I am planning a passive solar lake home and want lots of south facing glass for the passive solar and lake views.  However, especially in MN I will need a good way to best insulate them during the night to keep in the heat

This is kind of a neat idea that may apply to a wall of windows. 

Let's use this topic to post links/ideas of window insulation.

I'm thinking some valve setup so you don't have to run a fan continuously to keep it inflated. Licht en Lucht :: B.P. Airmatras :: B.P. Airmatras Air mattress Insulated curtains are often used in cold climate conditions. Thermostats control the blowers which infl ate an air mattress propped up on its side by a metal frame. Poly tubes stacked one on top of the other, make up the mattress. Two squirrel cage blowers infl ate the 13 cm diameter tubes. When temperature inside the barn get above a certain level then the bottom blower shuts off, causing the bottom tubes to slowly defl ate and collapse. This will create a small top opening and allows fresh air to come in from outside. Advantages: • Fresh air in summer. • Insulated barn in winter. • Natural light; better feed intake. • For side openings ranging from 60 to 420 cm. • Thermostatic operation. • Except for the fractional hp fans, there are no moving mechanical parts. • Easy to install.   Terug

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I like the K.I.S.S. method. I like insulated 'curtains'. Take it to the extreme ;). Try creating a 'drape' that consists of the fabric of your design(fireproof recommended), with an R-15 High Density fiberglass core. Yea, it'll be 3.5" thick, but you'll have a better wall than most homes(~R-18 depending on the window 'R'). You could use parallel(and curved) ceiling tracks to move it into place, so that when open, the 'drapes' are 'stacked' to occupy the same horizontal space. Be creative, it could be done fairly inexpensively.

KISS is always better! Do you have any links to the drape setup and material? How do you snug the drapes up to the windows? perimeter magnetic tape?

Because I've read about curtains that are gapped off the window causing some convection cooling if that is the appropriate term

I'm looking for something simple so I use it, effective, and modern looking. 

Sorry, no links. I just thought the idea up. My parents use to own a custom drapery shop, so maybe that's why I thought of it. The materials are easy to find, and inexpensive. No specifics, I haven't thought about it that much! You would need to find a seamstress though!

Our plan will be for sliding insulated shutters or doors. They can be placed on the outside wall or farmed on the inside wall like pocket doors.
They can be mechanized and be on a remote control or timer. Built sort of like a thin SIP. The other option for a solar home would be an outside
hydroswing type of door that could be left open during the summer and would act as a shade canopy.

I have absolutely no idea about how good these guys are, or how good their windows are, but give'm a look-see.

http://www.alpeninc.com/

That's Alpen windows in Colorado. I see one sentence on their web site where they state one of their windows can be made to have an insulation value up to R-15. If that's realistic, and affordable, that's probably the way to go. They apparently were featured on some TV program a while back.