Address: 175 W Kellogg Blvd, Saint Paul, MN 55102

Overview:

With a mission to become regional leaders in sustainability, Saint Paul RiverCentre and Xcel Energy Center launched waste and energy initiatives that quickly became the fabric of how they manage the facilities on a daily basis.

The energy goal, called 80-20 in 3, aims to reduce the facilities’ carbon footprint by 80 percent and make them 20 percent more efficient than average over three years. This is being accomplished in three ways: by operating existing equipment and systems more efficiently, by retrofitting inefficient equipment with better technology, and by offsetting the remaining carbon footprint through a combination of on-site and off-site renewable energy. This includes a 1-MW solar thermal installation that was just completed on the roof of RiverCentre.

Benefits:

Operational/Energy Savings

• The solar thermal project on RiverCentre included a series of equipment upgrades that make its connection to District Energy St. Paul more efficient, thus reducing demand costs.
• This project is expected to provide 15% of the overall heating needs for Saint Paul RiverCentre. In addition, the system will send excess heat back into the District Energy system during times when its production exceeds Saint Paul RiverCentre’s demand.
• Current plans are in place for photovoltaic panels to be installed at the RiverCentre Parking Ramp.

Carbon Savings

• The recently completed solar thermal array will reduce RiverCentre’s carbon footprint by 900,000 lbs. per year.
• Events also have the option of off-setting their carbon footprint at both facilities through Xcel Energy’s Windsource® for Special Events program. This program allows events to reduce their impact and show demand for renewable energy.

Community Economic Benefits

• These programs aim to help drive demand fo rrenewable energy, which will ultimately make these kinds of projects more feasible and affordable for others in the community.

Partners:

• City of Saint Paul
• Department of Energy’s Solar America Cities program
• District Energy St. Paul
• Saint Paul RiverCentre

To learn more, visit their dedicated sustainability microsite at www.xcelenergycenter.com/sustainability.