A new report says Ohio could be home to 174,000 advanced, renewable energy jobs by 2030.
The report by the American Solar Energy Society, funded by the non-profit Ohio Business Development Coalition, says the Buckeye State is pioneering efforts to increase the number of skilled professionals in the renewable energy field:
According to the Ohio Business Development Coalition (OBDC), the nonprofit organization that markets the state for capital investment, Ohio’s universities and colleges are gearing up to meet the need for skilled green collar workers through new programs, degrees and training specific to the advanced energy industry.
One example of an educational institution rising to the occasion is Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio. The college was recently awarded a $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration to build an innovative learning facility. The Hocking College Energy Institute will feature modern learning labs for students studying in the college’s energy programs.
“This state-of-the-art facility is truly a place where students will receive hands on training in advanced energy,” said Jerry Hutton, dean of energy and transportation technologies for Hocking College. “Training skilled workers is critical to attracting renewable energy companies to Ohio and recharging the state’s manufacturing base.”
Ohio’s direct market access to renewable energy consumers and state-sponsored programs are helping companies develop and launch the next generation of advanced energy technologies and compete even more effectively in a global economy. Through initiatives such as Ohio Governor Ted Strickland’s Energy, Jobs and Progress plan, announced in 2007, Ohio is modernizing its energy infrastructure, ensuring affordable and stable energy prices and attracting renewable energy jobs of the future through an Advanced Energy Portfolio Standard. Ohio also is a driving force behind initiatives to increase the production of ethanol, biodiesel fuels and cellulosic ethanol, a fuel produced from farm waste and plants.
Ohio’s Third Frontier Project is also part of that effort to increase those green collar jobs. It’s a 10-year, $1.6 billion initiative to help build relationships between companies and higher education. It marks the largest commitment by Ohio to expand high-tech research capabilities, promote innovation, company formation and create high-paying jobs.
During a press conference following his appearance at the general session, Schafer fielded questions from farm media about biofuels and ethanol in particular. Asked if there was any chance that there might be a delay in implementing the new Renewable Fuels Standard because of recent reports claiming that biofuels are bad for the environment, Schafer said no.
While some car makers might be betting the future for fuels will be a mix of several different sources, one major European carmaker seems to be happy to put all of its eggs in one basket.
The South Dakota State House and Senate has voted unanimously to approve a bill that would cut state taxes on diesel mixed with biodiesel.
Officials with the National Biodiesel Board are telling those who depend on their trucks… and the fuel they put in those trucks… for their living that the quality of biodiesel is getting better.
You can’t turn a corner at the 2008 Commodity Classic trade show without seeing something about ethanol. A record crowd is attending the Classic this year – more than 4450 people and over 140 media are in Nashville and the corn-fed enthusiasm is driven in a large part by the ethanol buzz.
Everybody who is anybody in the ethanol industry is here – the 
But its only just begun. Friday will feature Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer during the general session followed up by a John Deere Learning Center Session on Starch and Cellulose as Ethanol Feedstocks. And Saturday night everybody will be “Corn Fed” with a concert featuring the lovely and talented Shannon Brown.
The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council is now in the publishing business after announcing the introduction of “Ethanol Retailer” magazine this week. Robert White, Publisher, is pictured (center) during a panel he participated in on E85 during the National Ethanol Conference. I interviewed Robert about the new venture and the panel he was on.
The sudden skyrocketing of wind energy production, especially in areas of the Midwest and rural parts of Texas and California, is outdistancing the the capacity for the nation’s high-voltage lines to get that clean electricity into the nation’s cities.
The U.S House today approved $18 billion in new taxes on the oil companies that will fund incentives for renewable energy.
Buses in Central Florida will soon be running on a blend of their own biodiesel… a first in the country for any bus fleet.