Minnesota Gets Serious About Energy

When Governor Tim Pawlenty created the Minnesota Office of Energy Security in January, he took the state closer to its goal of getting 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources by the year 2025. Sweden, a leader in renewable energy and energy efficiency, took notice.

Through its International Renewable Energy Technology Institute (IRETI), the country has reached out to three states—Minnesota, Georgia, and New York—to participate in a renewable energy technology exchange.

Minnesota was chosen to be part of IRETI’s project because the state is home to one of the biggest bioscience company clusters in the nation, as well as to strong research programs at the University of Minnesota. In addition, several sister-city relationships between cities in Minnesota and Sweden have developed, resulting in cross-cultural discussions and programs that may help bring renewable technologies to Minnesota.

Sweden currently satisfies 26 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources, such as combustible biomass—plants, wood, or pelletized versions of these. Sweden is also home to Växjö, Europe’s “greenest city,” according to Local Governments for Sustainability, a Toronto-based group representing local governments and organizations that have made a commitment to sustainable development. Växjö (which is a sister city to Duluth) decided to go fossil-fuel free in 1996, and now 50 percent of its energy comes from renewable sources. The city is well on its way to reaching its goal: Per capita emissions of carbon dioxide decreased by 30 percent between 1993 and 2006.

The BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota, a nonprofit based in St. Louis Park and dedicated to expanding the bioscience industry in Minnesota, teamed up with Minnesota State University in Mankato and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development to bid for a technology exchange with IRETI.

Minnesota and Sweden are good partners for the initiative, says Dale Wahlstrom, CEO of the BioBusiness Alliance. “We recognized that there are some areas of industry that we are very strong in and some where we aren’t. We went looking for partners that could help us fill in holes in our areas where we need help.” Wahlstrom hopes Minnesota companies can lend their expertise to Swedish companies, too.

According to Wahlstrom, 39 Swedish companies making sustainable energy products will introduce their technologies to Minnesota, Georgia, and New York, and will consider moving operations to these states. The companies were selected for having energy technologies that are different or more advanced than what is available in this country.