About Us

Our Vision

Clean

We hope that all Minnesotans will have access to clean, affordable, and renewable energy.

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Clean Energy means Protecting Our Health, Reducing Our Energy Costs, and Safeguarding the Environment. CEF creates access to clean energy by:

Creating Solutions that work for renters and those with a difficult site for clean energy through community-wide projects.
Using Models for clean energy that require no upfront investment and save our members money month-by-month.

Ensuring Access for all our projects to be available to everyone regardless of credit score or income.

Prioritizing Member Engagement for low-income communities, communities of color, renters, and recent immigrant communities that have historically had the least access to clean energy.

Allowing Minnesotans to join us in a clean energy solution when they pay an electric bill to Xcel Energy and also live in most counties state-wide. We are currently working on a partnership for residents not served by Xcel Energy.

Local

Our services are based in local communities, developed by community members, and designed to serve local needs.

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Local communities set the rules for how energy works in their community. Our work is:

Based in local Communities

Relationship based energy projects with local land owners, governments, and neighborhood groups founded on member interest.

Using already developed-spaces, like commercial rooftops and parking lots whenever possible. In rural areas, we make sure our projects foster thriving local ecosystems through prairie restoration and creating pollinator habitat.

Partnering with local Minnesota clean energy contractors who commit to workforce diversity while helping grow local solar enterprises.

Developed by community members

Working in partnership with community-based organizations and local leaders using clean energy outreach to build stronger relationships with new members.

By inviting members to invest in these projects which keeps more of their finances in the community.

Designed to serve

Designing our own contracts for members, allowing them to move or transfer their clean energy benefits to have maximum flexibility. This practice stands apart from outside investors.

Managing our own projects and project management software to ensure our connection to members needs and protection for their data

Ours

Our member-owned model allows members to build community wealth for all while addressing historic injustice.

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General Co-op Practices: Collective investment for collective gain.

Anyone can become a member of the co-op

One Member = One Vote: The Board of Directors is elected democratically by the members.

Any member can run for the Board of Directors which sets co-op priorities.

Profits are distributed to the members based on their share of co-op activities.

CEF operates based on the cooperative values and principles.

Justice Driven Practices: To build community wealth in a way that addresses historic injustices:

Membership is accessible with a one-time $25 membership share

Focuses on fighting the highest energy cost burdens, which usually impact households with lower incomes.

Builds shared clean energy assets that allow for sharing profit and building member equity for members who may not have pre-existing property or wealth.

Clean energy projects stay member owned which allow most of the clean energy wealth to flow back into the community.

Strive to create a BIPOC local business development and solar industry workforce to address long standing racial inequities.

Grow community resilience by fighting climate change using strategies that help members prepare their communities for a thriving future.

Shiloh Temple International Ministries

Shiloh Temple International Ministries was our first partner in community solar. This is a 204kW rooftop community solar array on the roof of Shiloh Temple in North Minneapolis. This Community Solar Garden came online in June of 2018.