Transitioning to a Clean Energy Economy

A clean energy transition delivers greater energy independence, cheaper rates, and relies on resources we have in abundance. Nationwide, we rank third in wind energy potential and 13th in solar energy potential. Development of these renewable resources provides an economic boost for rural economies through job creation, annual land lease payments, and increased tax revenues.

Responsible expansion of wind and solar energy is necessary to ensure the well-being of our communities, businesses, and natural resources. There is already enough low-conservation value land in the state to provide 21 times the renewable energy siting needed to meet the Department of Energy’s wind development goal in the state. Low-conservation value land describes fragmented or disturbed land that can be developed without significant impacts to high-priority conservation areas and at-risk wildlife.

Carefully sited utility-scale renewable energy projects face less environmental conflict. This reduces project delays, resulting in lower costs and greater resource and time efficiencies.

A rapid transition to renewable energy is a necessary strategy to mitigate catastrophic warming, keeping the earth’s temperature increase to below 1.5 degrees Celsius; however, it alone is insufficient.

Photos in order of appearance: © American Public Power Association / Adobe Stock; © Dave Lauridsen / The Nature Conservancy; © Rebecca Johnson / The Nature Conservancy; Photo by PD-USGov, exact author unknown, distributed under a CC-BY 2.0 license; Photo by Karsten Würth on Unsplash