May 4 – 7 pm @ Walker Community Church, 3104 16th Avenue S., Minneapolis
Saudi America: Energy Facts & Fiction
With massive oil exploration underway, will the US rival Saudi Arabia and
Russia as an oil and gas exporter? Or as geologist Art Burman has suggested, is
shale oil and shale natural gas heading for a “retirement party”? Oil prices
have been so low producers have gone bankrupt, but too high prices leave
consumers behind. Can markets find a Goldilocks “just right” price anymore? Why
the volatility? Jon will share the big stories in national and intl energy.
Jon Freise is an Energy Futurist envisioning pathways to transition from fossil
fuels toward a renewable energy future. He has a special interest in the
Canadian oil and gas that supplies much of Minnesota's energy.
Cooperative Community Solar: A First Step Towards Energy Democracy
The solar industry is booming in Minnesota. Timothy will discuss the emergence
of community solar gardens, identify what is working and what isn't, and
explore how state, federal, and utility decisions are impacting the future of
solar. This presentation will help explain the role solar plays as a first step
towards an energy system of, by, and for all of us who use energy.
Timothy DenHerder-Thomas is General Manager of Cooperative Energy Futures, a
community energy co-op based in Minneapolis. Timothy co-founded Grand
Aspirations, which supports teams of youth innovators, and helped co-convene
Community Power, which secured the nation's first city-utility Clean Energy
Partnership.