Clean Energy Resource Teams

What Clean Energy Resource Teams does

Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) is a Minnesota-based nonprofit statewide partnership founded in 2003 (per firmographic records; the organization's own materials reference 20+ years of operation as of 2026) that helps Minnesota residents, small businesses, local governments, schools, and tribal nations identify, plan, and implement community clean energy projects. The organization functions as a neutral convener and resource hub, providing free technical assistance, educational guides, an interactive funding-discovery tool, and seed grants, with no fees charged to end users. Its core programmatic areas span residential and small-commercial solar, air-source heat pumps, energy efficiency, weatherization, electric vehicles, and increasingly utility-scale renewable energy siting and permitting.

The organization operates a content- and community-driven platform rather than a software product. Key assets include multilingual educational guides (English, Spanish, Hmong, Somali, Russian), the "Pay for Your Projects" interactive tool that filters Minnesota funding programs by project and organization type, the Community Energy Ambassadors training program that builds volunteer outreach capacity, a bi-weekly Energy Stories newsletter, and the Minnesota Siting Collaborative — an 11-organization coalition providing technical assistance on large renewable energy siting. CERTs distributes seed grants (over $380,000 across 52 projects in the 2026 round) and produces case studies that document project outcomes.

The business model is grant-funded and nonprofit. Revenue is sourced from state agencies (Minnesota Department of Commerce, which oversees utility Conservation Improvement Programs), the University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, federal sources (U.S. Department of Energy R-STEP program), and institutional partners (Great Plains Institute, Southwest Regional Development Commission). The organization is co-governed by four core partner entities rather than operating as a conventional corporate hierarchy, with no venture capital, private equity, or parent company ownership. Distribution occurs through regional coordinators hosted at partner offices, the Community Energy Ambassador network, website self-service, and direct technical assistance — a community-led GTM motion rather than a sales-driven model.

Name

Clean Energy Resource Teams

Legal name

Clean Energy Resource Teams

Website

https://cleanenergyresourceteams.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clean Energy Resource Teams is a Minnesota-based nonprofit partnership that provides free technical assistance, seed grants, and educational resources to help residents, businesses, local governments, and tribal nations implement community clean energy projects across the state.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clean Energy Community Services

NAICS

Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

akta.pro primary industry

Interconnection, Permitting & Grid Services for DERs (EUAMAJAH)

Keywords

• Clean energy resources
• Renewable energy programs
• Community energy grants
• Energy efficiency programs
• Solar installation guidance

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: CERTs is funded through partnerships with state and federal agencies including the Minnesota Department of Commerce, University of Minnesota Extension, and other government stakeholders. The organization operates as a grant-funded entity and does not generate revenue from product sales or service fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) operates as a statewide Minnesota partnership that provides free technical assistance, seed grants, educational guides, and online tools to help residents, businesses, local governments, schools, and tribal nations plan and implement clean energy projects including solar, heat pumps, energy efficiency, weatherization, electric vehicles, and community-scale renewable energy siting.

