Receiving the Clean Energy Community Award is the product of progressive and thoughtful leadership fueled by a City-wide culture committed to protecting the environment and the financial wellbeing of the families and business that pay for City services. More specifically, it is a direct result of the City’s Renewable Energy and Efficiency Initiative. This initiative includes four distinct projects, one of which is the Energy Efficiency and Biogas (E2B) Project at the Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF). In 2014, the City established energy-reductions goals for the WRRF: a 25% reduction in energy purchased by Year 2019, a 50% reduction by Year 2024, and a 75% reduction by Year 2034. The City expects to exceed its Year 2034 goal in early 2017 after the E2B Project and other renewable-energy and energy-saving improvements are commissioned.

The City retained Donohue and Apex Efficiency Solutions to conduct an evaluation of Resource Recovery and Energy Efficiency (R2E2) opportunities at the WRRF. Following the R2E2 evaluation, Donohue designed the E2B Project that is currently under construction. Donohue is currently designing the Nutrient Recovery and Reuse (NR2) Project, which includes biosolids dewatering, struvite harvesting, Lystek biosolids processing, and liquid Class A biosolids storage.

► Learn more about St. Cloud’s Renewable Energy and Efficiency Initiative at mn-stcloud.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/11263

► Every July the Minnesota Commerce Department accepts applications for its “Clean Energy Community” award from communities that have implemented initiatives that further the state’s clean energy goals. The finalists are showcased at the Minnesota State Fair in August, and the award recipients are announced in October, which is Energy Awareness Month. Learn more about the Minnesota Clean Energy Community Awards at mn.gov/commerce/industries/energy/efficiency/cec.jsp