Past MRES Board Meetings

May Speaker Meeting

Location:
Ford Plant Training Center
966 South Mississippi River Boulevard
St. Paul, Minnesota 55116

Click here for a Map

Bio:

Eric Buchanan is a renewable energy scientist at the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) in Morris, MN. He has an aerospace engineering degree and has worked in the aerospace, automotive and medical device industries. Starting in 2010, he is responsible for the operation and optimization of the solar thermal systems installed at the administration building which are designed to supply domestic hot water, space heating and air conditioning. He will also be responsible for the evaluation and testing of other small scale renewable energy systems.

April Speaker Meeting

Schedule:
5:30 pm - Networking and Chipotle
6:00 pm - Expert guest speaker
7:00 pm - Board of Directors meeting

Location:
UAW-Ford-MnSCU Training Center
(at the Ford Plant)
966 South Mississippi River BoulevardSt. Paul, Minnesota 55116
Click here for a map

Cost: Open to the public, attendance is free ($5 for dinner and pop)

Bio:

Jason Edens is the founding Director of the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL).  Dedicated to  making solar energy accessible to people of all income levels, the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance has been delivering solar heat and solar electricity to the residential and commercial market since 2000.  Unique among the nonprofit community, RREAL is a solar thermal OEM and his pioneered the delivery of solar heat to low-income families on energy assistance as a lasting solution to fuel poverty.

With a history of environmental and social justice advocacy, Jason has an BS in Education from the University of Georgia, and MS in Environmental Studies Policy, and a contractor's license.   RREAL had its genesis in Jason's garage many years ago and has since evolved into a solar design-build and manufacturing firm.

March Speaker Meeting

Schedule:

5:30 pm - Networking and Chipotle
6:00 pm - Expert guest speaker
7:00 pm - Board of Directors meeting

Location:

Steve Kelley is a senior fellow at the Humphrey School and the director of the Center for Science, Technology, and Public Policy.

He served in the Minnesota Senate from January 1997 through December 2006 and the Minnesota House of Representatives from January 1993 through December 1996. He was chair of the Senate Education Committee for four years. He has also run for statewide office.

Before his legislative service, he was a public member of the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice from 1984 to 1992 and served one year as its president. Kelley has served on the boards of many other organizations, including the Sojourner Shelter (a secure residence for victims of domestic abuse), Physicians Health Plan, the Citizens League, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Foundation, and the Sierra Club North Star Chapter Executive Committee.

During his service as a legislator, Kelley served on the Executive Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and co-chaired its task force on the No Child Left Behind Act. He also chaired NCSL's committees dealing with information technology and telecommunications for two years. He was selected to participate in the Toll Fellows leadership program operated by the Council of State Governments. In the Senate he was the chief author of numerous bills, including the Adverse Health Events Reporting Act, legislation that led to the creation of the Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment, a bill promoting stem cell research, and education policy bills. He served on utility committees in the House and Senate and authored many bills related to telecommunications and information technology, including digital signatures, electronic real estate recording, broadband infrastructure and technology-enhanced education.

Aside from his public service, Kelley has been a lawyer practicing commercial litigation at the Minneapolis firm of Mackall, Crounse, and Moore since 1979.

Kelley received his B.A. from Williams College graduating cum laude in 1975 and later earned his J.D. from the Columbia University School of Law in 1978.

February Speaker Meeting

Schedule:

5:30 pm - Networking and Chipotle
6:00 pm - Expert guest speaker
7:00 pm - Board of Directors meeting

Location:

UAW-Ford-MnSCU Training Center
(at the Ford Plant)
966 South Mississippi River Boulevard
St. Paul, Minnesota 55116

Click here for a map

Speakers John Doll, Lynn Hinkle and Brad Hanson will talk about their experience in Edina working with committed citizen commissioners, city staff, city council members, bond financers, bond counsel, state entities, and owners to get this program and project in place.  Now the question is, how do we get to the scale necessary for clean energy growth that fuels our economy using PACE C&I?  Lynn and John will share their views on both near and mid- term steps needed to answer that question.

MRES has consistently provided events for leading edge discussions of clean energy policy and market development and February 9 presentation will be added to that list.

