Contact: Pam McCurdy, 651-757-2559
St. Paul, Minn. - Electricity from the sun and wind will be on display at the largest renewable energy exhibit ever held at the Eco Experience at the Minnesota State Fair.
Fairgoers will find out how solar energy and wind power can work for them in their daily lives. The exhibit, which includes displays inside and outside of the Eco Experience building, will feature solar-powered fans and water fountains, portable solar panels, solar-powered boats and a wind turbine sized for farm or business use.
Many of the solar energy innovations on display at the Eco Experience are made in Minnesota. A new mirror film from 3M that concentrates sunlight on solar panels will be on display. The film helps capture more of the sun’s radiation, leading to lower solar energy costs. Silicon-Energy will display solar panels that will be manufactured on the Iron Range starting in Spring 2011. Fairgoers can get a sneak peak of these panels in front of the Eco Experience building and along the Green Street display inside the building.
Solar energy doesn’t always mean big, awkward panels. Portable solar panels, like the kind polar explorer Will Steger and members of his team use to charge laptops, phones and cameras when they set off into the far north, will be on display at the Eco Experience.
Fairgoers can also see solar-powered boats built by junior high, high school and college students for the annual Solar Boat Regatta sponsored by the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society.
Minnesota is one of the nation’s top wind energy producers, and the industry continues to grow. The Eco Experience has long featured wind energy as part of its exhibit. This year fairgoers can get facts about wind energy inside the Eco Experience and see a display outside the building of a 33kWh wind turbine, which is sized just right for a farm or business. Minnesota-made components will also be on view, as well as a walk-in tower base.
About the Eco Experience: A partnership between the Minnesota State Fair, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, other state agencies and dozens of organizations and businesses, the Eco Experience has become the second most popular exhibit at the fair. The Eco Experience is the largest environmental event of its kind in the country in the last two decades. Since 2006, more than one million visitors have attended the 25,000-square-foot exhibit to learn more about clean water, saving energy, climate change, local food, transportation, green building and remodeling, and other ways to lead more eco-friendly lives. Discover easy and uniquely ways to go green in your daily routine by exploring cutting-edge green technologies and having fun with interactive displays, kids activities, live performances and more. Look for more information and schedules at www.ecoexperience.org
