Self-Reliance thru Distributed Electricity Generation: Yes South Dakota Can!

I work, just a little, for the South Dakota Resources Coalition. I put together their mostly monthly newsletter. But this isn't a paid post: I just think everyone might be interested in the program SDRC is presenting in conjunction with their annual meeting Saturday in Brookings:

John Farrell of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance will speak on the topic of community renewable energy. Farrell thinks like I do: he says that instead of making massive, expensive investments in transmission infrastructure to send South Dakota wind power far away to big cities, we ought to focus on building distributed generation capacity to power our own communities.

Distributed generation: like local wind turbines.

Farrell has studied the potential for American energy self-reliance. He finds that South Dakota is one of 32 states that could produce all of its own electricity. And in a state that prides itself on pioneer spirit and self-reliance, that's the sort of goal we should all be able to get behind.

Farrell speaks Saturday, October 31, 1 p.m., at the Brookings Public Library. Following his presentation will be a panel discussion on energy self-reliance, as well as a presentation by David Staub of Sisseton on what he learned about distributed renewable energy during his electric rail tour of Western Europe. After the presentations, the SDRC will hold its annual meeting.