Minnesota energy & jobs experts travel to Germany, examine green policies

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (11/14/2011) —A delegation of government officials, legislators, researchers and energy industry professionals is in Germany for a joint seminar on green energy and jobs. The group, led by Lt. Gov. Yvonne Prettner Solon and sponsored by the University of Minnesota’s Center for German and European Studies, is meeting in Berlin through Nov. 19 with members of Germany’s Ministry of Economics and Technology who were responsible for reshaping German policy on green energy and jobs.

Why Germany
Germany is a world leader in renewable energy adoption. Its landmark renewable energies act (EEG) in 2000 provided the spark for a tremendous boost of investment, generated new jobs and became a model for many other countries interested in securing reliable energy supplies at an affordable cost. This year’s decision by the German government to exit nuclear power by the year 2022 is another landmark decision. While the idea to phase out nuclear power had been on the books for more than a decade, the nuclear disaster at Japan’s Fukushima plant created a new sense of urgency and a strong public consensus among German citizens. Germany, in effect, has become a huge laboratory and case study for the feasibility and challenge of large-scale energy transformation.

Issues to be examined
Members of Minnesota’s delegation will explore best practices around how Germany’s states, counties and cities create effective institutions and structures for the decentralized production and delivery of alternative energies while simultaneously producing new jobs. Sessions will address policy, comparing energy systems, wind and solar, connecting green energy to economic growth and practical challenges.

Who will attend
In addition to Solon, the delegation members are:

• Robert Ambrose, director of government affairs, Great River Energy
• Ellen Anderson, public utilities commissioner
• State Sen. Scott Dibble, member of the Energy, Utilities and Tele; Tax; and Transportation committees
• Bill Grant, deputy commissioner for energy and telecommunication, Minnesota Department of Commerce
• State Rep. Tom Hackbarth, Capital Investment; Finance; and Ways and Means committees and Energy subcommittees of the Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Policy committee
• Margaret Hodnik, vice president for regulatory and legislative affairs, Allete/Minnesota Power
• Rep. Frank Hornstein, member of Transportation Policy and Finance; Government Operations and Elections; and Ways and Means committees
• State Sen. John Howe, member of Transportation; Energy, Utilities, and Tele; Jobs and Economic Growth; and Tax committees
• Al Juhnke, state agriculture and energy field representative for Senator Al Franken
• Steve Kelley, senior fellow and director of Center for Science, Technology and Public Policy, U of M Humphrey School of Public Affairs
• State Sen. Doug Magnus, member of Agriculture and Rural Economies; Capital Investment; Energy, Utilities and Tele; and Finance committees
• Rolf Nordstrom, executive director, Great Plains Institute
• Dennis O’Brien, MN Public Utilities commissioner
• Connie Perpich, Center for German and European Studies advisory board
• State Sen. David Senjem, member of Capital Investment; Higher Education; Rules and Administration; Tax; and Transportation committees
• Elizabeth Wilson, associate professor of energy and environmental policy, U of M Humphrey School of Public Affairs

About the seminar
The seminar is a special three-year project of the University of Minnesota’s Center for German and European Studies and a group of international partners, including Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology and the German Academic Exchange Service. Subsequent years will expand the delegation to representatives from the five-state region and Manitoba. Funding is provided through a special German grant that fosters transatlantic exchange and commemorates George Marshall.

The interdisciplinary Center for German & European Studies at the University of Minnesota is one of six centers of excellence created in the United States with German government support. Since 2005 it has hosted the annual “American & German Health Care Forum” to foster health policy exchange on best practices between top-level U.S. and German health care experts. This is the first such exchange addressing green jobs and energy.

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• Last modified on November 14, 2011