Troy Goodnough of UMN Morris and Andy Narvesen of Otter Tail Power at the October 26 groundbreaking, which Star Tribune reporter Kristoffer Tigue covered. Courtesy: UMN Morris
The Minnesota Star Tribune has covered the long-duration battery pilot at the University of Minnesota Morris, which broke ground on October 26 with Otter Tail Power, battery maker Eos Energy Enterprises and OATI.
Reporter Kristoffer Tigue, who attended the groundbreaking, names OATI as the project’s microgrid manager and explains why the zinc design matters for Minnesota: zinc is one of the world’s most widely available metals, the components are sourced in the United States, and the chemistry holds up in the state’s cold. Once the 1-megawatt, 6-megawatt-hour battery is installed in 2027, Otter Tail Power will operate it, the university will study its performance, and OATI GridMind® will manage when it charges and discharges.
…a battery big enough to power its campus for almost an entire work day.
The Minnesota Star Tribune, October 31, 2026
From the groundbreaking
Chancellor Michael Rodriguez, Otter Tail Power, OATI’s David Heim, Rep. Paul Anderson and Sen. Torrey Westrom spoke before the hard hats and shovels came out.
Microgrids for campuses and public buildings
Schools, universities and public agencies are putting storage to work the way UMN Morris is: power that stays on through outages, and energy budgets that earn their keep between them.
Microgrids for schools and government
How OATI keeps critical public buildings powered and puts idle energy budgets to work.
Battery storage investment playbook
How one battery can do several jobs, and what it takes to coordinate them.
OATI GridMind® datasheet
The controller that will run the Morris battery: modes, controls and integration.
More on the project: the partnership with Otter Tail Power and how OATI GridMind® will manage the battery.