 |
|
Toledo 2.0 - A Renewed Focus
Now known as the Glass City, Toledo, someday, could be known as Solar City.
Solar is big in Northwest Ohio and growing. Toledo is within 100 miles of 63 percent of U.S. photovoltaic solar cell manufacturers that compete globally. ABC News has already dubbed the region "Solar Valley" because of its investments in the solar industry, including First Solar, the world's largest manufacturer of photovoltaic panels, and Xunlight, which produces thin-film solar panels.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/JustOneThing/story?id=6475809&page=1
At year's end, OCI Solar Power of Atlanta and CME Energy of Boston announced the planned construction of giant solar energy fields on top of North Toledo's former Dura Avenue and Tyler Street landfills.
By February, Rudolph/Libbe Inc. should have finished a $7.4 million, 2-megawatt solar array in Bryan. And the Spanish company Isofoton is investing $31 million in a solar manufacturing facility in Napoleon that should create a minimum of 120 jobs in the next three years.
These investments, and others in the past few years, provide a solid economic stimulus for the region.
The Northwest Ohio Solar Energy Hub of Innovation and Opportunity was announced in June 2010 in Toledo and is focusing on promoting entrepreneurship, economic development and commercialization in the solar industry by bringing together top solar researchers, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, education institutions, trade associations and training providers.
Partners include The University of Toledo, Bowling Green State University, Owens Community College, Penta Career Center, Terra Community College and Northwest State Community College.
http://www.development.ohio.gov/urban/OhioHubs.htm
Colleges have played vital roles in the development of solar manufacturing in the region and the state. At UT, the board of trustees in 2009 approved the creation of a School of Solar and Advanced Renewable Energy.
And the school also developed the Scott Park Campus for Energy & Innovation and installed a 1.1 megawatt solar field near the Engineering Tech Building, with 99 percent of the components coming from Ohio.
UT also hosts the Clean and Alternative Energy Incubator and the Nitschke Commercialization Center, which helps start-up companies bring next generation technologies to the marketplace.
http://www.utoledo.edu/research/pvic/
Despite much progress, Ohio is still not in the top fifteen states for the number of solar-related jobs, but it was second in the nation for solar-panel manufacturing during the first quarter of 2011.
Solar energy represents one of the country's fastest growing sectors for the economy and there is a thriving marketplace for solar in Northwest Ohio.
http://microgridenergy.com/solar-fastest-growing-industry-in-america/
Solar energy is a sound investment for the region and Ohio and it should receive full support from government policies.