Barriers and Opportunities for Distributed Energy Resources in Minnesota's Municipal Utilities and Electric Cooperatives

Minnesota has a complex electricity system, with more than 170 electric utilities, the third highest total of any state in the country. Minnesota has taken numerous steps in the past decade to become more efficient and better able to incorporate more renewable resources. While investor-owned utilities have received significant policy attention, the vast majority of the state’s land-area and over one-third of the state’s electricity is delivered by nonprofit, locally controlled utilities: municipal utilities (munis) and rural electric cooperatives (co-ops).