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Solar, wind businesses fill 9K jobs in Ohio

Report says growth in the industries depends on help from the government.

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By Thomas Gnau, Staff Writer Updated 2:13 AM Thursday, January 6, 2011

The wind and solar energy industries are creating new companies in Ohio and encouraging old-line manufacturers to retool for new products, according a report released Wednesday by the Chicago-based Environmental Law & Policy Center.

The report — titled “The Solar and Wind Energy Supply Chain in Ohio” — identifies 106 wind power supply chain businesses in Ohio and 63 solar power supply companies. There are 7,500 wind supply workers in Ohio, and another 1,500 employed in solar manufacturing jobs, the report says.

The center identifies more than 10 companies in the wind and solar industry supply chains, including SIME Corp., operating as Stromag Inc. in Centerville, Sick Stegmann in Dayton, Konecranes Americas in Springfield and others.

Chris Meyer, director of energy programs for the Dayton Development Coalition, said the report likely errs on the low side with its job count because it doesn’t note other companies in the region — such as electrical contractors like Kastle Electric and Chapel Electric — that offer solar installation work.

Howard Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center and one of the report’s authors, said 9,000 jobs are impressive when compared to manufacturing as a whole.

Growth depends on what state and federal governments do, he said. He pointed to Senate Bill 221, passed in 2008, which requires Ohio utilities to make renewable energy part of their power generation portfolios. That has led to plans for a nearly 50-megawatt solar array on an abandoned strip mine in southeast Ohio, run by Agile Energy and New Harvest Power.

“Policy drives renewable energy job creation,” Learner said.

He added that the timing of the report’s release — released days ahead of John Kasich’s inauguration Monday as Ohio’s new governor — is no accident.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2390 or tgnau@DaytonDailyNews.com.