Energy company opens ultra-green headquarters

Great River Energy is dedicating its new energy efficient headquarters Tuesday. The company says the building will be the first in Minnesota to apply for the highest level of LEED certification.

LEED is a building rating system that gauges energy efficiency. The new building is considered one of the most sustainable buildings in the country.

The company has applied for the U.S. Green Building Council's highest level of certification.

Gary Connett with Great River Energy says this would make the building the first LEED Platinum building in Minnesota and the upper Midwest.

"One of the unique features of the building that take really takes it to this platinum level is that around 12 percent of your energy has to come from on-site renewables, and so as you visit the building or visit the Maple Grove area, one thing that will stand out is our wind turbine," said Connett.

Solar panels allow the electric company to generate about 12 percent of its energy from renewable sources. Building materials also came from within 500 miles of the site, and 90 percent of the materials were recycled during construction.

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