A new study out of Minnesota found that 70 percent of the state’s electricity could come from wind and solar energy by 2050 — and it would cost about the same as natural gas. State officials plan to use the report, which was commissioned by the Minnesota Department of Commerce, as it considers future energy policy decisions. The state has been a national leader in pushing renewable energy since 2007 when then-Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican, enacted legislation to increase renewable energy use and decrease greenhouse gas emissions. “The best time to have taken action on energy issues would’ve been 30 years ago,” Pawlenty said after signing the Next Generation Energy Act of 2007. “The nation has been asleep at the switch, but here in Minnesota we are kick-starting the future.” Today, around 20 percent of the state’s electricity comes from wind, and around […]