On August 30th, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm paid a visit to the Northland. The tour for Secretary Granholm began on the Iron Range at solar panel manufacturer Heliene in Mountain Iron and ended at Eco3's Lincoln Park Solar Garden in Duluth.
Jodi Slick, founder and CEO of Ecolibrium3, was present for the Secretary's time in Lincoln Park. "While they were up on the Range, they were actually announcing the largest community solar garden program and partnership in our nation's history," says Slick. "There is actually going to be... the development of about 400 new community solar gardens."
In spite of the accolades and attention from the federal level, Ecolibrium3 and the community are looking forward to potential improvements that include a new district energy system that would capture and redistribute heat from local sources. "There's a lot of work that needs to happen... Duluth has really become a hotbed for national models."
The U.S. Department of Energy posted a YouTube video after the visit highlighting the importance of Minnesota as an energy leader. Alongside Duluth Mayor Emily Larson and Senator Tina Smith, Secretary Granholm spoke about the future vision for the current administration. "The goal here is to make stuff in America, to be able to have the clean energy economy come from the United States, and Duluth is a great example of that."
You can hear Green Visions at 8:20am every Wednesday on Northland Morning.
