Our Mission

MRES is a catalyst, equitably advancing a sustainable low-carbon society
and a renewable energy economy through education, leadership and example.

July Speaker Series

Improvements and Updates: The Melissa Hortman Community Solar Garden Program

In this session, Eric Pasi will share insights into Minnesota’s community solar market. He was recently part of an industry coalition that testified in support of renaming the program after the late Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, a fervent clean energy advocate throughout her time in public office. Eric will discuss the program’s progress in reducing energy costs for low- and moderate-income households, as well as what lies ahead for distributed solar and battery policy in Minnesota and across the country amid rising data center development and the impacts of last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill.

About the Speaker:

Eric Pasi
CEO
Enterprise Energy

Since 2007, Eric Pasi has been committed to helping communities achieve their economic development and sustainability goals through clean energy. He is the CEO and co-founder of Enterprise Energy, a community solar development company dedicated to advancing a just energy transition and improving people’s lives and livelihoods.

Prior to founding Enterprise Energy, Eric served as an executive at IPS Solar and New Energy Equity. Among his favorite career milestones are helping more than 50 schools adopt solar energy and STEM curriculum, contributing to landmark projects such as Green Line Solar and Eichten’s Community Solar Garden, and supporting solar installation efforts in markets from Florida to Washington state.

Eric is also the author of CleanWave: A Guide to Success in the Green Recovery, available at cleanwavebook.com. The book explores the past, present, and future of cleantech while offering practical guidance for jobseekers interested in entering the field.