MINNEAPOLIS — Great River Energy, Minnesota Power, and Xcel Energy are leading the way on the energy transition, forging a new partnership with Grid Catalyst to connect the nation’s cutting-edge energy startups with real-world pilot opportunities.

GridReady provides an additional path for utilities to advance Minnesota’s most critical energy priorities: maintaining a reliable and affordable grid for customers, strengthening resilience against extreme weather and evolving load demands, and accelerating the state’s ambitious transition to 100% clean energy by 2040. Target technology areas include grid flexibility and demand response, distributed energy resource integration, energy storage, and grid resilience and reliability.

“Minnesota’s utilities are among the most forward-thinking in the country, thanks to intentional leadership and public-private partnership. By prioritizing collaboration and pilot opportunities with emerging technology companies, our partner utilities are sending a clear signal: Minnesota is where the energy transition gets built,” says Nina Axelson, president of Grid Catalyst.

A Proven Model, Designed for Utilities

GridReady builds on Grid Catalyst’s five-year track record of developing energy pilot projects with Minnesota partners. This new cycle is designed to meet utilities’ intensive operational requirements and reliability expectations, while prioritizing performance and affordability. These goals will serve as the basis for scouting the nation’s top technologies for 2027 pilot projects, enabling startups to collaborate with utility partners and gain valuable insights into operations, market entry, and scaling.

Since 2022, this partnership approach to technology demonstration has mobilized 16 cutting-edge technology pilots in Minnesota, including the recent installation of novel thermal energy storage on the University of Minnesota Morris campus and a first-of-its-kind CO₂ heat pump in the Local 455 Steamfitters/Pipefitters training facility in Saint Paul.

“By partnering with Grid Catalyst and other forward-thinking utilities, we are creating a practical pathway to test and scale new technologies that strengthen reliability and keep costs affordable for our member-owners,” said Lisa Orpen, Great River Energy vice president and chief corporate and member services officer. “This program aligns with the cooperative principles by working together and investing in solutions that benefit the communities we serve.”

Why Minnesota, Why Now

Meeting Minnesota’s energy goals requires the active deployment of new technologies to deliver reliability, affordability, and resilience. Our nation-leading utilities have already shown a commitment to these important operational and customer values, adapting quickly to meet growing system and customer demands while building more diversified and flexible generation.

Through GridReady and the leadership of these utility partners, we can make sure Minnesotans benefit from access to the best available technologies that need a rigorous proving ground on the way to full deployment. 

“We’re pleased to be part of a strong group of peers advancing new opportunities for energy technology. As a leader in energy transformation, Minnesota Power is continually investigating and evaluating new ideas,” said Julie Pierce, vice president of strategy and planning at Minnesota Power. “The climate in northern Minnesota makes us well-suited for collaborating on opportunities to test and pilot emerging technology that can withstand weather extremes while simultaneously supporting a reliable and affordable grid.”

How to Apply

Applications open May 6, 2026, with a deadline of June 26, 2026. We are seeking companies with validated solutions ready for real-world deployment (Technological Readiness Levels 7 or higher). Focus areas include grid modernization and grid-enhancing technologies, electrification, and energy storage. More information about selection priorities and the application can be found at gridcatalyst.org. 

In Partnership

GridReady is made possible through the support of the Minnesota Energy Alley initiative, a partnership between the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Clean Energy Economy Minnesota, and Grid Catalyst. Additional startup support comes from a strategic award from the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) and a partnership with Evergreen Climate Innovations.

About Grid Catalyst

Grid Catalyst accelerates energy innovation in Minnesota. The organization provides entrepreneurs and startups with access to resources, mentorship, and strategic pilot partnerships to accelerate their technologies from concept to commercialization, working with a vibrant network of partners across government, industry, nonprofit, and community organizations.