CLEAN ENERGY

Ontario threat would have little effect on Minnesota Power

Jimmy Lovrien — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 15:21:59 GMT

DULUTH — Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s threat to cut off electricity exports to three U.S. states, including Minnesota, in response to the Trump administration’s sweeping tariffs on imports from Canada would likely have negligible effects on Minnesota Power customers and the region’s power grid.

While Minnesota is linked to Ontario’s grid by a transmission line over the Rainy River, Duluth-based Minnesota Power bought just under $310,000 of electricity from Ontario’s system in 2024, according to public filings. It did not buy electricity from Ontario in eight months of the year.

By comparison, the company spent $108 million on electricity from Manitoba, Ontario’s provincial neighbor.

“Minnesota Power has an electric grid connection with Ontario, and on occasion we do utilize electricity from their system,” said Minnesota Power spokesperson Amy Rutledge. “However, it is not on a daily basis like our contracted electricity from Manitoba Hydro.”

Electricity imported from Manitoba Hydro, which accounts for 11% of Minnesota Power’s energy, would presumably be subject to the Trump administration’s 10% tariffs on Canadian electricity imports.

The 10% tariffs on energy imports from Canada and 25% tariffs on all other products from Canada supposedly took effect Tuesday but were partially delayed by another month on Thursday.

Companies importing goods from abroad pay tariffs to the government that enacts the tariff, and economists agree that those costs are generally passed on to consumers, causing prices to increase.

But exactly how these tariffs will affect electricity imports and prices in the region is unclear.

Grid operators and utilities remain unsure of when the tariffs will take effect, and if electricity will even be subjected to tariffs.

Brandon Morris, a spokesperson for the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, the grid operator in the central U.S., said there was uncertainty about whether import tariffs would even apply to electricity from Canada or if the tariff threat would be resolved.

“MISO has received no confirmation from federal agencies regarding the duties’ applicability to electricity or who will be responsible for paying or collecting them,” Morris said Wednesday.

Minnesota Power echoed the uncertainty.

“While it is unclear at this time whether electricity will be subject to tariffs imposed by the United States or Canada, we are watching the situation closely to determine any potential impacts to our customers,” Rutledge said, adding that the company has other domestic power sources it can lean on.

Ford’s threat to cut Ontario’s power to the U.S. would also have little effect on the regional grid.

MISO, which oversees the grid stretching from the Midwest down to Louisiana and parts of Texas, receives less than 1% of its electricity from Canadian imports and less than half of that came from Ontario, Morris said.

“For context, that amount is equivalent to approximately one power plant,” he said. “MISO manages the loss of power plants like this every day to ensure reliability across our footprint.”

The Winnipeg Free Press reported Thursday that Manitoba’s financial minister instructed the Manitoba Hydro board to seek Cabinet approval before extending existing or entering into new power purchasing agreements with U.S. companies.

Minnesota Power is nearly five years into a 15-year power purchase agreement with Manitoba Hydro, bringing 250 megawatts of hydropower from northern Manitoba to Minnesota Power customers.

Minnesota Power built a 224-mile, 500-kilovolt transmission line from a substation east of Grand Rapids to the international border in Roseau County to carry the hydropower. The Duluth-based utility can also send power northward when wind production is high.

Energizing the line in 2020 was key in helping the company jump from 30% renewable energy to 50% renewable energy.

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Midwest SAF industry wants to become the world leader in production

Michael Johnson — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 13:30:00 GMT

Sustainable aviation fuel efforts in the upper Midwest are on the move — and there’s no place better prepared in the world than the Midwest to make it work.

That’s according to Jeff Davidman, Delta Air Lines vice president of state and local government affairs. It’s something he believes in so much that he shared the message to thousands of eventgoers between stops at the South Dakota Corn Conference, Minnesota Ag Expo, both in January, and once again at the Northern Corn and Soybean Expo in West Fargo, North Dakota, on Feb. 4. He even made his first appearance at the Minnesota House Agriculture Finance and Policy committee to boost SAF on Feb. 10.

“If you look at a map of the U.S., it really should be led not just in the U.S., but right here in the Midwest, because all the feedstocks that we need to make SAF are right here for soybeans and others,” Davidman said to the crowd of corn and soybean producers and industry members. “We have a strong history, as everybody in this room knows, of producing biofuel.”

Some recent examples of SAF movement in the upper Midwest include:

Delta Air Lines celebrated its first flight using SAF blended with winter camelina on Sept. 25, 2024, at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. Gevo received $1.5 billion from the Department of Energy in October 2024 for a SAF facility capable of producing about 65 million gallons of SAF per year. That plant is expected to start in 2026. DG Fuels chose Moorhead in October 2024 as the location of a $5 billion SAF plant capable of producing 193 million gallons of zero- or low-CO2 lifecycle emissions SAF per year. Production is expected to begin in 2030.

These actions are happening, according to Davidman, because there is a growing demand for SAF from the airline industry. The demand is there, he said, yet the industry and technology are just beginning. He says the Midwest has the product and is building an infrastructure that other countries are not comparable to.

SAF can be produced through corn, soybeans, cover crops, forestry residue, municipal solid waste and clean hydrogen. SAF, Davidman believes, can help the aviation industry achieve a goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 by replacing conventional jet fuel in aircraft and reducing their carbon footprint. That goal of net zero is shared by The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge, a U.S. government-wide approach to working with industry to reduce cost, enhance sustainability, and expand production to achieve 3 billion gallons per year of domestic sustainable aviation fuel production that achieves a minimum of a 50% reduction in life cycle greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional fuel by 2030 and 100% of projected aviation jet fuel use, or 35 billion gallons of annual production, by 2050.

