The Back of the Car is on Fire!

My Interview with Dustin Dennison

Applied Energy Innovations

As I walk into the buzzing offices of Applied Energy Innovations it’s clear that if there is an economic slump, the folks at this company don’t know it, at least not now. It was a different story February of last year. “We were five industrial commercial tradesmen who had been hit hard. We had lost our jobs and were unemployed,” says Dustin, shaking his head. “All of us loved our work and had a passion for renewable resources and energy efficiency. We decided to form a company that would provide green jobs and services for the community.”

Now, seven months later, the whiteboard showing the projects in progress is littered with addresses all over the city. Dustin explained that the company covers three areas:

1) Electrical: solar installations, wind turbines, and lighting retrofits

2) Mechanical: energy efficient heating systems, rooftop HVAC units, air to air exchangers, heat pumps, geothermal, gas and plumbing services, and

3) Exterior General Construction: roofing, siding, and windows.

Since opening in February the company has hired 14 new employees working closely with the adult re-training programs through the Department of Labor, St. Paul College and Century College.

Thinking back to when he first realized there was a climate issue, Dustin recalls hearing conversations about air quality while he and his family lived in Denver. “It was 1994 to 2000 and there was a brown cloud over Denver. There were blue days and red days depending upon the levels of pollution.” That peaked Dustin’s awareness and when they moved to Minnesota he commuted in and out of downtown Minneapolis for work. Noticing the brown cloud hanging over the skyline he said to himself, “This is my hometown, the city where I choose to live and work and raise a family. What are we leaving the next generation?”  

To that end Dustin believes that we are a “forgetful society,” and that we need to “keep things on the radar.” For instance, he tells me “In Minnesota we import all of our raw materials to create energy. We are a state spending billions per year to bring energy to us. For that amount of dollars we should be producing and exporting our own energy and creating renewable jobs. There are thousands of miles of open rooftops,” says Dustin. “There could be solar installations everywhere and we could generate an additional 58 megawatts of electricity per year.” Right now there are so many wind turbines that the utility companies are moving quickly toward reaching their mandated standard of 25% renewable energy by 2025. “With rooftop solar installations,” visions Dustin, “we could carve out a niche another 10% above and beyond the mandate.”

In Dustin’s eyes, “Each solar install is a microcosm of events. People who install solar panels are leaders in their communities, in their neighborhoods, on their blocks. They are part of positive change,” he smiles. When asked about the cost to install solar for an average home in Minneapolis it appears that there are multiple incentives that can bring the cost from close to $20,000 down to approximately $5000 per home.  Part of that is a 30% credit on income taxes that can be exercised over 5 years. Xcel Energy has Solar Rewards that are funded every year but they tend to disappear very quickly. “We make all the applications for the available funds for each client,” says Dustin. “The toughest part for most people is the up front financing.”

Another issue that Dustin encounters as he talks to people concerns government subsidies for renewable energy. “People don’t want to have their tax dollars paying for their neighbor’s solar panel,” he comments as he leans back in his chair. “What they don’t realize is that big oil, with profits of hundreds of billions of dollars each quarter, is subsidizes by our government to the tune of $70 billion per year. That money goes to capping old oil wells, looking for new oil, and cleaning up messes. Renewable energy, on the other hand, is subsidized at about 12 billion per year.” With intensity he finishes, “Our role…our responsibility, is to have these conversations.”

Dustin and the staff at Applied Energy Incentives believe in the work of MN350. He says, “MN350 is the theory, and Applied Energy Incentives is implementing the theory. “When we take a 60% inefficient boiler and put in a 90% efficient one we are making a substantial reduction in carbon emissions over time. But,” he continues, “We have to continue to build political will and public awareness. The more oil spills in the oceans and rivers, the more nuclear plant disasters, the more we build these liabilities, the more we have the potential for catastrophic events. What happens globally affects all of us.” He pauses for a moment then says, “Think of it this way. If we take a road trip in a station wagon and the back of the car is on fire, are we going to worry about that? At what point do we pull over and address the problem?”

*NOTE*

The MN350 rally at the State Capitol on September 24^th will be entirely run on solar energy thanks to Applied Energy Innovations. This company is providing the equipment that will be powering 6 speakers, a sound system, a public address board, literally the entire audio system. Basically anything that requires electricity that day will be powered by the sun. What if the sun doesn’t shine? “No problem,” smiles Dustin, “there are batteries in our trailer that store the sun’s energy. We will pull it right from there.” 

Back to the Land Thirty Years Later...

When you think you have reached the wilderness, go 30 miles beyond. On the banks of Lake Imagination (a mowed hay field bordered by northern deciduous woodlands) Gwen and W Hall care for their 60 acres of paradise.

In 1981, concerned with the impending water shortage in the southwest, they quit their jobs with the Southern Pacific Railroad, sold their home and headed north. They were going “back to the land,” fully intending to purchase Gwen’s family farm in the middle of, yes, nowhere, and earn their living by growing and selling food. Now, 30 years later, they are still there but for different reasons.

“We love it here!” Gwen’s face glows with health and happiness. W, born and raised in Tucson, echoes her sentiments. With the exception of a few luxuries, like coffee and bananas, they grow and preserve their own food. Meat and eggs come from cousin Jane’s farm about 4 miles down the road. Wheat is purchased from the Farm Service Coop. They grind their own flour for whole wheat bread. Their home is a peaceful oasis in the midst of hundreds of acres of woods and prairie.

Rain barrels collect water from roof runoff to keep the gardens hydrated. A greenhouse extends the growing season by months. The tomato bushes look like small trees.

Mystified by the sheer numbers I asked, “W, why do you need so many tomatoes?” He looked at me with raised eyebrows, “Salsa!” He may live in Minnesota, but W’s salsa is wicked hot and most of the local Scandinavians simply wave a chip over the fumes and swear it still burns the tongue!

The Hall’s are part of a loose-knit community of neighbors who tend to stop by unannounced for coffee and are always ready to help if something breaks. And speaking of neighbors, they are not what you may expect. Among them is a psychiatric nurse, a pipefitter, an aeronautical engineer, a research scientist with her PhD, "and the families of farmers and loggers who have managed their land for generations," injects Gwen.

Perhaps this is a blueprint for our future. We don’t have to go to the wilderness, however. We can create community in our own neighborhoods. Gwen emphasized the importance of community. “You have to get to know your neighbors. People working as a group can accomplish so much more that one person who tries to do it all alone.”

That’s why MN350 is organizing Sept. 24th as a day when we come together as a group on the State Capitol grounds to let our lawmakers know that we mean business. We need to move beyond fossil fuels. We need to energize the planet with renewable resources and stop drawing on a dwindling supply of oil. We need to show them that we aren’t just one person…that we are many and we want change.



The southern exposure is a wall of glass for passive solar gain.



A screened breezeway is cool even on the steamiest days.