John Doll Biography
Former State Senator John Doll currently serves as an officer of the Minnesota Chapter of the Energy Services Coalition and on the Dakota/Scott County Workforce Investment Board Business Services committee. From 2007-2010, John represented Senate District 40 (Burnsville, Savage, Bloomington and Dakota, Hennepin and Scott counties) in the MN State Senate. During his senate tenure, he was Vice Chair of the Energy, Utilities, Technology and Communications committee; Health; Housing and Family Security committee; and the Transportation committee. He also served on the Legislative Commission on State and Local Government and the Legislative Energy Commission. He focused on streamlining government operations, effective public/private partnerships, and economic development through clean
energy initiatives. He made substantial contributions to the Renewable Energy Standard, the Urban Partnership Agreement, the Green Jobs Task Force, and Guaranteed Energy Savings Contracts. In 2010, he was the chief senate author of the legislation enabling cities and counties to enact local PACE programs. Over the past year and a half, John and Lynn Hinkle have worked across the state of Minnesota to advance PACE culminating establishment of a
commercial PACE program in the City of Edina in November, 2011.

Lynn Hinkle Biography
Lynn Hinkle is Policy Director for the Minnesota Solar Energy Industries Association (MnSEIA). Lynn helped lead the 2011 effort to secure Executive Order 11-12 to scale-up use of guaranteed energy savings retrofits for public buildings and remains an Executive Coordinator of the Energy Jobs Association to ensure its implementation. Lynn continues to lead efforts to implement the 2010 Minnesota Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) legislation including the Minnesota PACE Steering Team (Minnesota Commerce). In 2009, Lynn was responsible for passage of the Minnesota Renewable Energy Equipment Manufacturing Fund legislation. Lynn has developed and managed several commercial retrofit projects, such as Spruce Tree Center on University Avenue (St Paul,) that integrated LEED EB with a 37 kW solar array. Lynn cochaired Minnesota’s Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Task Force In 2007 and helped launch the Mayors’ Green Manufacturing Initiative at the same time. A union official with UAW Local 879 at Ford’s Twin Cities Assembly Plant from1986 to 2006, Lynn has continued to work for a clean-energy conversion of the Ford site.

Awards: Capitol Report’s 2011 Public Policy Achievement Award (Work with the Energy Jobs Initiative to secure Executive Order 11-12)

January Speaker Meeting

Schedule:

5:30 pm - Networking and Chipotle
6:00 pm - Expert guest speaker
7:00 pm - Board of Directors meeting

Location:

UAW-Ford-MnSCU Training Center
(at the Ford Plant)
966 South Mississippi River Boulevard
St. Paul, Minnesota 55116

Click here for a map

*The role of Public Utility Commissioners and how it is different from her former role as a State Senator.

*Drivers of change in the energy world that she has identified, including  aging and obsolete  infrastructure and the need for investment, shale gas, climate change,   EPA regulations and possible coal retirements, bringing renewables up to scale, FERC/state relationships, and the economy.

*Lessons learned from the recent Minnesota-Germany renewable energy policy exchange in which she participated.

Biography:
Ellen Anderson currently serves on the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.  She was appointed Commissioner and Chair by Governor Mark Dayton on March 28, 2011.  She is a member of the National Association Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC).  Her term expires on January 2, 2017.

Chair Anderson served in the Minnesota Senate from 1993–2011.  She chaired the Energy and Telecommunications Committee and Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources Finance Committee and authored numerous energy and consumer protection laws, including Renewable Energy Standard and Community Based Energy Development (CBED) laws.

Ellen has a B.A. degree from Carleton College and J.D. cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School.  She was an Adjunct faculty member at Metropolitan State University and University of Minnesota.

Chair Anderson has served in numerous leadership and community volunteer positions and received dozens of awards for her leadership in energy, environment, and other issues. 

Annual Meeting

Schedule:

5:30 pm - Networking and Chipotle
6:00 pm - Year in Review Presentation by Managing Director, Laura Cina
6:30 pm - International Committee Presentation

Location:

UAW-Ford-MnSCU Training Center
(at the Ford Plant)
966 South Mississippi River Boulevard
St. Paul, Minnesota 55116

Click here for a map

We'll also be hearing from MRES member Fran Crotty about the MRES International Committee's members' plans to travel to Kafanchan, Nigeria to install a solar array on a hospital as part of the MRES Light Up Africa Project. The solar modules will provide electricity to power efficient LED lights in the children’s ward at the hospital. Installation will occur over several days, allowing local people to be trained by the MRES volunteers on how to install a solar lighting system. It'll also be a great opportunity to reflect and wind down after another year of progress for MRES and it's supporters.

