Alternatives for Ohio; Feeling gloomy about the state of the state economy? Consider the opportunity in new and cleaner sources of energy
Listen to Sherrod Brown campaign successfully for a U.S. Senate seat, and you often heard the phrase: ``Silicon Valley of alternative energy.'' He wasn't alone. Other candidates traded in similar allusions, all sensing, perhaps, that it isn't enough to decry the loss of manufacturing jobs in the state. Ohio must look to the next frontier, and the truth is, the state has been doing so in the area of alternative energy. If the Silicon Valley references are overused, Ohio is well-placed to become a national and thus global leader in fuel cells, wind power and the like.
Give credit to Bob Taft. The governor launched and then developed the Third Frontier project, a 10-year, $1.6 billion program with the goal of investing in high technologies to create businesses and jobs. The program has served as a catalyst, reflecting the necessary partnership of the public and private sectors, the state taking advantage of its inherent strengths in research, argiculture and sophisticated manufacturing, bringing greater coordination and focus to the task of alternative energy.
In the area of fuel cells, the advance has been more visible. Companies have begun to set up shop in the state, particularly in this northeast corner. Rolls-Royce of Britain, a global supplier of power systems, chose North Canton for the American headquarters of its fuel-cell subsidiary, the company aligning with the state-funded Fuel Cell Prototyping Center at Stark State College of Technology. In an important way, Ohio has been aided by its new regimen for taxing businesses, offering more favorable treatment of investment.
The thinking is, fuel cells will operate in the manner of batteries, an efficient and relatively compact source of power for cars, homes and other consumer goods. The cells generate power through hydrogen and oxygen. For the moment, they are far more dream than practical reality. Still, the promise is most worthy of pursuit, in view of the potential for reducing the burning of fossil fuels that results in pollution, driving global warming.
The challenge for Ohio leaders involves building on the current momentum. Ted Strickland, the governor-elect, was among those touting the mission. The potential is vast, one estimate holding that global sales will grow from roughly $400 billion in 2010 to $1.9 trillion a decade later, the dollars suggesting that competition in the field is likely to intensify greatly.
The Pew Center on Global Climate Change recently took note of Ohio emerging as a leader in this realm. The center recommended that the state redouble its efforts to coordinate and focus on technologies to address climate change. (Why not set a realistic yet sufficiently ambitious goal of a certain percentage of all Ohio power coming from alternative sources by 2020 or so?)
The center rightly counseled the development of industry clusters. (Yes, Northeast Ohio would be a natural.) It urged the state to examine carefully and pursue aggressively opportunities to export such technologies. Amid all the gloomy talk and often bleak statistical measures, Ohioans can hardly be blamed for wondering: What really can be done? Alternative energy sources aren't an economic cure-all. They do offer much promise. The job now is for Ohio to take full advantage of the opportunity.