The Economic Development Association of Minnesota (EDAM) has awarded The Heights Community Energy and its collaborators the 2025 Innovation Award for projects located in the Twin Cities metro. The Innovation Award recognizes a creative solution to an economic development challenge.

EDAM Innovation Award Event
L to R: Saint Paul Port Authority’s Tonya Bauer, Kathryn Sarnecki, and Todd Hurley with Ever-Green’s Michael Auger and Jenae Batt

Once completed, The Heights, located on the East Side of Saint Paul, will bring a mix of market-rate, affordable, and deeply affordable multi-unit homes and living-wage jobs to the community. The innovative energy project aims to provide low-carbon energy on site and is a collaboration between the City of Saint Paul, Saint Paul Port Authority, Ramsey County, and District Energy St. Paul. Strong community advocacy has kept the project at the forefront with support from Unidos MN and community members. The energy system will serve the industrial buildings as well as the multi-unit residential buildings that will be developed by local firms Sherman Associates and JO Companies.

The Heights project claims two exciting firsts for the energy sector in Minnesota. The project was the first to receive funding from Minnesota’s “green bank” in the form of a $4.7 million dollar loan from MnCIFA. The Heights will also be the home of the first aquifer thermal energy storage system in the state. Once finished, The Heights Community Energy will own and operate the geothermal system under the guidance of District Energy St. Paul, the parent company of Ever-Green Energy and a longtime nonprofit utility partner to the City of Saint Paul and the Saint Paul Port Authority. Ever-Green currently provides engineering services to the project development and will operate and manage the system.

“Innovation is not easy. It’s hard. The right ingredients were in the mix for this project. The collaboration is based on a long-time relationship with the City of Saint Paul, Saint Paul Port Authority, and District Energy St. Paul who came together to do something different forty years ago in forming District Energy, one of the first public-private partnerships in the utility space,” said Michael Auger, SVP, Chief Business Officer. “It has been an honor to come together again to do something innovative to develop low-carbon, renewable energy for residents and businesses on the East Side of Saint Paul.”

For more information on the project and the award, visit EDAM’s Awards page