The trouble is

While net-zero emissions is great, and a product that works is key, it’s not without immense cost, at least initially, to build the necessary infrastructure. Low supply, high demand and costly startups mean it’s currently two to five times more expensive than conventional gas to produce. When asked about the likelihood of SAF growing without government funding in these early stages, Davidman said it would be very difficult.

When asked about the affect that tax credits have on this progress, Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association executive director Brian Werner told the Minnesota House Agriculture Policy and Finance committee that tax credits are critical right now. Rolling back tax credits would make it more challenging, but not impossible, to grow SAF production.

Currently, the federal government’s Inflation Reduction Act includes tax credits that came through in 2022 to support SAF production. That credit can vary from 35 cents to $1.75 per gallon, according to the Congressional Research Service. Investments in SAF have also increased due to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Renewable Fuel Standard, state programs and tax credits incentivizing use of the fuel.

A current regulatory freeze by the Trump administration is adding a hiccup to the Inflation Reduction Act’s Clean Fuel Production Credit or 45Z tax credit. Because regulatory guidance from the U.S. Treasury came out just days before President Donald Trump returned to office, and because the Trump administration issued an executive order entitled “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review,” this and many other funding sources are on hold pending a 60-day review.

"Treasury will ultimately need to formally issue a proposed rule to implement 45Z, accept and consider public comment, and issue a final rule," according to Dr. Adam Schubert, a senior associate at Stillwater Associates, a transportation fuels consulting firm. "This process could easily take a year. Until that happens, industry will continue in an uncomfortable state of being unable to confidently quantify the tax credit associated with their current fuel production. This uncertainty may force some producers, primarily smaller producers with weaker balance sheets, to shut down or restrict operations."

The Minnesota Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Tax Credit provides state tax credit to qualifying taxpayers for producing or blending SAF in the state between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2030. That credit amount equals $1.50 for each gallon of SAF that is both produced in Minnesota or blended with aviation, gasoline, or jet fuel in Minnesota, and sold in Minnesota to a purchaser who certifies that the SAF is for use as fuel in an aircraft departing from an airport in Minnesota.

What that has done is allow production to blossom. In 2022, 25 million gallons of SAF were produced, increasing to 140 million gallons in 2023 and 340 million gallons in 2024, according to Davidman.

But production is still far from Delta’s goal to reach 400 million gallons by 2030 and 35% of their overall use of fuel by 2035. And Delta is one among many in the industry that want to use SAF.

Delta Air Lines alone uses 4 billion gallons of jet fuel annually, with the U.S. airline industry using 30 billion gallons and the world using 50 billion gallons. The U.S. airline industry aims to replace 10% of conventional jet fuel with SAF by 2030, equating to 3 billion gallons.

“So we have a long way to go to get us to where we want to get to,” he said.

While the current blend is 50/50 SAF and conventional jet fuel, Davidman said a Virgin Airlines flight of 100% SAF was successful. He sees the blend rate continuing to increase over time as it becomes more widely used in the industry. When asked about how jet engines respond to the different fuel, he said it makes no difference.

“So what we can do today is we can take 50% sustainable aviation fuel, we can blend it with 50% conventional jet fuel, and that is ASTM certified,” Davidman said. “That is FAA certified. Our planes don't know the difference. Our engines don't know the difference.”

“There is a global race to be first, and I'm excited to say that we at Minnesota today are near the front of the pack,” said Peter Frosch, CEO of Greater MSP, the House ag committee.

Other regions are currently outpacing the Midwest in production of SAF, but that's largely through the use of used cooking oil. Gevo is the global leader of SAF production, producing about 2.5 billion gallons in 2023.

Frosch explained that the Minnesota SAF Hub has helped to develop a strategy for how to create a pathway for more SAF production. The Minnesota SAF Hub is a public, private partnership working towards creating the supply chain needed to create 1 billion gallons of SAF per year in Minnesota.

To continue to push for SAF production in the state, representatives of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association, Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, Delta, Minnesota Farmers Union and Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association spoke about how they can work with the Minnesota legislature to continue to grow the industry. Tax credits are part of that equation.

“Minnesota has plenty of feedstocks ready to go,” she said. “We know that we are going to need everything and anything that’s available to meet the demand.”

Andrea Vaubel, deputy commissioner at the Department of Agriculture, urged the committee to focus on legislation that further boosts the sustainable aviation fuel industry, specifically, continuing the tax credits that can bring new investors to the table and build production efforts.

Vaubel noted that the state supported the tax credit effort at $11.6 million previously and Gov. Tim Walz's proposed budget is calling for further investment.

Davidman said tax credits won't be needed longterm, once the infrastructure and market catches up. He adds that SAF is the best bet right now as electricity will not be powering flights anytime soon.

“We are 75 years away from an electric plane that people would want their families to ride on,” Davidman said.

Jacob Shapiro, a geopolitical speaker, was also one of the session speakers at the Northern Corn and Soybean Expo. He pondered if one of Trump’s moves in Europe would be to get them to invest in U.S. SAF. Europe has the greatest demand for SAF yet they want nothing to do with soybean and corn feedstock, Shapiro said. He suggests that if the U.S. could get Europe to use 15-20% of their feedstock SAF in their blends, it could be a major export opportunity.

But he also spoke about the potential for the U.S. to grow domestic use of its agricultural products at a time when markets are changing around the world. He drew a picture of the rise of South America as the low-cost producer of corn and soybeans in the world, offering other nations a cheaper option over U.S. grains. So if the U.S. continues to lose footing to the growing acreage of Brazil, it may be better to build the domestic market.

