The Connexus campus uses 3.7 million KWh of electricity per year. Of that, 25% already came from renewable energy. Now, the remaining 75% will be supplied from the output of its three solar gardens.
“As we continue to add more renewable energy to our power portfolio, we are able to offer our residential and commercial members more options to go green,” says Connexus Energy CEO Greg Ridderbusch. “How green they want to be is up to the individual businesses,” adds Ridderbusch. “Increasingly more commercial customers are realizing renewable energy is the way of the future. For them, it makes good business sense.”
The “Everything Under the Sun” event was held as part of National Pollinator Week. It gave Connexus members an opportunity to learn more about Connexus’ innovative solar plus storage project. In addition, those attending could get close up to a bee hive, learn more about bees, and plant milkweed to help the struggling monarch butterflies. All three of Connexus Energy’s solar arrays are pollinator-friendly and two have bee apiaries on site. Participants also got a chance to plant pollinator-friendly milkweed on the property.
“This is equivalent to several thousand pollinator gardens,” said Rob Davis of Fresh Energy. “If we’re going to address the bee crisis at scale, we need more and more leadership from solar developers, energy companies, and utilities so that we’re creating healthy habitat to help keep bees alive.”
Connexus Energy is the largest member-owned utility in Minnesota providing electricity and related products and services to approximately 133,000 homes and businesses in portions of Anoka, Chisago, Hennepin, Isanti, Ramsey, Sherburne, and Washington counties.
