Our Economy
Our Economy: Building Our Future in Clean Energy
- Matt with Dan Juhl at one of Juhl Wind'sfarms in Woodstock, Minn
The name Silicon Valley was coined in 1971 by a magazine editor writing about the semiconductor industry in Santa Clara County, California. This part of our country was the birthplace of the integrated circuit, the microprocessor, the personal computer and the video game, leading directly to the development of hundreds of now-everyday products.
"Silicon Valley" is nearly synonymous with innovation and success. It describes a place where entrepreneurs, backed by investors, changed the way our country does business, goes to school, and entertains itself.
When I travel the state, I tell people Minnesota can be the Silicon Valley of clean energy and clean technology. What I mean is that we can lead a revolution even more profound than what began in California nearly 40 years ago. This time, there's more at stake: our economic future and the health of our planet.
Minnesota can leverage the potential of clean energy and clean technology to renew and diversify its economy, create jobs and help our entire country move forward. What we need is a vision, translated to policy and legislation that will put Minnesota in the leadership position.
The clean energy and clean tech economy is characterized by things we have traditionally been good at in Minnesota: innovation, the creation of value-added products, and the development of a skilled labor force.
Minnesota has competitive advantages compared to the rest of the country in:
Wind power
Solar energy
Cellulosic bio-fuels
Bio-based products
Minnesota needs leadership that will focus on building jobs in these areas. Part of that focus will be on education . There’s no way to build a strong economy long-term, in any sector, if we don’t produce high school and college graduates ready to innovate and start small businesses. We must reinvest in the college and university systems that have produced so many of our innovators and innovations. The next Medtronics and 3Ms will spring from here.
The private sector will invest in the states that show commitment to developing clean energy businesses. When we do, Minnesota will prosper again.