“If you are looking for the best potential export market in the future for the United States — let it be the United States,” Shapiro said.

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Walz appoints Audrey Partridge as commissioner of the Public Utilities Commission

Mary Murphy — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 21:59:00 GMT

ST.PAUL — Gov. Tim Walz appointed Audrey Partridge as the new Commissioner of the Public Utilities Commission on Thursday, Jan. 30.

The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is a five-member body with legislative and quasi-judicial functions aimed at regulating electricity, natural gas and telephone services industries in Minnesota. The appointment comes as Minnesota’s Legislative session is underway and the PUC recently approved the state’s first carbon capture pipeline.

"I am so grateful to be appointed to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. I thank Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan for trusting me to serve our state at this pivotal time in our clean energy transition,” Partridge said in a Thursday release. “I will work each and every day to meet Minnesota's ambitious clean energy goals, while maintaining affordability and reliability, and supporting Minnesota's communities and our highly skilled energy workforce."

Partridge has been the director of policy for the Center for Energy and Environment since 2017 and has served as senior regulatory analyst and local energy policy manager with CenterPoint Energy. Partridge earned an M.P.P. from the University of Minnesota and a B.S. from Macalester College.

“Partridge is a proven leader with expertise in regulatory policy and extensive background in energy and environmental work,” Walz said in a press release. “She will be an effective leader, positioned to guide Minnesota towards 100 percent clean energy while ensuring the delivery of safe, reliable, and sustainable utility services across the state.”

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Minnesota lawmakers revisit efforts to lift state’s nuclear moratorium

Mary Murphy — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 20:50:25 GMT

ST. PAUL — Two bipartisan bills aimed at repealing Minnesota’s nuclear moratorium went before the Senate Energy, Utilities, Environment and Climate Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 29.

One of the bills, SF350, aims to lift the moratorium entirely, clearing the way for construction of all-new nuclear power plants. The other, SF468, focuses specifically on authorizing the development of small, modular nuclear reactors.

The bill to authorize small nuclear reactors died in committee, but the legislation to lift the moratorium was “laid over” for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill. Although both bills had DFL support originally, after hearing testimony from the Prairie Island Indian Community, Democrat Senators said on Wednesday that they weren't ready to vote on the matter.

Minnesota’s 30-year-old nuclear moratorium, prompted by environmental concerns about nuclear waste, passed in 1994 and stopped the construction of any nuclear power plants since, leaving the state to rely on two plants built in the 1970s.

The two plants — Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant near Red Wing, and Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant near Monticello — account for 21% of Minnesota’s electricity as of 2023, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The Prairie Island reservation is less than 700 yards from over 1,000 tons of nuclear waste generated from the plant, Blake Johnson, a Tribal member of the Prairie Island community, told the committee on Wednesday. Johnson also said that his community is the closest community, native or non-native, in the nation to a nuclear plant and stored nuclear waste.

“In our history, we've been forced to live next to a nuclear plant,” Johnson said. “If this were your community's history, I would imagine you'd be hearing from your constituents as a part of this discussion. They might ask, what the risk of an accident or an emergency is to their community? They might contemplate a scenario where they leave for work but don't get to come home due to radiation leak.”

Johnson said that while he appreciates the conversations he’s had with the chief author of the bill, Sen. Andrew Mathews, R-Princeton, his tribe is not ready to support the bill and said it is a no vote “today.”

“I just want to point out we have tough choices to make on energy and we don't have a simple silver bullet, or we would already be firing it,” Sen. Nick Frentz, DFL-North Mankato, said. “I hope everyone agrees that this has been a positive conversation headed in the right direction but I hope that we can find a path with Prairie Island on board, and it will take that to get my yes vote.”

Sen. John Hoffman, DFL-Champlin mirrored Frentz’s comments, saying he suggests they table lifting the moratorium until the Island community is on board.

“I'm supportive, but Prairie Island needs to have this conversation first,” Hoffman said. “The timing on it just doesn't seem fitting for me. I will not do anything without the consent of the elders of the island.”

Mathews said this legislation is critical to meet the Carbon Free Electricity by 2040 goal passed by Gov. Tim Walz in 2023, which means all electricity used in the state should come from sources that do not produce carbon emissions like solar, wind, hydro and nuclear power.

“I’m disappointed to see partisanship emerge when there has been considerable work over the last several years to build bipartisan support,” Matthews said. “Minnesotans deserve access to affordable and reliable energy, and by failing to advance a bill they claim to support, Democrats are making it harder to provide reliable energy that meets their carbon-free energy goals.”

The Senate Committee also heard a bill that could modify large-scale hydropower projects to be counted as carbon-free. Currently, the “carbon-free” hydropower projects are capped at 100 megawatts, this bill, SF426, aims to expand that to help accomplish the 2040 goals.

House Republicans also said they plan to introduce legislation that would lift the nuclear moratorium, but after the Supreme Court order on Friday, Jan. 24, Republicans are not allowed to introduce any bills or hold committees with only 67 members present and 66 Democrats boycotting.

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What happens to Minnesota’s clean energy goals, controversial mining project under Trump’s proposed policies?

Mary Murphy — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 13:10:00 GMT

Editor’s note: This is Part 3 of 5 in a series examining how the upcoming presidency of Donald Trump may impact Greater Minnesota.

ST. PAUL — Minnesota could see its most significant environmental impacts from President-elect Donald Trump’s push for mining as he proposes sweeping changes to clean energy and environmental laws.

Here’s how the state’s central environmental goals, like carbon-free electricity by 2040, nuclear moratoriums and mining bans, might be impacted during his second term.

Mining under the microscope

At a July campaign rally in St. Cloud, Trump said he would open up copper mining in Minnesota “in 10 minutes.”

