From an article by Wayne Nelson in BusinessNorth:
The region’s economy already has a tint of “green,” ranging from hydroelectric and wind-generated power to biofuels development and environmentally-friendly building design.
And it’s in a potential sweet spot for a boost from President Barack Obama’s “green economy” initiative that promises $150 billion in federal funding over the next decade to help address climate change issues, and develop 5 million green collar jobs in the process.
“Any renewables stimulus program will be huge for this region,” said Chris Wiberg, chief operations officer at Twin Ports Testing in Superior. “We have a lot of woody biomass,” he said, noting the challenge is to divine commercially viable technology. “The question is how to use it,” he said.
Twin Ports Testing launched a fuels analysis lab in 1980 and is in the vanguard in this search for renewable biomass fuels. That laboratory has assisted one corner of this sector — producing wood pellets from biomass for residential, commercial and industrial heating — get off the ground.
The article highlights many area businesses in the renewable energy industry.