Mark Snyder
Twin Cities Green Guide

In recent years, you may have seen news items about fuel cells and the coming “hydrogen economy” and wondered what exactly is a fuel cell? A fuel cell is a form of a reactor where we can create electricity through an electrochemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen. The only by-products of a hydrogen-fueled fuel cell are pure water (H2O) and heat.

Footnotes/Endnotes

Resources:

Buying Green Power

Author
Mark Snyder
Twin Cities Green Guide

Footnotes/Endnotes

Resources:

The Coming of the Solar Age & Clean Energy

Author
Carl Nelson
Director of Community Energy, Green Institute
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Footnotes/Endnotes

Resources

On the Web

Reading

  • Beyond Oil, by Kenneth S. Deffeyes 2005.
  • The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling, by Daniel D. Chiras 2002.

Act Locally

Visualizing the Future: Hydrogen Economy

Author
Corey Brinkema
e4 Partners, Inc.

What if hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe, could power everything from automobiles and trucks to homes and office buildings with little or no toxic or greenhouse gas emissions? Welcome to the dream of the "hydrogen economy."

Does it seem like fantasy? For now, perhaps. But with many sharp minds focused on the science and some carefully directed private and public investment, this fantasy could become part of our everyday lives.

Footnotes/Endnotes

Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Investor

DOE - Hydrogen Topics

ME3 - Fuel Cells Resources

 


Powering the Future: The Ballard Fuel Cell and the Race to Change the World, Tom Koppel, 1999

Tomorrow's Energy: Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and the Prospects for a Cleaner Planet, Peter Hoffman, 2001

Invest in a Cleaner, Healthier Future: Upgrading Your Home's Energy Efficiency

Author
John F. Neville
The SEA Group

If you have the resources and are going to stay in your home for a while, you may want to invest some time and money in upgrading your home to improve its energy efficiency. Over time, investments in energy conservation return big dividends in reduced costs and improved indoor living; such changes may pay for themselves in energy savings alone.

Footnotes/Endnotes

DOE - Building Topics

Solar Energy


Homemade Money: How to Save Energy and Dollars in Your Home, Richard Heede, 1995


Minnesota Department of Commerce - Energy Division
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Suite 500
St. Paul, MN 651-296-5175
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