Trump’s campaign website also outlines plans to “unleash” natural resources in the U.S. and specifically calls attention to targeting the Midwest, recently tapping North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum as a potential pick to lead the Department of the Interior.

Chris Anderson, born and raised in Ely, Minnesota, a Bois Forte Band member and former legal director for Twin Metals, said nobody is cheering the outcome of the presidential election more than Twin Metals and Rep. Pete Stauber, a Republican who represents Minnesota’s 8th District.

Twin Metals, a mining company that started in the early 2000s, plans to mine underground copper, nickel and precious metals in Minnesota but has not started mining due to hurdles created by environmental concerns.

Anderson said he joined Twin Metals during the Obama administration, when the project first lost its leases. He said he watched as the leases were reinstated by Trump and put back on hold by President Joe Biden.

“As the political winds kind of shifted, especially with the Biden administration coming in, that domino effect came in with numerous decisions that basically gummed up the project … it’s been basically treading water,” Anderson said. “The outcome of the federal election clearly benefited Twin Metals, because that outcome basically is the lifeline that they needed to continue with the project.”

Twin Metals focuses on the minerals within the Maturi deposit in the northeast part of the state. According to Twin Metals’ website, the Maturi deposit is one of the largest undeveloped deposits of these minerals in the world and holds 4.4 billion tons of ore containing copper and nickel.

State Rep.-elect Cal Warwas, R-Clinton Township, a third-generation steelworker, iron and taconite miner, said expanding mining projects like Twin Metals located near legislative District 7B are vitally important to his district.

“My district is very mining-centric,” he said. “There’s more mining in 7B than anywhere else in North America that I’m aware of. So, that’s a very, very big deal, because the money that will flow from that ... is going to support schools all across Minnesota through school trust lands. That’s going to be huge. It’s also going to revitalize this region.”

Twin Metals released a compilation of studies from organizations including the Department of Employment and Economic Development and the Bureau of Business and Economic Research showing some of the economic benefits — including state royalty revenues of $156 million, $3 billion to support education and 750 new jobs — created by the proposed mine.

John Spry, Minnesota economist and professor at the University of St. Thomas, said the economic boost may not be as large as anticipated, and existing copper mining economies would likely process the metals outside Minnesota.

“It’s not going to be a gigantic boom that’s notable, noticeable, like what North Dakota had with the western North Dakota advances in the hydraulic fracking,” Spry said, adding that it could be in the country’s and Minnesota’s best interest to look at mining elsewhere. “You do the mining here, right? You put the environmental risk on Americans. Probably better for the world’s environment, but worse for Minnesota.”

Minutes or months

Ingrid Lyons, executive director of Save the Boundary Waters, said the “10-minute” claim is an exaggeration of Trump’s capabilities, but her organization is anticipating anything.

“Trump is not allowed to sign an executive order on day one getting rid of the mining ban,” Lyons said. “That’s not how the process works under normal procedure. It is the Secretary of the Interior who would lead on the revocation of a mining ban.”

Anderson said overturning the ban won’t be an easy feat for Trump — it could take years for him to repeal.

“Even if the Trump administration reverses the mining ban and reinstates the leases, you’re just going to have the environmental groups come right back in, refile their lawsuits, and this whole tennis match regarding the validity of the leases is going to continue in the courts,” he said.

Gov. Tim Walz, in an unrelated press conference on Nov. 26 at the state Capitol, addressed ongoing debates around Minnesota mining.

“If it meets the environmental standards, if it meets what was asked of it, if it meets the permitting processes both federal and state wanted, then you should mine it. If it doesn’t, you should not,” he said. “That’s been our position from the beginning.”

What about clean energy and Minnesota’s environmental goals?

Lyons said the mining danger comes from sulfide ore, the rock that contains copper. She said when this rock is brought to the surface and exposed to air and water, it creates a chemical reaction that produces acidic runoff, which can cause harmful metals to leak out of the waste rock.

Lyons said this could destroy the water source that is the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, not only hurting wildlife but also creating a ripple effect on the water supply, fish supply, tourism and real estate.

“These waterways flow directly into the Boundary Waters, and so we’re talking about creating a copper mining district in extremely close proximity to the wilderness (and) central waters that flow into it,” she said. “This is a problem, because so far, copper mining has been found by the EPA to be the most polluting industry in America.”

Warwas said that since this mining is modern and done underground, it won’t affect the Boundary Waters.

“People need to focus on the differences between the types of mining we’ve done in the past and what’s being proposed,” he said. “Twin Metals’ project is an underground project, and so the actual footprint of what we do as a region will be very small. The precious metals mining that’s designed to be underground is all targeted. It’s all core drilled. They know where the minerals are, and so they would be basically building corridors to those metals.”

Anderson said the debate about its safety hinges on the fact that this kind of copper mining has never been done before.

“The problem for Twin Metals is that it’s a brand new way of mining,” he said. “Twin Metals is saying, ‘Yes, just follow the science, give us the rules that you need us to abide by, and we’ll show you how our project can meet those standards.’ And the environmental groups are saying, ‘Yeah, but, here we’re writing potentially new rules for an unknown mining method.’ ... That is very hard to do when the testing ground is a treasured national park and a sacred ecosystem to two tribal communities.”

Also central to Minnesota’s environmental conversations are some of its clean energy policies, like the Carbon-Free by 2040 law, which requires the state’s electric utilities to provide carbon-free electricity by 2040.

