Community Solar + Resilience Hub in Duluth, Minnesota

To support economic stability and energy resilience in the low-income Lincoln Park neighborhood of Duluth, Minnesota, nonprofit Ecolibrium3 constructed a 38-killowatt community solar array in 2020. The income generated from the array is used to defray electricity costs for local veterans’ housing, and it will also be used to support weatherization and energy efficiency upgrades for low-income families. Ecolibrium3 is currently developing a community Resilience Hub to support residents both year-round and in the event of severe weather.

In building the community solar array and Resilience Hub, Ecolibrium3 collaborated closely with community partners as well as statewide organizations and state agencies, such as the Minnesota Department of Commerce. These partnerships provided technical assistance, community outreach, visioning, and project funding.

A new case study by the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) details the development of both the solar array and Resilience Hub. The case study, Strengthening a Minnesota Community with Solar and Resilience, describes how both projects were designed, community engagement strategies used, the role of key stakeholders such as Minnesota’s Department of Commerce, and barriers faced in Ecolibrium3’s work. This project provides a useful model for community-based organizations and state energy agencies interested in developing their own equity-focused energy and resilience projects.

In this CESA webinar, Ecolibrium3 Founder and CEO Jodi Slick provided an overview of the project and discussed lessons learned.