Last month, Ecolibrium3 had the privilege of hosting a delegation of National Laboratory researchers from across the country as part of the Energy to Communities Project. Researchers from the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), Argonne National Laboratory, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory spent almost a full week embedded with Eco3 staff, touring facilities, meeting local partners, and deepening their understanding of the region’s unique energy landscape.
Energy to Communities is a program administered by the NLR that provides communities with direct technical assistance for developing and implementing complex, integrated energy systems projects. Ecolibrium3 is proud to serve as the regional lead for this initiative, connecting the expertise of the national lab network with the people and industries of Northeast Minnesota.
For this research to be meaningful, context matters. A nuanced understanding of the region’s assets, workforce, and environment strengthens the validity of any technical analysis. We cultivated their understanding through multiple forms of engagement, including site tours.
Our first stop was the Heliene solar panel manufacturing facility in Mountain Iron, on the Iron Range. Heliene is one of the few solar module manufacturers operating in the United States, making it a remarkable regional asset for domestic clean energy production. Researchers had the opportunity to tour the production floor and learn firsthand how solar panels are manufactured in Minnesota and deployed around the nation.
Next, we traveled to Minnesota Power’s Boswell Energy Center in Cohasset for a comprehensive tour made possible by the generous hospitality of Minnesota Power employees. The visit gave researchers a sense of the scale and complexity involved in thermal power generation. As the team examines the integrated energy systems of this region, seeing the expertise, infrastructure, and workforce required was invaluable.
We rounded out the week with a tour of Duluth Energy Systems, operated by Ever-Green Energy. Duluth Energy Systems runs the city’s district energy network, delivering steam and hot water to buildings throughout downtown Duluth. District energy systems like this one represent an often-overlooked but highly efficient approach to decarbonizing building heat at scale–making it a particularly relevant stop for researchers studying integrated community energy solutions
We are grateful to the teams at Heliene, Minnesota Power, and Ever Green Energy for opening their doors and sharing their work. Visits like this one remind us why place-based partnerships are extremely important to encourage thoughtful, impactful change. We look forward to continuing this collaboration as the Energy to Communities Project moves forward.