Allen Gleckner, lead of policy and programs for Fresh Energy Minnesota, said the Inflation Reduction Act, passed in 2022, has been a point of discussion for clean energy under Trump and a major driver of clean energy investment projects like Carbon Free by 2040 in Minnesota. The Inflation Reduction Act includes tax credits and incentives for renewable energy sources like wind and solar and energy storage and support for emerging technologies such as hydrogen.

Trump said he will “rescind all unspent funds under the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act,” Politico reported in September.

“The tax credits for wind, solar, storage, that kind of stuff, you know, will certainly have an impact on cost for those technologies in Minnesota,” Gleckner said. “But even with changes to the IRA, I wouldn't expect that there would be a dramatic shift in approach for clean energy in the state, or meeting our 100% law.”

The IRA also includes the Justice 40 initiative, which directs 40% of climate-related investments to disadvantaged communities, including areas that historically relied on coal and fossil fuel industries, such as Becker and Hibbing, where two of Minnesota’s power plants are located.

Gleckner said one other area of Minnesota’s environmental law that could be impacted by federal policy is Minnesota’s vehicle emissions standards, promoting the transition to electric vehicles. He said the Minnesota Nuclear Moratorium, a law that prevents the construction of new nuclear power plants, could not be affected by federal changes.

Gleckner said Minnesota’s clean energy progress may not come to a full stop under Trump, but how quickly and cost-effectively the state can achieve its goals may be impacted.

“The Trump administration isn’t going to change the policy of the state, the course of the state, which is that we’re transitioning our energy system,” he said. “But it certainly can impact how that happens, how fast it happens, the cost of that transition.”

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Bemidji cabinet factory receives $94,850 to install 48-kilowatt solar array

Pioneer Staff Report — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 22:12:51 GMT

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar, both D-Minn., have announced nearly 130 new clean energy projects across rural Minnesota with one set for Bemidji's Northwest Cabinets Inc.

The $15,629,305 investment seeks to save farms and rural small businesses $18,414,061 on their energy bills per year while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions with a saving of 170,433,830 kilowatt hours per year — enough to power 15,727 homes, a release said.

“The clean energy transition is happening; the question is whether we lead or follow. I want us to lead,” Smith said in the release. “But as we make the switch to cleaner, cheaper energy, we need to make sure everyone benefits, including small towns and rural communities. That’s one reason why projects funded by the Rural Energy for America Program are so important.

"These investments will help farmers and business owners save money and improve their bottom lines while reducing harmful carbon emissions.”

The project includes Beltrami County, awarding $94,850 for Northwest Cabinets to purchase and install a 48-kilowatt solar array for its commercial and residential cabinet factory, with an annual saving of $21,226 and 60,466-kilowatt hours per year, which is enough electricity to power six homes.

“Investing in long-term energy is a win-win for rural customers and businesses,” Klobuchar said in the release. “With this federal funding, we’re taking a big step toward deploying new energy technologies to power rural communities across Minnesota for decades to come.”

This year, Minnesota has seen over 380 clean energy projects on farms and in rural communities because of the Renewable Energy for America Program (REAP).

REAP funding is specifically set aside for agricultural producers and rural small businesses to install renewable, clean energy systems, or to make operations more energy efficient.

Example projects include installing energy-efficient grain dryers, LED lighting and heat mats for livestock, solar panels or energy-efficient heating and cooling systems.

The full list of projects can be found here.

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Otter Tail Power Company advances plan to add solar energy plant near Solway

Pioneer Staff Report — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 18:46:53 GMT

SOLWAY — Solway Solar, a proposed 100,000 solar panel generation facility by Otter Tail Power Company, is projected to power 9,000 homes once complete.

On Dec. 9, Otter Tail Power advanced their plans of building Solway Solar in Lammers Township outside of Solway by contacting the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to determine if the costs associated with Solway Solar and Abercrombie Solar — a second, larger solar facility in North Dakota — are eligible for cost recovery.

Now, depending on the timing of project approvals, Solway Solar is expected to be fully operational sometime in 2026.

“This location offers an opportunity to add solar generation where transmission interconnection facilities already exist, which helps keep costs low for our customers,” said Otter Tail Power President Tim Rogelstad.

Otter Tail Power estimates the facility will generate $4.2 million in local and state tax benefits throughout the estimated 35-year lifespan of the facility while creating 70 construction jobs during the peak of the construction period, according to a release.

The two solar generation facilities combined serve as a way to meet customer's future energy needs.

“These economic solar facilities fit the requirements of our recently approved Minnesota Integrated Resource Plan,” said Rogelstad. “Combined with our existing low-cost generation resources, they’ll help us continue to provide cost-effective, reliable electricity to our customers.”

Otter Tail Power’s Integrated Resource Plan outlines the combination of resources the company will use to meet its customer's energy needs during the next 15 years.

“We expect that 57% of our energy generation will come from renewable resources by 2030," Rogelstad added, "while ensuring electric service continues to be safe, reliable, and economical.”

Otter Tail Power Company, a subsidiary of investor-owned Otter Tail Corporation (Nasdaq Global Select Market: OTTR), is headquartered in Fergus Falls. The company generates, transmits and distributes electricity to approximately 133,700 customers in 422 communities across 70,000 square miles of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

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27 electric vehicles featured at Beltrami Electric's 6th annual car show

Charley Gilbert — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 20:49:45 GMT

BEMIDJI — Nearly 250 community members came out to view 27 electric vehicles ranging from lawnmowers to Teslas on Thursday for Beltrami Electric's sixth annual electric vehicle car show.

“What we're seeing first and foremost are more electric vehicles on the road … more brands and more manufacturers making more electric vehicles,” Beltrami Electric Vice President Mike Birkeland said. “We want to be an information source for people and we're hoping this event provides people with answers to their questions.”

