It was immensely gratifying to read about a major solar-energy system, the Sherco Solar Project, installed in Sherburne County near Becker a couple weeks ago.
It’s the largest solar project so far in the Upper Midwest, and the first phase of the project has been completed. It will cost $700 million and will cover 3,000 acres of land.
Minnesota Gov. Walz, a very enthusiastic “Clean Energy” advocate, was present at a celebratory ceremony, along with many Xcel Energy officials.
When completed in 2026, the 710-megawatt installation will generate enough low-cost, carbon-free electricity to power up to 150,000 homes. Minnesota is expected to reach its goal of 100-percent clean-energy production by 2040.
At the ceremony, Gov. Walz said this: “We marked a major milestone in Minnesota’s clean energy transition today. The Sherco Solar Project will deliver carbon-free, low-cost power to 150,000 homes – all while creating good-paying jobs. We’re building a strong economy for the future right here in Minnesota.”
Chris Clark, Xcel’s president in its Minnesota-Dakotas region, had this to say: “This is really the kickoff of the transition from our Sherco coal plants into the next generation of solar.”
For many years, electricity in Sherburne County was generated by a coal-fired plant near Becker, and it’s still being operated. But Xcel Energy plans to shut down that plant by 2030.
When it comes to climate change, the handwriting is on the wall and time’s a-wasting. Wind, solar and hydro-energy, along with other clean-energy alternatives, must be the wave of the future globally or this planet will surely suffer terribly – if not be doomed completely. We have all seen the devastating results of climate change, a warming world: the rapid melting of glaciers, rising ocean levels, horrific hurricanes, floods, massive wildfires, temperatures in the triple digits, virtual extinctions of some animal species.
Even China is making strides toward clean energy because with its huge population numbers, it’s already painfully obvious that country cannot continue with dirty energy polluting, poisoning.
The United States has long been a leader of world initiatives, including clean-energy solutions. That leadership must continue in the most vigorous ways because climate change is a deadly serious global issue, not limited to this or that country.
But there is a danger that looms, that could halt progress on clean-energy solutions, at least here at home in the United States. President-elect Donald Trump has long scoffed at climate change, calling it a “hoax.” Time and again he has promised in rally speeches that he intends to promote, in his words, a “Drill, Baby, Drill” policy, meaning the ramping up of oil production and of course other dirty-energy systems, including coal – and “notions” of climate change and clean energy be damned.
Meantime, people who are dedicated to clean-energy solutions, who understand the drastic dangers of doing otherwise, should and must do everything in our power to counter the “Drill, Baby, Drill” mantra.