Explore the Cutting Edge of energy and electrification in Minnesota
In 2025, six of Minnesota’s leading energy and electrification organizations joined forces to create the most comprehensive energy innovation event of the year.
In 2026, we do it again!
Join us on October 19 at the McNamara Alumni Center for a day of cutting-edge technology, insightful presentations, and invaluable networking opportunities with the leaders driving Minnesota’s energy and electrification future.
Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to connect with Minnesota’s energy community, gain valuable insights, and be part of the conversation driving energy innovation in the state.
Early bird registration ends May 31!
Organizing partners
The Energy Innovation Summit brings together the annual Electroposium, Recharge Minnesota Symposium, Electrify MN, and MN Cleantech Innovation Summit events under one roof.
2026 Keynote Speaker
Jigar Shah
Jigar Shah is an energy entrepreneur, investor, and strategist who was featured on the 2024 TIME100 list of the world’s most influential people. He is co-Managing Partner of Multiplier LLC, a boutique advisory firm helping clean energy, cleantech, and climate tech companies accelerate their growth.
Shah most recently served as Director of the U.S. Department of Energy Loan Programs Office, the federal government’s clean energy investment platform. He transformed the office, overseeing a tenfold increase in loan authority and deploying $108 billion in debt financing for clean energy and advanced transportation projects across the United States. Prior to his government service, Shah was co-founder and President of Generate Capital ($10B AUM), which largely invented low-cost, infrastructure-as-a-service financing. Previously, Shah founded SunEdison, where he pioneered third-party power purchase agreement solar financing. He successfully sold SunEdison for $389 million. Shah also served as the founding CEO of the Carbon War Room, a global non-profit founded by Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Unite to help entrepreneurs address climate change.
Shah is a co-host of the popular podcast “Open Circuit” from Latitude Media. Originally from Illinois, Shah holds a B.S. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an M.B.A. from the University of Maryland.
Early bird registration ends May 31.
2026 Minnesota Energy Innovation Summit Agenda
8:00 AM – Registration + Light Breakfast
9:00 AM – Welcome
9:15 AM – Keynote: Jigar Shah
Minnesota is leading the energy transition – not as a future promise, but as a present reality. In this keynote address, national clean energy strategist Jigar Shah traces the innovations underway across the state – from technology to policy to financing – to make the case that momentum in the energy transition does not come from waiting for federal signals. It comes from the states and local ecosystems that build the infrastructure for deals to close.
9:45 AM – Opening Panel: What Will it Take for Minnesota to Keep Leading the Energy Transition?
The energy transition represents one of the biggest economic opportunities of our lifetime. Minnesota has made real strides in positioning itself to lead, but there is still significant work ahead.
In this opening conversation, keynote speaker Jigar Shah joins Clean Energy Economy MN’s Gregg Mast and the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s Lissa Pawlisch to explore the policy environment, business conditions, and cross-sector leadership choices that will determine where the transition is built, where investment flows, and who shares in the opportunity.
Moderated by: Nina Axelson, president of Grid Catalyst
10:30 AM – Coffee Break
10:45 AM – Session One
Beneficial Electrification in Rural Cooperative
Highlights new approaches, technologies, partnerships, and pilots for how end uses are being electrified in Minnesota and nationally.
Plugged In: Charging in Churches
Faith communities often sit at the center of town life, and their parking lots can help expand local charging access. This session will explore how organizations such as Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light and Sustainable Stillwater are partnering with congregations like Trinity Lutheran Church to install EV chargers in places where people already gather.
Electrifying Ag: Fields of the Future
Farm equipment and agricultural operations are beginning to explore new electric technologies that can improve efficiency and reduce fuel costs. This session will highlight emerging opportunities through programs such as the Minnesota Department of Agriculture Electric Farm Equipment Grant, as well as insights from partners, including the Minnesota Rural Electric Association.
11:45 AM – Session Two
Connected Communities: Micro-mobility Beyond the Metro
Small towns and Tribal communities often face unique transportation challenges, but flexible solutions like electric bikes, small-scale rideshare, and micro-transit programs can help close the gap. Panelists from The PLUM Catalyst and Native Sun will share how communities are designing practical mobility options that keep residents connected to jobs, services, and daily life.
School Solar: Powering the Next Generation — Literally
Schools across Minnesota are installing solar systems that reduce energy costs while creating hands-on learning opportunities for students. This session will highlight the impact of the Solar for Schools Program and the technical support provided by Clean Energy Resource Teams to help districts bring solar projects from idea to installation.
Reimagining EV Charging Infrastructure: On-Demand Mobile Robots for Scalable Energy Delivery
Given Minnesota’s challenging weather conditions, maintaining EV charging infrastructure in both outdoor and indoor parking facilities presents significant operational and reliability concerns. To address this, we have proposed an on-demand mobile robotic charging station as an alternative to fixed charging systems.
12:30 PM – Lunch (provided)
1:30 PM – Session Three
Workforce Training: Centers of Excellence
Regional training hubs equipping workers with skills for careers in electrification, grid modernization, and energy efficiency.
Fleet Electrification: From School Buses to City Streets
From school buses to municipal vehicles, fleets are one of the most practical starting points for electrification. Panelists from the Minnesota Department of Commerce and districts such as Moorhead Area Public Schools will share lessons learned from planning and operating electric fleets.
How Minnesota Utilities Are Building the Grid of the Future
Minnesota’s major utilities are leading on energy innovation. From virtual power plants to grid-enhancing upgrades to renewable resource integration, Great River Energy, Minnesota Power, Xcel Energy, and Otter Tail Power are actively seeking out and deploying the technologies that keep energy reliable and affordable while building toward 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040. This session explores the technologies Minnesota’s leading utilities are prioritizing, the deployments they have underway, and how programs like GridReady are accelerating utility-startup collaboration.
2:30 PM – Session Four
Workforce Applied: Companies Enlisting Experience & Excellence
Regional training hubs equipping workers with skills for careers in electrification, grid modernization, and energy efficiency.
Community Investment Portfolios: The Energy Future is Local
Communities across Minnesota are developing local roadmaps to identify practical opportunities for transportation and energy innovation. Community leaders will discuss how planning efforts can help turn community ideas into real projects.
Minnesota as a Living Lab: Demonstrating Next-Gen Energy Tech
The most promising energy technologies in the country are being proven right here in Minnesota. For the past five years, Grid Catalyst’s Demonstration Cohort program has connected the nation’s leading energy startups with pilot opportunities in the state, ensuring that tomorrow’s technologies are being tested, refined, and scaled here in our local communities. In this session, meet the 2026 cohort startups and pilot projects.
3:30 PM – Closing
Sponsor the Summit
For more information or to confirm sponsorship, contact Scottie Knollin at sknollin@recharge-america.org.
WHY SPONSOR?
Connect with 350+ energy leaders.
Reach utilities, policymakers, industry and community leaders, startups, and innovators.
Expand your regional visibility.
Display your brand at the event and across a targeted digital campaign with 30,000+ expected impressions.
Showcase your leadership in energy innovation.
Put your work in front of a targeted audience with speaking opportunities and dedicated social media features.