Product overview

Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) is a statewide partnership that operates a resource platform rather than a single unified software product. The organization offers multiple interconnected programs and tools: CERTs Seed Grants provides funding for community clean energy projects; the Community Energy Ambassadors program trains volunteers to spread clean energy knowledge; the Pay for Your Projects tool helps users find funding programs; and comprehensive guides cover solar, heat pumps, and home energy savings. The Minnesota Siting Collaborative provides technical assistance for large renewable energy projects. The Energy Stories newsletter delivers regular updates. Together, these resources form a support ecosystem helping Minnesotans identify and implement community-based clean energy projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CERTs Seed Grants Seed grant program providing funding to support community-led clean energy projects across Minnesota, with $380,000+ distributed across 52 projects in the 2026 round. Recipients include nonprofits, governments, schools, and community organizations implementing solar, energy efficiency, heat pumps, and resilience projects.
• Community Energy Ambassadors Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 52 Minnesota clean energy projects received over $380,000 in 2026 CERTs Seed Grants
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Great Plains InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreat Plains Institute is a key organizational partner in the CERTs partnership. GPI hosts the CERTs website and serves as a co-lead for initiatives including the PV-SuCCESS project and Minnesota Siting Collaborative.
• Minnesota Department of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Minnesota Department of Commerce is a key state agency partner providing funding and programmatic support for CERTs initiatives. The agency oversees utility Conservation Improvement Programs and provides technical assistance.
• Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships at University of Minnesota ExtensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRSDP at U of M Extension provides regional coordinators and staff support for CERTs operations across Minnesota's regions.
• Southwest Regional Development CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWRDC serves as a regional partner in southwest Minnesota and co-hosts staff for CERTs outreach and technical assistance in the region.
• Laborers' International Union of North AmericasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in the Minnesota Siting Collaborative focused on supporting stakeholders on issues related to community- and utility-scale renewable energy.
• Midwest Tribal Energy Resources AssociationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in the Minnesota Siting Collaborative providing guidance on renewable energy siting and engagement with tribal communities.
• Minnesota Environmental Quality BoardsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in the Minnesota Siting Collaborative providing regulatory and environmental review guidance.
• Minnesota Farmers UnionsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in the Minnesota Siting Collaborative representing agricultural stakeholder interests in renewable energy planning.
• Minnesota Office of Collaboration and Dispute ResolutionsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in the Minnesota Siting Collaborative providing facilitation and dispute resolution expertise.
• Minnesota Public Utilities CommissionsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in the Minnesota Siting Collaborative providing regulatory guidance on permitting processes.
• Minnesota Solar Energy Industry Association (MnSEIA)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in the Minnesota Siting Collaborative representing solar industry perspectives in planning efforts.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Conservation Minnesota: A statewide advocacy organization that promotes clean energy, climate action, and environmental stewardship in Minnesota. Comparable to CERTs in geographic focus and stakeholder mobilization, though more advocacy- and policy-oriented than resource-delivery oriented.
• Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA): A regional membership organization promoting energy efficiency across the Midwest through programs, policy, and partnerships. Comparable to CERTs in energy efficiency focus and multi-state stakeholder engagement, though operating at a regional rather than single-state scale.
• Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light: A Minnesota-based nonprofit mobilizing faith communities around climate action, clean energy, and energy efficiency. Comparable to CERTs in community-based outreach and household-level clean energy engagement within Minnesota.

Emerging players

• Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA): A national nonprofit coalition of state clean energy programs and funders. CESA operates at a higher aggregation layer than CERTs but shares the mission of supporting state-led clean energy program design, funding, and stakeholder coordination.
• Vote Solar: A national nonprofit advocating for solar adoption through state-level policy and community engagement. Comparable to CERTs around distributed solar, siting, and community education — particularly via the PV-SuCCESS project partnership.
• Solar United Neighbors: A national nonprofit that helps neighbors organize group solar purchases and advocates for distributed solar policy. Shares CERTs' community-organizing model and focus on residential and small-commercial solar adoption.

Direct peers

• Great Plains Institute: A Minneapolis-based nonprofit that designs and accelerates transformative energy solutions across the Midwest. GPI is one of CERTs' four core partner organizations and shares a closely overlapping mission around clean energy deployment, policy, and stakeholder engagement in Minnesota.
• Center for Energy and Environment (CEE): A Minnesota-based nonprofit delivering energy efficiency programs, research, and advisory services to households, businesses, and communities. CEE overlaps directly with CERTs' energy efficiency, weatherization, and residential advisory offerings.
• Fresh Energy: A Minnesota-based clean energy advocacy nonprofit focused on policy, equitable clean energy access, and community engagement. Highly comparable to CERTs in mission, geography, and stakeholder mix (Minnesota households, businesses, local governments).

Others

• Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR): A national nonprofit providing research and technical assistance on local energy ownership, community renewables, and DERs. Comparable to CERTs in its advocacy for community-scale and distributed energy resources, though with a research/advocacy rather than direct-service orientation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mncerts
• YouTubeyoutube.com/mncerts
• Facebookfacebook.com/cleanenergyresourceteams
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clean-energy-resource-teams
• Instagraminstagram.com/mncerts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clean Energy Resource Teams