Despite some headwinds, a new analysis says Minnesota's clean energy sector remains on solid footing, with carbon emissions in the state reaching a record low in 2024. (Adobe Stock)

Minnesota is becoming less reliant on energy imports to power up homes and businesses. That’s a key finding in the latest summary of contributions from renewable sources.

The 2025 fact sheet from Clean Energy Economy Minnesota shows the state imported just 11% of the total electricity it used last year.

At the same time, carbon-free sources like wind and solar accounted for a majority of electricity generated in the state for a fifth straight year.

The group’s Senior Manager of Marketing and Communications Peter Ingraham said that indicates renewables are proving their reliability – and they’re not just complementary pieces of the energy puzzle.

“The people that have been operating these power grids, there’s a reason that they allow these to keep going online,” said Ingraham. “It’s a great way for us to power our cities, to power our economies.”

He said it’s especially timely given the escalating trade war.

Industry experts note uncertainty about federal policy does still complicate Minnesota’s clean energy sector in other ways.

That includes a desire among congressional Republicans and the Trump administration to repeal tax credits for adopting renewable energy that were approved in 2022.

Some other speedbumps have surfaced, including a slowdown in wind energy expansion. However, solar growth in Minnesota continues to take off.

Derrick Flakoll, senior policy associate at the research firm Bloomberg NEF, said both sources are becoming inexpensive to produce – but solar is in the driver’s seat right now, as wind energy shakes off recent market forces.

“Wind projects are huge, and that means that it’s a lot of money up front – meaning it’s particularly sensitive to inflation and to interest rates,” said Flakoll. “And we saw a sort of slowdown in wind build in a lot of parts of the United States as a ripple effect of some of that 2022 and 2023 era.”

As for solar, new capacity grew by 35% in Minnesota last year.

In measuring electric vehicle adoption, Minnesota now has more than 65,000 EVs on the road – however, new registrations fell last year after a record high the previous year.