Marietta, GA (February 25, 2021) — GDS Associates has been selected by the Minnesota Department of Commerce to receive an energy conservation grant awarded through the State’s Conservation Applied Research and Development (CARD) program. Minnesota’s CARD Program awarded grants totaling nearly $4.5 million to advance research and innovation in energy conservation. Funded by utilities, the CARD Program was created to help achieve the State of Minnesota’s energy conservation goals. The primary purpose for the research and development projects receiving grant funding are to identify new technologies or strategies to maximize energy savings, improve effectiveness of energy conservation programs or document carbon dioxide reductions from energy conservation programs.
The selected GDS project will quantify energy savings that can be achieved by using radio wave grain drying compared to conventional grain drying technology in Minnesota’s agricultural sector. This project will compare energy efficiency of current, commercially available grain drying systems to a new radio wave grain drying technology to examine potential efficiency improvements. Energy efficiency of each grain drying system will be compared to determine overall system efficiency and cost-effectiveness of radio wave grain drying. The grant was awarded in the amount of $125,520.
“GDS is excited to receive this CARD grant from the Minnesota Department of Commerce,” stated GDS Principal Rich Hackner. “Our selected project focuses on Minnesota’s agricultural sector and supports the state’s initiative to advance research and innovation in energy conservation.”
The GDS project was selected for a CARD grant from a pool of 44 proposals submitted through a competitive grant process. Grant recipients include a range of nonprofit groups and businesses, many with years of experience working alongside utilities to help achieve energy conservation goals and benefit Minnesota utility ratepayers.
View the full press release from Minnesota Department of Commerce here.
About GDS Associates
GDS Associates is headquartered in Marietta, Georgia, with offices in Alabama, Florida, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin. Since 1986, GDS has been a multi-service engineering and consulting firm providing services to a broad range of clients associated with, or affected by, electric, natural gas, water, and wastewater utilities. Services provided include Power Supply Planning; Wholesale and Retail Rates; Regulatory and Financial; Transmission Planning and NERC/CIP Compliance; Distribution System Planning and Line Design; DSM and Energy Efficiency; Utility Distribution Services; Natural Gas; and other specialized services including renewable energy, sustainability, emerging smart infrastructure, data analytics, electrification, and DER integration. Visit www.gdsassociates.com for more information about GDS.