Solar Boat Regatta at Lake Phalen: May 16

This weekend is the 17th Annual Solar Boat Regatta, this year held at Lake Phalen in St. Paul. The Minnesota Renewable Energy Society, a non-profit group promoting local use of renewable energy sources, organizes the event.

Inventors, including many school students, enter their boats to compete in speed, endurance, and agility competitions.

But how relevant is solar power to Minnesota? Actually, Minneapolis and St. Paul have more solar energy projects going on that one might expect for a land where solar panels see more snow than sunshine. We have plenty of summer sun and our frequent sunny winter days are perfect for generating electricity.

Many local businesses, from co-ops to coffee shops to ice cream parlors, are successfully using solar energy too. And the city of Minneapolis operates several solar projects, including a fire station and two public works facilities, saving the city thousands of dollars every year.

And the Minneapolis Convention Center hopes to be building an even bigger project. The Convention Center needs a new roof, and the developers hope to incorporate $5 million of solar panels into the new one, making it the largest urban solar array in the Midwest. The Minneapolis City Council will be voting on whether to approve the project this month.