From Prince or the Artist Formerly Known as Prince to Melissa Jefferson, who took her stage name Lizzo while living here, Minnesota has a thing for iconic reinventions. Did you know 3M stands for Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company?
True to our Midwestern roots, M-RETS is carrying on this proud tradition as we look to embrace a new name. M-RETS is an acronym that stands for Midwest Renewable Energy Tracking System. Our system has both moved beyond the Midwest and tracks more than renewable energy. In fact, we’ve grown to become North America’s most expansive clean energy registry. With generous support from Minneapolis-based design firm Replace, the organization is now formally beginning a process to preserve M-RETS as a product and service name while planning for a new organization name.
Like Minnesota’s annual Name A Snowplow Contest but without the voting, we’re asking our customers, partners, and the energy community at large to share their ideas for both better, and worse, names. Complete part or all of the survey below to share your ideas. Our team will review and pick their favorites.
Bonus points may be awarded for creative use of hyphens.
The Nonprofit Clean Energy Registry Currently Known as M-RETS
The Nonprofit Clean Energy Registry Currently Known as M-RETS
Q&A
I’ve never thought of a clean energy tracking system. What is their primary purpose?
Clean energy tracking systems, also known as registries, are book and claim systems that prevent double counting of a given resource. M-RETS is one of the few registries that both operates as a not-for-profit organization and whose mission also includes working to standardize definitions of environmental attributes to enable a large marketplace across states and provinces.
M-RETS tracks more than renewable energy?
Yes. We operate North America’s first Renewable Thermal Certificate registry and are building registries for clean fuels and clean ammonia.
What about this 24/7 thing I listened to a podcast about one time?
In collaboration with Google, in 2021, M-RETS was the first registry in North America to demonstrate the technical feasibility of, and issue/retire, hourly Renewable Energy Certificates. Certificates for 24/7 carbon-free energy are also referred to as time-based Energy Attribute Certificates (T-EACs) and granular certificates (GCs).
Why are you inviting input on renaming?
When you want members of the public to be aware of something that they usually never think about, it’s best to give them an opportunity to be recognized for a clever pun.
For example, in 2017, Britain commissioned the Royal Research Ship (RRS) Sir David Attenborough, a state-of-the-art polar research vessel, after a public vote to name it resulted in “Boaty McBoatface” winning with tens of millions of votes. Boaty McBoatface was assigned to one of the vessel’s submersibles instead.
Similarly, we’ll be warmly enjoying the names and picking our top 10 to share in conjunction with a future event.
Are there prizes?
Yes, there will be semi-fabulous prizes for the top ten names selected by our system administrators and software developers.
