What we mean by Clean, Local, Equitable, Affordable and Reliable energy.
Minneapolis Energy Options seeks to advance a clean, affordable, reliable, and local energy future. Many people have contacted us seeking clarification on various aspects of these goals and whether we support specific approaches and technologies. While the full scope of our energy future and all of the practices and technologies that may be a part our desired energy trajectory over the next 20 years are hard to define for sure, our campaign stands for:
Less than 1% of the energy used in Minneapolis comes from clean sources within the city. We have an opportunity to tap native resources like sun, geothermal, or biogas to reduce the environmental impact of our energy use and keep more of our energy dollars local.
Local ownership of our energy system can significantly increase local jobs and dollars in our city’s economy, but it’s not part of the plan of our investor-owned utilities. We can work to have more local control of our energy future and keep more of our energy dollars and decisions at home.
Low-income residents are spending a disproportionate amount of their incomes on energy costs, forcing folks to make trade-offs between keeping the lights on or buying other essentials like adequate groceries, medication, and clothing. Often these are the households who have least access to the financing, credit, and home ownership to lower their energy bills through energy efficiency and clean energy additions. We can prioritize investment in community solar and programs that lower barriers to credit and financing for renters and low-income residents.
Minneapolis gets energy from two investor-owned utilities who have a charter to serve their shareholders, and the cost of this energy is increasing. The city has a shared interest with its citizens and businesses in reducing energy consumption and costs, and can help us cut our energy bills.
Maintaining reliable and safe energy will take two major shifts:
- A proactive effort to upgrade and maintain electrical and natural gas distribution networks
- Development of smart grid technologies and a distributed approach to energy generation that will make the grid more responsive and reliable.
Read about the 10 key energy solutions Community Power is pushing the Clean Energy Partnership to prioritize in their work plan.