Updating Minnesota’s SB 2030 Program: Paving the Way for Net-Zero

Abstract

Minnesota’s Sustainable Buildings 2030 (SB 2030) program is a set of energy and carbon guidelines on the path to net-zero performance by 2030 for all Minnesota State bond-funded construction projects. Since its inception in 2007, the SB 2030 program design has progressed from broad concepts in the earlier versions of the guidelines to detailed operationalized tools and more stringent program design standards which require considerations related to cost-effectiveness as well as technical limits of energy efficiency and the integration of renewable energy.

As the program moves towards a 90% energy and carbon reduction from a 2003 baseline, future program changes include an updated evaluation hierarchy for in- and out-of-portfolio renewable energy generation, detailed utility carbon intensity calculations in order to better consider the future impacts of electrification, and the integration of shared renewable energy resources at the campus or district scale through the operation phase. Time-of-use considerations and future-focused carbon intensities are planned to be more fully embedded in the program logic. Beyond the immediate impact of the SB 2030 program, the wide range of building types and sizes covered by the program also provides valuable lessons on achieving climate goals for the future of the commercial energy code that is under development in Minnesota.