November Speaker Meeting

Schedule:

5:30 pm - Networking and Chipotle
6:00 pm - Expert guest speaker
7:00 pm - Board of Directors meeting

Location:

UAW-Ford-MnSCU Training Center
(at the Ford Plant)
966 South Mississippi River Boulevard
St. Paul, Minnesota 55116

Click here for a map

Bios:

For many years Rey and myself, Patrick Hyland, have seen the need for renewable energy.  We have explored many options for our business, but many times the options that were feasible were not very practical.  After doing much research on concentrated solar power it was obvious that for most applications it is the most practical and efficient way to collect solar energy.   However the availability of concentrated solar power was somewhere between very little and nonexistent.  Then we came across Solartron Energy Systems and they made a unit called the SolarBeam Concentrator that was not only efficient but affordable. Following much correspondents, being trained by the manufacturer, and having our own unit up and running for quite some time we can see that concentrated solar power is very efficient and reliable.  We look forward to informing the public on the SolarBeam Concentrator and helping them see what a great solar collector the SolarBeam Concentrator is, and the many advantages that concentrated solar power has over conventional solar collectors.

Work/Experience History

Rey Sepulveda has vast experience in diagnostic and repairs of industrial chillers and stationary power generators. Has worked for 20 years in the field of diagnostic and repair of complex control systems incorporating potentiometers, thermistors, temp/pressure switches, p.w.m solenoids, stepper motors, analog to digital converters, optical sensors, micro processors, etc.. Certifications include ASE Master Technician, MACS certified for handling refrigerant. Has been certified for fire guard and torch operator in New York State. Has 20 years of experience in welding including arc(stick), mig, gtaw(tig) aluminum, mag, ss, etc., oxy acetylene and plasma cutting processes. Has much experience in fabrication and general construction.

Patrick Hyland has 12 years of experience in industrial structural construction. Has coordinated and overseen multi-million dollar projects for wastepaper management operation. He has seven years plumbing experience some of which includes installing high-efficiency power vent boilers. Has had thousands of hours of experience operating heavy equipment i.e. bulldozer, pay loader, skid steer and back hoe etc. Has more than 5 years of sales and service experience. He currently is co-owner of Bruce Valley Garage.

October Speaker Meeting

Schedule:

5:30 pm - Networking and Chipotle
6:00 pm - Expert guest speaker
7:00 pm - Board of Directors meeting

Location:

UAW-Ford-MnSCU Training Center
(at the Ford Plant)
966 South Mississippi River Boulevard
St. Paul, Minnesota 55116

Click here for a map

Bio:

John Farrell directs the Energy Self-Reliant States and Communities program at ILSR and he focuses on energy policy developments that best expand the benefits of local ownership and dispersed generation of renewable energy.  His latest paper, Democratizing the Electricity System, describes how to blast the roadblocks to distributed renewable energy generation, and how such small-scale renewable energy projects are the key to the biggest strides in renewable energy development. 

Farrell also authored the landmark report Energy Self-Reliant States, which serves as the definitive energy atlas for the United States, detailing the state-by-state renewable electricity generation potential.  Farrell regularly provides discussion and analysis of distributed renewable energy policy on his blog, Energy Self-Reliant States (energyselfreliantstates.org), and articles are regularly syndicated on Grist, Renewable Energy World, and CleanTech.

John Farrell can also be found on Twitter @johnffarrell, or at jfarrell@ilsr.org.

September Speaker Meeting

Location:

UAW-Ford-MnSCU Training Center
(at the Ford Plant)
966 South Mississippi River Boulevard
St. Paul, Minnesota 55116

Click here for a map

Thor Bjork  Senior Analyst, Enterprise Customer Strategy, Xcel Energy

Thor is a Senior Analyst in Enterprise Customer Strategy at Xcel Energy. He works to identify and integrate technology that will engage our customers and empower them to help improve system reliability, reduce our environmental impact, reduce costs and improve safety. Prior to joining Enterprise Customer Strategy in 2011, he worked in Utility Innovations, Geographic Information Systems and IT Operations at NSP/Xcel Energy beginning in 1999. He received bachelor degrees in Biology and Geography from Gustavus Adolphus College.

August Speaker Meeting

Schedule:

5:30 pm - Networking and Chipotle
6:00 pm - Expert guest speaker
7:00 pm - Board of Directors meeting

Location:

UAW-Ford-MnSCU Training Center
(at the Ford Plant)
966 South Mississippi River Boulevard
St. Paul, Minnesota 55116

Click here for a map

Brian Millberg is the Energy Manager for the City of Minneapolis, and is responsible for ensuring that the City's internal operations meet the goal of 1.5 percent in greenhouse gas reductions every year. His work includes lighting and HVAC retrofits to the City's buildings, as well as operating changes that conserve energy. Prior to working at the City, Brian was an Alternative Energy Stock Analyst, Operations Manager for a local solar installer, and spent 20 years in the medical device business. He is a registered professional engineer (P.E.) in the state of MN.