Attendees were able to visit with the owners of the vehicles to hear first-hand what owning and operating an electric vehicle is like longterm.

“It is a great opportunity for people to get first-hand information from folks who've made that investment,” Birkeland said. “We're giving a lot of rides in electric vehicles tonight. There are upsides and downsides with all kinds of technology, so why not find out from others? That's maybe the most advantageous aspect of this event.”

‘I plug it in like my phone’

The 2024 Tesla Cybertruck on display caught people’s attention right away with its steel exterior and unorthodox design.

“Well it’s really good at everything,” Cybertruck owner Cameron Chisholm said. “It's a full-size truck, but it's as nimble as a sports car, and it accelerates from 0-60 in four seconds.”

Chisholm noted one of the biggest hesitations about EVs he hears from people is the charging, adding that charging his car becomes part of his routine and happens instinctively over time.

“If you own an electric car, you have to incorporate times when you’re not driving the car to be charging it,” he said. “For daily driving, I plug it in like my phone — I never even think about it.”

The young attendees were also impressed with the vehicle and had fun climbing inside the driver’s seat to check it out for themselves.

“The kids love the Cybertruck," Chisholm said. "They just go nuts for it."

Another prominent vehicle on display was one of Red Lake's two recently added electric school buses, which a few lucky attendees were able to take a short ride on as well.

“It's great to see the interest level with a wide range of folks and it’s a good event to bring kids in,” Birkeland said. “The kids have been checking out these vehicles, too.”

Birkeland noted that as electric technology continues to develop it increases the chances of the next generation adopting electric vehicles.

“Quite frankly, a lot of the kids that we see here today probably will own an electric vehicle of some sort in the not-too-distant future because we’re probably going to see this technology continue to grow in popularity and adoption,” he added.

A place to learn

For Beltrami Electric Communications Specialist Angela Lyseng, the event is an annual opportunity for folks in the area to get hands-on experience and real-life advice on all things electric.

“The goal is to let members and the consumers learn more about (electric) cars,” Lyseng said. “This is a perfect opportunity to come and learn from the people who are driving them every day, and so by hosting this event, we're trying to bring that opportunity to the community.”

The Citizens’ Climate Lobby Bemidji Chapter was also on hand at the event offering insight into rebates available for EVs.

“There are both federal and state rebates that you can get for buying a new or used electric vehicle,” Lyseng added.

Although the event is focused on educating people who are curious about EVs, the gathering is also a fun way for EV owners to share their thoughts, experiences and insights with others.

“Electric vehicles may not be for everybody, but we want to be a conduit for those that want to learn more to be able to provide them that opportunity and give them direction on how to proceed," Lyseng said. "How to buy one, how to get a charger installed, how to get a rebate ... it’s informative and also a chance for people to explore.”

Birkeland shared his hope that beyond educating attendees, the annual event will bring people together in an interactive way.

“This event does not only provide people the opportunity to learn about this technology but have fun in a setting with an upbeat atmosphere,” Birkeland left off. “If nothing else, even if people aren't going to ever adopt the technology, they're going to learn something.”

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When horse and tractor battled for supremacy, technology seen as 'such bunk would make a dead man laugh'

C.S. Hagen — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 20:07:20 GMT

At 8 o’clock in the morning, June 28, 1921, thousands of farmers and onlookers held their breaths as the great National Tractor Farming Demonstration and Show began.

On one side of the 640-acre contest zone, 37 gas-powered metallic tractors roared to life. A few engines had trouble starting, according to newspaper reports found within the archives of The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. Outfitted with massive steel wheels and tracks, weighing up to 30,000 pounds each, the machines belched black smoke before lurching forward.

On the other side, 12 hay-powered draft horse teams, weighing up to 2,000 pounds each and rigged with the latest steel plows — “the primary implement of civilization” — dug their hooves into the Red River Valley soil, called “gumbo” for its sticky clay-like nature. Reliable, trusted beasts bred for pulling heavy loads, left emissions that would fertilize the earth.

Called a herculean contest on a scale never before seen, a battle between machine and horse — change vs. tradition — ensued as the three-day competition’s goal was for each participant to plow, prepare and seed 10 acres of ground, and then compare costs and quality of the work.

Most onlookers in Fargo, North Dakota, had no idea their lives would soon change forever.

“Few of those seeing powerful tractors and plows turning an acre an hour at the Fargo demonstration will realize that they are witnessing the culmination of centuries of man’s efforts to conquer the soil,” a story in the The Forum reported.

Not everyone was excited about change. Some, like Wayne Dinsmore of Chicago, secretary and propagandist of the Horse Association of America, refused to participate, saying “the much-heralded contest between horses and tractors at Fargo” was a frame-up.

At the time the Red River Valley was considered the second most important agricultural spot in the nation, with fertile soil, a literal breadbasket for the nation. But the weather was unseasonably hot. Weeds were tall. The soil was tough. The contest wasn’t fair, Dinsmore said.

“Such bunk would make a dead man laugh,” Dinsmore said in the Lancaster County Citizen.

Months after the event, Dinsmore scorned the crowd size, saying onlookers didn’t add up to 1,000 people because of his earlier “sweeping expose of the scheme, through letters sent to all county agents in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana.”

“And those present were on the payrolls of the tractor companies,” Dinsmore added.

The true numbers, according to The Forum, soared above 10,000 participants. More than 2,500 automobiles were parked all around the sprawling farm, and attendees ambled along the Red Trail, between horticultural and agricultural tents, experimental stations, powerhouse grounds and the actual competitors themselves. People from around the nation booked rooms in Fargo’s 18 hotels, and residents — number 25,914 in 1921 — offered their own homes for rent.

