The sun sends more energy to the earth in one hour than all humans use in one year.
There is so much solar energy hitting the earth’s surface that even a single year of sunshine exceeds all known energy reserves of oil, coal, natural gas and uranium put together.
As a farmer, a work in progress for me has always been to increase profitability and sustainability on the farm as well as for my community. One of the best most recent decisions I have made was to invest significantly in my on-farm solar array.
This investment has allowed me to reduce and stabilize my energy costs while enhancing the farm's sustainable environment by generating solar power. While it was a substantial upfront investment, it has already added greatly to the long-term profitability and sustainability of the farm.
HF 845 would be moving the development of privately owned and invested alternative energy sources in the wrong direction by severely disincentivizing options for farmers, homeowners, and rural small businesses to be energy-independent, more profitable, and more sustainable.
What is the value of solar?
- Reduced fuel costs. Solar, wind and battery are technology, not fuel.
- Reduced fixed and variable costs of operations and maintenance.
- Minimized and reduced electrical reserve generation capacity costs.
- Reduced transmission capacity costs.
- Reduced distribution capacity costs.
By investing in the solar array on my farm, I am investing in the future. By investing in solar as I have done, Swanson’s Law continues to be a positive force in the ever-decreasing costs of solar and, ultimately, of electricity itself for everyone.
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As we continue to increase our demand for electricity, there will be a growing need for more electricity on the grid. Where will this capacity come from if not from added capacity infrastructure? Why not maintain the incentive for the private sector in the form of farm, homeowner and private business investments to grow as a significant part of this need.
Minnesota should not step backward on a longstanding effective policy that allows more of us to be energy producers, not just energy consumers. No on HF 845
The Trust Project
