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EnergyWritten by Pam EllisonDiscuss this on our discussion forums In Minnesota we choose to live in the extremes. We love our hot long summers and our cold, snowy winters. With the extremes comes the great need for energy to heat and cool our homes and businesses and to keep the lights on year round. We are way behind the curve when it comes to utilizing our natural resources of wind and sun to drive our energy policy in this state. Texas has three times the wind turbines to generate energy than we do. Surprised? I was, but when you think of the great oil state, it isn't surprising for them to plan for the future when the oil trend becomes a thing of the past. We can generate wind power in almost any area of the state and not only can we harness the energy of the wind on windy days, we can store it on windless days and redirect the extra energy it supplies to other areas on the grid that need it. We need to end the love affair with our one fossil fuel addiction. Fossil fuel is just that in our modern day, a "Fossil". We need to make wind more available to everyone, and we need to give the average citizen the access to passive energy product and that can make a difference to them in their homes as well. Solartubes installed in homes through the roof can provide daylight to interior rooms and the only cost involved is the cost of the tube and the installation. We need to be using radiant heat techniques in standard home and business construction and use the concept of geo-thermal heating and cooling to help heat and cool our buildings, particularly our large industrial buildings. These items are already available and are in use. But where does the average consumer go to find these products and who will install them? I see these new trends on home and garden television, but it becomes an awfully big world out there when you are trying to track down the expertise to actually participate as a consumer. We need to encourage hybrid cars, if not completely petro-free cars and we need to invest heavily in mass and multi-modal transportation. Continuing to build more and more roads is not the solution. Have you ever been to Houston, Texas? The hurricanes of recent weeks showed us how difficult it was for Houston to evacuate their population. We do not want that in Minnesota. All of these new innovations come with additional good news; economic opportunity. We need more job creation in this state and we need to locate the jobs where the people are instead of move the people where the jobs are. We need to invite companies that are renewable energy friendly that can help us build wind turbines and start hybrid car manufacturing, and can help us construct a new grid. We need to stop purchasing hydro power from Manitoba. We need to be self-sufficient and help our neighboring states with the overflow. We need not only a strong state energy policy but a strong regional energy policy with our neighbors. We need to view things differently. It is an age where technology can assist us to make better energy decisions, and still provide the economic development to grow an economy second to none.
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