Energy In the News

An opportunity exists for Ohio to advance its economy, environment and the country's energy security

Published on Friday, Jan 15, 2010

Ted Strickland describes the state's adoption of an ''advanced energy portfolio standard'' in 2008 as ''one of the most important things to happen in Ohio in decades.'' The governor is right (though he proved slow to embrace an accelerated version of the concept). The standard calls for the state to acquire 25 percent of its energy from renewable and advanced sources by 2025. The aim isn't merely to satisfy an environmental agenda. Rather, the purpose is much broader, promising to help fuel innovation and growth in the state economy.

That was made plain this week in the series of articles, ''Winds of change,'' by Bob Downing, a Beacon Journal staff writer. Downing assessed the state of wind power in Ohio, and he found that though Ohio has been slow off the mark and lags behind other states, the potential exists for significant strides. Many already are in motion, in particular, in Northeast Ohio, from the work at Green Energy Technologies in Bath Township to Karder Machine in Akron.

In Cleveland, eyes are focused on a $92 million project to build three to eight turbines off the city's coast, three to five miles into Lake Erie. The thinking is, the area that is first to launch such offshore wind power will become a hub for its development. Already, state officials are examining a half-dozen proposals for wind facilities along a glacial ridge (''wind alley'') in the northwest part of the state.

Ohio wasn't supposed to be a place for generating wind power. That changed, as Downing pointed out, with a 2007 Department of Energy evaluation of winds at higher levels. Now the state could reap as much as 20 percent of its electricity from the wind. In that way, the advanced energy standard is critical, drawing investors and other interested parties, Ohio gaining from the reality that all wind power is local. More, the state has the manufacturing foundation to take advantage of the emerging industry.

No question, as wind power develops, obstacles must be cleared, not the least the need to upgrade the transmission grid. Many people may recoil at the unpleasant aesthetics, the towering turbines, 260 feet above the water, 330 feet above the ground, the accompanying noise, the toll on birds, plus the cost, at least double the price per kilowatt hour of coal.

True, too, is that as wind power evolves, economies will be emerge, especially as the country places a higher cost on fossil fuels. In addition, wind must be seen as part of the answer to environmental and energy challenges, joining the expansion of solar and nuclear power and advances in energy efficiency.

Here is a chance for the public sector to play an indispensable role in laying the groundwork for a stronger Ohio, providing the necessary incentives, benchmarks and policies to reshape the power industry. Again, as beneficial as renewable and clean alternatives promise to be in combating climate change, the value is much greater. Prosperity follows innovation, the development of such cutting-edge technologies. The country also benefits strategically, reducing its dependence on foreign and less reliable sources of oil. Ohio must seize fully the opportunity.