a little good news about Minnesota

As I remember it, the original plan proposed by Xcel Energy was to decarbonize by 2050. The subsequent well-justified public outcry at their lazy schedule led to the current phase-in plan to drop coal by 2030, which is the worst of our current CO2 contributors.

Coal power plants still supply almost 1/4 of Minnesota's power. That's down from about 1/2 in 2014, just 10 years ago. Thankfully, renewable energy currently supplies about 1/3 of our energy needs. And that nice percentage is even after annoying delays from the monopoly Xcel Energy to approve applications for solar projects to connect to the power grid.

Here's the good news. They're sticking to the plan. :) This report from CBS News talks about the changing energy mix. They call attention to the fact that Minnesota holds the sites of the soon-to-be 5th largest solar facility in the whole USA. It will cover 4,500 acres across 3 sites and contain 1.8 million solar panels. That's a change worth celebrating.