U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu was in Southern Minnesota to talk renewable energy today. He and Congressman Tim Walz looked at projects developed locally that represent the future of green energy.
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Congressman Tim Walz are on a mission to promote clean energy.
"The U.S. has the opportunity to be at the forefront of this new industrial revolution," Steven Chu said.
A revolution that means finding alternative ways to produce energy.
"We would be foolish to simply depend strictly on oil, and we need to use oil, we need to use nuclear power, we've said those things, but you need to also be looking at furthering that," Walz said.
And today they took steps to do just that. Both Chu and Walz looked at new, cutting-edge projects in renewable energy, all developed in southern Minnesota.
Representatives from Minnesota State University, Mankato brought three vehicles designed by students that run only on solar and electrical power.
"It's been great, I mean for students to come and show their vehicle to the secretary of energy is kind of neat," Minnesota State Mankato Professor Bruce Jones said.
The secretary also took a look at a movable self-contained ethanol plant developed by Easy Energy Systems Incorporated in Welcome. It's a plant that can convert things like corncobs and wood into bio-fuels.
"What the overall idea is, we can build a mirror in Welcome, Minnesota, and employ people in Minnesota and ship them all over the world," Mark Gaalswyk said.
After looking at all of the projects both energy secretary Chu and Congressman Walz say Southern Minnesota is paving the way for renewable energy technology.
"Lots of things I'm seeing today are very, very encouraging to me," Walz said. "I feel real positive about it and I said to the secretary, it's not bragging if it's true. One of the things is we are leading the way."
Leading the way to a brighter, cleaner, future.
For the video of Jennifer Hudspeth's News 12 report from Rochester, go to http://www.keyc.com/node/25730
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