Albert Lea and other cities in Greater Minnesota are at the crossroads of the clean energy revolution, said Minnesota Office of Energy Security Director Bill Glahn on Monday during the fourth annual Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce agriculture luncheon.

Glahn, who is also the deputy commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce, said he thinks that in cities like Albert Lea — not places like Washington, D.C., or St. Paul — is where the solution to the country’s energy problems will come, most possibly from an agriculture-based solution.

Addressing a large crowd at Freeborn-Mower Cooperative Services, Glahn said he believes the future of Minnesota is in Greater Minnesota.

The luncheon, which featured Glahn and Mark Graul of Growth Energy as guest speakers, was an opportunity to celebrate agriculture and to recognize the people in Freeborn County who are strong promoters of it.

Specifically honored Monday was Freeborn County family Chris and Holly Dahl, who received the recognition as 2009 Farm Family of the Year.

Glahn, who was appointed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty to his position in August of 2008, said though a lot of people think the time of the family farm is a time of the past, when he looks at the family farm he sees the future.

He talked of the highly concentrated belt of wind energy along the Interstate 90 corridor and noted that Minnesota ranks fourth in the output of windpower in the country.

Albert Lea, he said, is in the middle of all of this.

Though the economy has seen better days, he said, when he looks ahead five to 10 years, he sees a pretty bright future in clean energy.

He talked of things such as solar energy and renewable plastics.

“There’s no shortage of good ideas out there,” Glahn said. Though there may be a shortage of “capital or risk takers,” there is not a shortage of ideas.

Graul, who is the Upper Midwest field manager for the Growth Energy organization, focused his remarks on the growing ethanol energy and what ethanol can do for the country.

He said he wants people to be inspired to advance the cause of ethanol and to straighten out the misinformation that’s going around about it.

The facts are, Graul said, ethanol is good for the economy, environment and national security.

In 2006 alone, the ethanol industry created more than 160,000 jobs across the country, he said. Ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 59 percent over oil-based gasoline.

Growth Energy’s latest push, Graul said, is to ask the Environmental Protection Agency to allow blends of ethanol and gasoline up to 15 percent ethanol.

If the EPA allows E-15, there will be 3,095 new jobs in Minnesota and 10.5 million cars off the road.

He said Freeborn County leaders have the opportunity to advance ethanol in the community.

During the luncheon, previous recipients of the Farm Family of the Year recognition were also recognized, along with a list of sponsors and the members of the chamber’s agriculture committee.