This post was originally published by Clean Energy Economy Minnesota.

On July 18, Clean Energy Economy Minnesota (CEEM) and Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) hosted a business roundtable with candidate for Governor Erin Murphy. Endorsed by the Minnesota DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party), Rep. Murphy currently serves District 64A in the Minnesota House of Representatives, and has held the seat since 2006.

Murphy is well-known for her passion and experience in health care, having been trained as a nurse, and who used to work for the Minnesota Nurses Association. She brought that same passion to this week’s discussion with business leaders about opportunities related to the energy distribution system, different applications for energy storage, as well as what is needed in research and funding in order to support development and deployment of clean energy technologies. She shared the strong determination in the room for building a clean energy economy in Minnesota.

The roundtable was the first in a series of meetings with the leading candidates for governor being organized by CEEM. Through these business roundtables, we seek to learn more about each candidate's vision for the state and the role clean energy technologies must play in  helping harness the economic opportunities provided by Minnesota’s fast-growing clean energy industry.

Leading businesses participating in the roundtable represented the wide range of clean energy technologies being implemented  across the state including energy efficiency, solar, wind, combined heat and power, smart grid and energy storage. They discussed the growing impact of their businesses in Minnesota where more than 57,000 people work in clean energy. They also shared their vision to advance the industry in the state, and asked for policy stability and predictability that would provide the necessary market signals that are needed to allow them to continue to grow.

Murphy was an active listener, allowing each of the businesses the opportunity to share their perspectives on what is needed to further grow the industry. She also said she believes clean energy is the way forward for Minnesota, and intends to put that belief into action.

CEEM couldn’t agree more. The energy landscape is transforming at a rapid pace and Minnesota must stay ahead of the curve to competitively position itself as a desirable location for clean energy business to grow and thrive. In fact, Minnesota’s clean energy industry employs more jobs than medical technology, and double the number who work in oil, gas and natural resources. We believe that a Governor who is well-versed in the benefits of clean energy to Minnesota’s economic success will work to advance policies that will strengthen this growing sector.