From the Minot Daily News:
Coal will remain a longtime source of energy, says Brian Kroshus, a commissioner with the North Dakota Public Service Commission.
Noting societal pressure is urging the increased use of renewables (i.e. solar, wind, geothermal), Kroshus said a proper balance has to be found for all of this.
“I don’t think we can lose sight of how valuable the lignite industry is,” Kroshus said, noting it is valuable to North Dakota, and North Dakota’s lignite industry also supplies power to two regional grids.
“The wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine,” he said. When this doesn’t happen, he said, the plants are not designed to ramp up and down quickly. They take awhile to ramp up but when they are there, they can hold steady and push power out onto the grid. “That’s incredibly important,” he said.