OPINION:
In his Clean Energy Week proclamation, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum talks about North Dakota’s all-inclusive energy portfolio, including wind, hydrogen, hydropower and solar as well as waste heat-generated power, which is supported by a reliable baseload provided by clean fossil fuel-generated energy.
North Dakota is committed to developing innovative solutions for clean, sustainable, and traditionally reliable forms of energy.
Grand Forks supports and continues to play a significant role in the growing renewable energy sector. We are home to the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota, which is recognized as one of the world’s leading developers of cleaner, more efficient energy as well as environmental technologies to protect and clean our air, water and soil. Historically, EERC works with over 1,300 energy clients in 53 countries and continues to provide practical, pioneering solutions to the world’s energy and environmental challenges.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) named EERC and their energy partners the Heartland Hydrogen Hub, one of seven hydrogen hubs to advance regional clean energy projects and improve energy security in a five-state region. This hydrogen hub will enhance decarbonization and reduce CO2 emissions for energy needs in industrial, agricultural, and commercial operations.
LM Wind Power and its 600 employees in Grand Forks produce some of the world’s largest blades for wind turbines which helps power a sustainable world. Wind power in North Dakota provided about one-third of North Dakota’s net generation in 2022, ranking among the top six states with the largest share of electricity generated by wind.
Minnkota Power is headquartered in Grand Forks and provides power to electric cooperatives in North Dakota and Minnesota. They have long been a leader in sustainable energy. Similar to the rest of the state, one-third of Minnkota’s electric generation comes from wind. Xcel Energy provides power to a customer base in the City of Grand Forks as well as 3.7 million customers in eight states in the Midwest and West. Their net-zero vision goals are to reduce carbon emissions by 80% from the electricity used by its customers by 2030, and they are on their way to delivering 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050.
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Grand Forks Air Force Base is home to Space Development Agency where the Department of Defense low earth-orbit satellites are controlled. We also have large and growing private and military-focused unmanned aerial systems and technology sectors in our community. All will need significantly more energy and energy redundancy in the future.
Through innovation, new technologies and an all-inclusive approach to energy production we join our governor in supporting Clean Energy Week.
• Brandon Bochenski has been Mayor of Grand Forks since June 2020, is a business economics graduate of UND, and retired in 2017 after a 15-year career as a professional hockey player in the AHL, NHL and KHL leagues. He became the first American-born player to ever captain a team in the history of Russia’s top league.
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