Minnesota’s weather can be challenging. Minnesota is hot. And, Minnesota is really cold. Figuring out options for how we improve the thermal comfort and lower the carbon intensity of our homes is a big question.
Since 2017, UMN Morris has hosted students and scholars from the Muenster University of Applied Sciences (MUAS) to work on sustainability projects in the community.
In spring 2024, members of the Morris Model partnership, including UMN Morris, the City of Morris, UMN Southwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership (RSDP), West Central Clean Energy Resource Team (WC CERT), and UMN Institute on the Environment Climate Smart Municipalities asked the question: Could air-source heat pumps be used to help homes in rural Minnesota to reduce energy costs, improve comfort, and reduce carbon emissions?
WC CERT Coordinator Imani Mosher, shared, “There is a lot of interest in air-source heat pumps for heating and cooling in Minnesota right now. Manuel’s internship is helping us explore some additional pieces of the puzzle.”
In April 2024, Manuel Reinert arrived from Germany and began his work with the City of Morris. The goal of the project was to develop educational materials that would help community members get a better understanding of how ductless air-source heat pumps were being deployed in our community and their potential.
Southwest RSDP Executive Director, Anne Dybsetter shared, “Our board continues to look for opportunities to partner with the Morris Model team. We are interested in ways to figure out together how to use clean energy in homes, and that includes for efficient heating in Minnesota winters and cooling in Minnesota summers.”
In August 2024, Reinert ended his internship in Morris, “I really enjoyed my time living and working in Morris. I had an opportunity to meet many community members and learn more about how they are heating and cooling their homes. I learned a lot about heat pumps and I am excited to share that knowledge. I am also excited to take this knowledge back to Germany where we are also working on the clean energy transition.”
The title of the Reinert’s report is, “Exploring the potential of (air-source) heat pumps in west-central Minnesota,” and can be found here at the Morris Model website.
Reinert is the sixth student from MUAS to participate in an internship at UMN Morris Office of Sustainability. Other German interns include Jan Brommelhaus (community district-heating analysis), Britta Fuengers (solar at Morris Area Schools analysis), Marc Brosius (campus thermal-load analysis), Michael Abbing (Morris freshwater treatment plant analysis), and Felix Luecken (City of Morris solar analysis).