The Minnesota Department of Energy Resources promotes energy conservation, efficiency, and renewable energy. It provides technical assistance and financial incentives to Minnesota consumers and businesses. The Next Generation Energy Act of 2007 requires utilities to save more energy, generate 25% of electricity from renewables by 2025, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Minnesota uses a large amount of energy annually, with transportation and residential buildings being the top users. Conservation and efficiency are the best strategies to reduce fossil fuel dependence, affect climate change, and secure the state's energy future while new technologies are developed. Individual actions can make a difference on energy bills and environmental impacts.

1. www.energy.mn.gov
Terry Webster

2. Who we are…
• Providing energy expertise
for over 30 years
– Promoting energy conservation, energy efficiency
and renewable energy to Minnesota consumers,
businesses, and policymakers through educational
outreach and technical assistance, targeted
financial incentives, and demonstrations of
market-ready new technologies.
• Publications, presentations, website,
training, energy fairs, State Fair Eco-Experience,
Living Green Expo

3. Legislative Action
• Next Generation Energy
Initiative of 2007:
– More Energy Savings
• NextGen requires utilities to save 1.5% of annual
retail energy sales—a doubling of energy savings!
– More Renewables
• MN utilities must provide 25% of electricity from
renewable sources by 2025
• Most aggressive standard in the nation!
– Less Carbon
• Statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals
• 15% by 2015, 30% by 2025, 80% by 2050

4. We use a lot of energy!
• Annual statewide energy use:
– 1.822 quadrillion Btus
Residential
Buildings – 21%
Transportation – 29%
All Buildings:
40%
Commercial
Buildings – 19%
Industrial – 31%
Source: Energy Information Administration 2006

5. Energy Use:
Annually
• This includes…
– Enough natural gas to fill
nearly 6000 Metrodomes
– Enough coal to fill a train stretching from
Duluth to New Orleans—and back again
– Enough petroleum to make
a layer 15 feet thick over
Interstate 94 from Hudson
to Moorhead—all four lanes

6. Energy Use:
Annually
• And all this energy use
generates over
105 million tons of CO2…
– Enough to fill the Mall of America
over 24,000 times

7. Every year the typical
MN house uses…
• Nearly
207 million
btus of Heating/AC – 55%
energy
– Electricity
Lights, electronics – 20%
– Natural gas
– Propane
Appliances – 15%
– Heating oil
Water Heating – 10%

8. The Energy Mix
• New technology will be in
our future…
– Wind, solar, bio-fuels, fuel cells,
hybrids, new construction
methods and materials…
• But we will have a mix of
energy sources for
decades…
– Coal, nuclear, natural gas,
petroleum, and renewables

9. In the meantime…
• Conservation and efficiency
actions are the best FIRST
strategies for:
– Reducing dependence on fossil fuels
– Affecting climate change
– Saving real money
– Securing our energy future
– Preparing for what comes next

10. What can I do?
• Can my actions really make
a difference for…
– my energy bill?
– the state’s energy bill?
– encouraging renewable energy?
– reducing our carbon emissions?
– securing our energy future?

11. www.energy.mn.gov
Terry Webster