State Representative Aaron Peterson and a team of riders rolled into Lake Benton Monday for a stop at the Heritage and Wind Power Learning Center of southwest Minnesota. The group rides in an effort to seek to advance renewable energy for rural economic development.
The Green Team started from Howard S.D. for the first day of their six-day solar bicycle tour of rural communities in South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin promoting homegrown, renewable energy and its ability to strengthen rural economies as well as securing America’s future.
The Green Bike Tour 2004 highlights the potential for rural economic development from investments in renewable energy: wind, solar and bio-based fuels. The League of Rural Voters, based in Minnesota, and the Iowa Policy Project, organized the tour. The League of Rural Voters is a non-partisan organization founded in 1985. The League supports economic policies that strengthen independent family farms and ranches and the rural communities that depend on them.
The six-day Green Bike Tour 2004 began at Howard, S.D. on Monday, September 13 and will conclude Saturday, September 18 in Baraboo, Wisc. In Minnesota the tour stopped in Dodge Center, Fairmont, Lake Benton, Luverne and Northfield. The tour also spun through Joice, Iowa, Spirit Lake, Iowa, Storm Lake, Iowa, Estherville, Iowa, La Crosse, Wisc., Madison, Wisc. and Sioux Falls, S.D.
The solar bike tours promoting renewable energy began back in 1999 as several individuals banded together. Each July, 15,000 bikers cross the state of Iowa over a seven-day time frame in what is called the Ragbrai, The Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. In 1999, David Osterberg, who was global climate change coordinator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, organized a team to ride Ragbrai on a homemade solar assisted bicycle. The reason for the solar assisted bicycle was the result of the Ragbrai route passing near two recently built wind farms. The goal was to attract media covering Ragbrai to change their focus to cover alternative energy too. The riders were able to attract a great deal of press with the solar bike. The press reported that Iowa wind power was beginning to combat global warming and making money in the process.
Three specialty equipped solar bikes were shown with energy from the solar panels helping add power and music to the bike tour.
Tom Cook, University of Iowa professor of Occupational and Environmental Health, explains the fundamentals of his solar bike. The bike is actually an electric assist bike, which gives out energy according to the energy the rider puts forth pushing the pedals. For example, if the rider pushes up a hill at 5 miles per hour the electric motor kicks in and allows the rider to charge up the hill at an increased speed of 15 miles per hour. The bike can give out up to four times as much power as the rider can put forth pedaling. This external power doesn’t pollute the atmosphere as it allows the rider to get further on less energy and fatigue. The electric assist bicycles are actually sold by a company in California. The new type of bikes requires no license and is still considered a bike.
Next the crew added solar panels to the electric assist bike for added power. As a result of this addition of solar power the range increases by 50%. Without the assistance of the solar power the range is near 30 miles.
A second type of bike used powers through the ride using the fuel ethanol. Ed Woolsey, environmental interpreter, rode the ethanol-powered bike, “I am better and faster than Lance Armstrong on it.” The ethanol-fueled bike travels 20 miles per hour for 150-175 miles on a gallon of fuel. Using ethanol for fuel helps the energy security situation as well as the environment. Although there is a long way to go with ethanol it’s an industry moving forward.
A third type of bicycle made for entertainment purposes is the musical bike. Three solar panels are put together with a battery and speakers for playing music to entertain the riders along their route.
The Green Team will conclude their six-day solar bike tour ending in Baraboo, Wisc. on Saturday.
Written by: Laura Carrow
The Green Team rolls through Lake Benton
The Green Bike Tour 2004 highlights the potential for rural economic development from investments in renewable energy: wind, solar and bio-based fuels.