As the contest neared its third day, headlines in the newspaper depicted chaos. A local cigar store was robbed.

The ongoing investigation into young Marie Wick's murder in room 30 at the Prescott Hotel was front page news. A few onlookers were arrested for harboring moonshine, a crime since Prohibition began one year earlier, according to The Forum's archives.

Young Ernest Moe was struck by a car at the farming event. He was left lying by the roadside. He survived.

Despite the chaos, the official results became clear that tractors were more efficient than horses. All the horse teams fell behind the machine's speed, and in their efforts to catch up, five horses died.

Tallying up the costs of gasoline, kerosene, lubricating oil, pounds of hay and man hours per acre, tractors cost $1.30 per acre and horses ran $2.40 per acre, according to the Hutchinson Gazette.

“Tractor power is cheaper than horsepower,” the Hutchinson Gazette reported in August 1921.

In essence, farmers paid $20 to prepare a 10-acre seedbed with horses, and only $8.97 to do the same work with tractors, according to the Devil’s Lake World. A new tractor in 1921 cost about $650, the equivalent to around $11,400 today. A good draft horse would set a farmer back about $150, or $2,600 today.

“The fight against tractors and trucks may weary some; but it is a fact that the men who have been talked into purchasing such equipment, become short of cash in consequence,” Dinsmore argued.

But farmers could earn their money back, according to contest findings. “Using these figures, the purchase of a tractor, therefore, meant a savings of $318 a year by cutting off the expense of keeping two horses,” the Devil’s Lake World reported.

“So it is not surprising that reports everywhere indicate new interest in tractors and a new idea of power farming as a result of the Fargo farming demonstration,” the Devil’s Lake World reported.

The debate continued on for decades, however, but horses were slowly replaced with machines.

“The tractor … has ruined nearly every farmer who has been so unfortunate as to purchase one,” Dinsmore was quoted as saying before the results of the competition were publicized in the Lancaster County Citizen.

Critics of the evolution of farming also argued that horses could replicate; while “two tractors don’t easily make three,” The Forum reported.

There was one fundamental difference between horses and tractors that farmers needed to consider, according to the Salt Lake Telegram in 1918.

“The animal power is elastic, while tractor power is absolute,” the Salt Lake Telegram reported, explaining that horses can draw on reserve strength, but a tractor had no reserves.

Proponents argued back, saying tractors could run day or night, could plow an acre an hour, allowed farmers to till more acreage and machines weren’t susceptible to disease.

“Horses and mules must be fed and cared for year-round, and farmers needed to set aside about 6 acres of land to harvest feed per animal, per year. With those extra acres now available to grow crops for market, and a tractor that only consumed fuel when it was running, farmers were thrust further into the cash economy,” according to the Smithsonian Institute.

When internal combustion engines — powered by gasoline or kerosene — reached 8,000 horsepower, they became an eco-friendly alternative to the coal-burning steam engines, with about 6,000 horsepower.

The new machines would rid the world of smoke-belching chimneys and smog, centralize power plants and save power manufacturers millions of dollars every year, according to the Salt Lake Herald.

“There is no better smoke preventer on the market today than the gas producer. After the plant is in working condition, there is an absolute freedom from smoke,” said Robert Fernald, a professor of mechanical engineering at Washington University in the Salt Lake Herald.

The first gasoline-powered tractor was built in 1892 in Iowa, and manufacturing of the machines didn’t begin on a large scale until 1902. Slow to catch on at first, tractor production increased from 1,000 in 1910 to nearly 5 million in 1970, according to Successful Farming magazine.

The innovation of the tractor changed the country’s landscape dramatically, allowing some farmers to cultivate more land while millions of others relocated to cities to pursue other interests.

“The U.S. would have been almost 10% poorer in 1955 in the absence of the farm tractor,” the Economic History Association reported.

A story in the Bowbells Tribune titled “What the Bird Man Saw,” featured a reporter who photographed the event from an airplane, publishing a grainy picture in the newspaper in September 1921. The reporter, George E. Fuller, watched like a “bird man” as tractors overtook horses with ease.

“Whiz-zzz! A rush of air — a sensation like shooting upward in a speedy elevator — my plane rose swiftly from the ground at the Fargo farming demonstration,” Fuller reported.

He told the pilot to circle the 640 acres, taking pictures as they flew. Tractors were lined up along their respective fields, work already accomplished, while horse outfits slowly furrowed through weeds, Fuller said.

“‘How can the horse compete with the tractor in the face of such evidence?’ I thought. ‘I realized then and there that it is inevitable that horses will be displaced by tractors in field work just as surely as automobiles have displaced them on the road,’” Fuller wrote, adding that he wished every farmer could have seen what he saw that day.

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UMN Morris mixes cows and solar on Midwest's largest agrivoltaic pasture

Michael Johnson — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 13:00:00 GMT

MORRIS, Minn. — The whirring sound of power being generated is met with cows chewing their cud and whipping their tails side to side under sunny skies near the University of Minnesota Morris.

The backdrop of organic dairy cows grazing beneath the shade of hundreds of solar panels was a sight to behold by a group of students, staff, politicians and the public during a dedication ceremony on Sept. 6 for what’s believed to be the largest agrivoltaic pasture in the Midwest.

Agrivoltaics is when energy and agriculture co-exist on the same land. That can include growing crops or pollinator habitat or raising livestock among the solar array. The solar array can act to shade cool-season crops and retain soil moisture, which can be beneficial to the plants. They can also provide shade to cattle on hot days.

