As world leaders meet in Copenhagen for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, local municipalities, entrepreneurs, and community leaders are demonstrating that the new energy economy is here to stay.
Bowling Green was the first city in Ohio to erect utility-scale wind turbines to generate electricity for its residence. Currently, the city boasts four turbines but that could be more then doubled under a plan by Public Utility AMP-Ohio. According to an article in the Toledo Blade, "six new turbines would be installed in September, 2010, and be in service by early 2011."
For the full Toledo Blade article, please click here.
Local solar start-up Xunlight was also in the news recently. Last week, Governor Strickland announced they will be the recipients of a $4.06 million dollar Advanced Energy Stimulus Loan. Xunlight is one of several solar manufacturing firms that is cashing in on the skills of Northwest Ohio's manufacturing sector - and creating hundreds of much needed jobs in the process.
Solar manufacturing is not the only advanced energy technology being developed in our backyard though. Red Lion, an innovative bio-refinery plant located at the UT Health Science Campus hosted U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu as he awarded a $20 million federal stimulus grant to the company.
According to a Toledo Blade article, the grant would fund the expansion of the plan and could add as many as 100 jobs.
U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown has also been working hard to ensure that manufacturers have the resources to retool and expand their facilities in the production of clean energy technologies. Earlier this year, Senator Brown introduced the Investments for Manufacturing Progress and Clean Technology (IMPACT) Act to the clean energy and climate bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. Now he is working to make sure that this vital legislation is included in the legislation being considered by the U.S. Senate.
The IMPACT Act would establish a revolving loan fund for small and mid-size manufacturers so they could become more energy efficient or expand their business into clean energy manufacturing and create thousands of much needed jobs For more info on the IMPACT Act, please visit Senator Brown's website here.