The most recent studies indicate that MN is rich in wind energy which has the potential to produce 25 times the electricity MN used in 2010, and MN is contiguous to several other states with high wind energy resources.  Thus, wind can be a big economic resource for Minnesota.  MN could not only produce it's own electricity, but could develop manufacturing  facilities for wind turbine components and possibly export electricity in the future to states in the southeast which lack abundant resources.

MN's energy policies should be an important part of the state's economic development policies for the coming decades.  The map to the right shows that MN has high potential for producing electricity from wind over large areas of the state.  The areas with diagonal lines have ample wind resources.  The light green checkered pattern in much of the same area is for biomass.

The following map from "The Missing Peace in the Clean Energy Transformation" by John Farrell at the Institute for Local Self Reliance shows the rich abundance of wind energy in the midwest.  Listed are the percents of current electricity usage.  North Dakota has a much higher percent than MN mainly because it has a much smaller population, about 647,000 in comparison to MN's 5,300,000 so its current electricity usage is much smaller.  The map does not take into account which parts of the states are available for wind turbines.  Wind turbines do not take up a lot of space.  Farming and grazing of animals can continue around the space taken up by the turbines.  However turbines are not practical in urban areas because of limited space and because the blades cast long rotating shadows.  They are also not desirable in recreational areas like national and state parks.

The map below from Democratizing the Electricity System by John Farrell shows the percent of current electricity that each state could produce from rooftop solar energy.  The price of solar energy has come down and is expected to drop a lot more.  Mass production of solar panels and new discoveries that increase each panel's efficiency contribute to the declining prices.