The field of solar panels in the city of Morris now provides 500kW of electricity to the University of Minnesota Morris campus — and more shade for the West Central Research and Outreach Center dairy herd. The campus is carbon neutral thanks to these advancements in energy production on site.

Being able to utilize the land for agriculture and energy can mean an increase in farm income. That's something that has farmers taking a closer look at this design. Another key part of this innovation is that having solar panels in pastures where they can benefit cattle means they are not going up on prime agriculture cropland, a point brought up by both Minnesota Sen. Torrey Westrom and Rep. Paul Anderson, both Republicans serving District 12, where Morris is located.

University of Morris Chancellor Janet Schrunk Ericksen called the latest array another step in making the campus more sustainable. Morris Campus Student Association President Riley Tollefsrud said that the efforts of the college to build a greener future were appreciated by the student body.

Morris Vice Chancellor for Finance and Facilities Bryan Herrmann said some contractors told them that installing solar panels 8 feet off the ground wouldn't work, but it had to work to graze cattle under them. So they found Hudson, Wisconsin, solar contractor Energy Concepts, which drove the metal posts 8 feet into the ground in order to support the panels, with the leading edge 8 feet in the air without the use of concrete footings. That choice was pleasing to those attending, as it meant when the solar panels someday reach the end of their life, they could choose to pull the metal supports and easily reclaim the ground.

“The challenges of being 8 feet in the air certainly increased the difficulty of the project,” said Russel Gilberg, president at Energy Concepts, electrical engineer and alumnus of the University of Minnesota.

There was concern that the posts might not offer enough support. When a storm rolled through with 80-mile-per hour winds that damaged area trees and structures, the solar array was not impacted.

“What makes it happen for these systems to withstand those kinds of conditions? Really good structural engineering,” Gilberg said. The posts are rated for the extreme conditions expected at the site. The panels are set at an angle to best take advantage of solar production. Shade is a byproduct of that. The panels are spaced so there is no shade hitting another panel during winter’s lower angle of sun.

Getting to this point of having this solar array as well as two wind turbines providing power for the campus has been a long process. UMN West Central Research and Outreach Center Director of Operations Mike Reese has been behind the work since 2001 as the renewable energy director for the WCROC. He’s overseen more than $18 million of research and demonstration projects including wind energy, biomass gasification, renewable hydrogen and ammonia, and solar-energy systems. Combining agriculture and energy technology is often called out as something that can’t be done.

Reese reflects on what President John F. Kennedy had to say about such things.

“We don’t do this because it’s easy. We do it because this is hard,” Reese said. “This is a great challenge for us to be able to combine sustainable agriculture, sustainable energy and look not only next year down the road, but look five, 10, 20, 50 years down the road at what kind of impact we’ve had.”

Reese said they have people visiting the site from all over the world regularly to see how they figured it out. The plan started on the back of a napkin 20 years ago, according to Reese and Westrom. Westrom said there was interest to create this special place in Morris and he was on board because he believes in diversifying options, comparing it to setting up a successful retirement fund.

“You diversify. There’s some risk. There’s some stable,” Westrom said. “We know what works good. Those steady investments, but we also need to advance those renewable opportunities.”

Westrom shared how this has been a long time coming, but there is more to come, things not yet even imagined.

The latest array was made possible through funds from the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources. While the energy projects are directly benefiting the Morris campus, the goal is to be a source to the state, nation and world of how this sort of project can work elsewhere.

Research projects

An agrivoltaics research project started out in 2019, with a 30 kW system in a pasture with 12 cows having access to the panels and another 12 cows having no access to the panels. Next came a 220 kW array. Construction of an additional 280 kW of solar panels was ongoing this summer at the West Central Research and Outreach Center. The new panels are bifacial, meaning they can absorb light reflected off the ground from the underside of the panels as well as the top of the panel. That should be especially productive when snow covers the ground.

Brad Heins, associate professor of organic dairy management in the Department of Animal Science, is leading much of the research behind how energy and agriculture can work together. He said when they first started, there were sheep under solar panels in the state, but not cows.

The findings of research during a 28-day period with that first solar array showed that there was no difference in milk production between the two groups. The group with access to solar panels were dirtier; however, researchers attributed that to higher moisture or manure buildup under the solar panels.

The main difference between the two groups was that the non-shaded group had higher breathing rates (78 breaths per minute compared to 66) and a higher body temperature (1 degree Fahrenheit higher) than the non-shaded group. This has led researchers to believe that the solar array may decrease heat stress for cattle utilizing the shade of the array.

When asked if 1-degree difference was a big deal, Heins was clear that that’s no small amount in cow comfort.

“Actually that 1 degree is a big difference,” Heins said. “It can have pretty huge ramifications in milk production. So if we lower heat stress we can increase milk production, we can increase growth of heifers and have less stress on the animals as well.”

Other research has been ongoing, including looking at which types of forage work best to plant and graze under solar panels. Heins said they planted about 25 types of plant mixes to test their ability to thrive in the conditions.

“So far we’ve found that orchard grass, meadow fescue and red clover probably does the best in combination for growth under solar panels to provide forage for cows,” he said.

Many farmers and solar companies from around the world want to know if this system is working. Heins explained that it is working, but they are continuing research to show what works best.

“We’re going to move into the future. We’re actually going to sort of expand some of our behavior research with cows,” Heins said. He shared that there is still concern that cows are going to wreck the panels. As he shared that, cows could be seen rubbing their necks on the panel posts, without having any impact on the structure. Even so, they are documenting the cow behavior. Heins also plans to plant some strawberry varieties and even grapes to see how they perform in this environment.

This cost of the latest solar array was about $731,000. About $452,000 of that came from the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources, which is largely paid for using state lottery dollars.

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