There are no oil wells in Minnesota. Still, our state has a virtually unlimited energy reserve that is just beginning to be explored. The energy source is wind. Minnesota and surrounding states have the best winds in the country, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).
Minnesota is number nine in overall wind resources, with North Dakota number one and Iowa number 10. In production of wind energy, however, Minnesota is already number three.
The aggressive energy bill passed in 2007 seems likely to put wind power on a fast track. By 2025, all Minnesota utilities will be required to produce 25 percent of their power from renewable resources. Xcel Energy, the largest Minnesota power utility, is required to generate 30 percent renewable power by 2020.
Wind energy education
Designing, installing and maintaining wind turbines is already opening up new careers, and demand will continue to grow. Minnesota West Community and Technical Colleges currently offer Wind Energy certificates, diplomas and associate degrees at its Canby and Jackson campuses. (For more on those programs, visit the website: www.mnwest.edu). More recently, Riverland Community College in Albert Lea received a grant to develop a Wind Energy Technician diploma.
A career in Wind Energy is "a very easy switch for electricians and industrial maintenance mechanics," according to Steve Bowron, dean of Career and Technical Education at Riverland. "About 40 percent of the skills required are electrical, and another 40 percent are mechanical. The remaining 20 percent involves the actual blades, wind turbines and energy generation."
Riverland already offers Construction Electrician and Industrial Maintenance and Mechanics diplomas. Bowron says that many of the courses that will be required for the new Wind Energy program are available now. Only about half a dozen new courses will need to be developed for 2009. For more information on Riverland College, go to www.riverland.edu
Great jobs in Greater Minnesota
Bowron says the low end of the pay scale in wind energy is around $14 an hour. With a full package of skills, hourly wages rise to around $25 an hour, with good benefits. Since wind energy plants are in Greater Minnesota, where housing and other expenses are lower, those wages will go further than they do in the city, Bowron notes.
Laura French is principal of Words Into Action, Inc., and is a freelance writer from Roseville.
