EcoWatch Journal Dec/Jan 2010R : Page 1

dec 2010 -jan 2011 05 OSU’s No Impact Week 06 No to Landfill Expansion 07 NW Ohio’s Greatest Wonders 10 Biomass Plant Cancelled 15 Green Giving Guide www.ecowatch.org PUTTING OHIOANS TO WORK This new225 kWsolar carport system powers approximately 25 percent of the Athens Community Center in Athens, Ohio. The system was designed and installed by Dovetail Solar and Wind. All the materials used in this system are American made and all labor on the construction of the system was provided by Ohio residents. Continuing the momentum of Ohio’s renewable energy industry is seen as critical to job creation and economic development. WHAT IS OHIO’S GREEN ENERGY FUTURE? BY BILL SPRATLEY, GREEN ENERGY OHIO “Ohio is at a crossroad,” Governor-elect John Kasich declared just before the November election. And now, with the Advanced Energy Fund—an incentive program to transition Ohio to cleaner energy sources—sunsetting at the end of this year, Ohio’s green energy future is at a crossroad, too. Will Kasich’s path build a world-class, Ohio green energy industry providing new jobs and a cleaner, sustainable energy future? Or, will he relinquish Ohio’s momentum in renewable energy installations and manufacturing allowing other states to benefit from the economic growth it brings? “If the trumpet sounds a broken note, who shall lead?” Green Gala Keynote Speaker Philippe Cousteau Grandson of Captain Jacques Cousteau and environmental leader and activist working to protect the planet’s water. asked Ohio Gov. Dick Celeste decades ago. The call to lead rings true today. Governors, presidents and business CEOs come and go in today’s term-limited government and quarterly-report-driven economy. Non-profit organizations struggle to exist CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 ’s Third Annual INTERESTED IN SPONSORING THE GREEN GALA? CALL STEFANIE AT 216-387-1609. APRIL 8 • 7 PM EXECUTIVE CATERERS MAYFIELD HEIGHTS WWW.ECOWATCH.ORG BUY TICKETS AT

What Is Ohio’s Green Energy Future

Bill Spratley

“Ohio is at a crossroad,” Governor-elect John Kasich declared just before the November election. And now, with the Advanced Energy Fund—an incentive program to transition Ohio to cleaner energy sources—sun setting at the end of this year, Ohio’s green energy future is at a crossroad, too. Will Kasich’s path build a world-class, Ohio green energy industry providing new jobs and a cleaner, sustainable energy future? Or, will he relinquish Ohio’s momentum in renewable energy installations and manufacturing allowing other states to benefit from the economic growth it brings? “If the trumpet sounds a broken note, who shall lead?” Asked Ohio Gov. Dick Celeste decades ago. The call to lead rings true today. Governors, presidents and business CEOs come and go in today’s term-limited government and quarterly-report driven economy. Non-profit organizations struggle to exist And fill the policy leadership gap between government and private, for-profit businesses. Energy sustainability is led in large part by government policy.However, I believe that ultimately a sustainable energy economy comes from the common sense, entrepreneurial spirit and innovation of Ohio’s grassroots—our people, businesses and educational institutions. Leading a small non-profit, Green Energy Ohio (GEO), I have spent the last 10 years with hundreds of volunteers and community partners to break down policy barriers and get solar and wind power deployed into our state’s mainstream economy. We have proven that green energy works in Ohio and that green energy puts Ohioans to work. This past October was GEO’s 8th annual Ohio Solar Tour with 243 solar, wind, biomass and energy efficiency “open houses” in 119 communities and 45 counties. According to the American Solar Energy Society, GEO’s Solar Tour is the largest in the U.S. Our Ohio clean energy community must now join hands with policy makers and key partners to build on today’s foundation to cement clean energy into Ohio’s mainstream economy. Our efforts are embedded in the actions of both Republican and Democratic leaders. In 2003, under Ohio Gov. Bob Taft’s Administration, the Ohio Clean Energy Business Association (OCEBA), composed of 10 green energy businesses, was set up by the Ohio Department of Development. OCEBA succeeded in advocating grants from the Energy Loan Fund (now the Advanced Energy Fund), an incentive that has led to more than 600 clean energy installations in Ohio. The passage of Gov. Ted Strickland’s energy bill in April 2008, further ignited the renewable energy industry of Ohio. Included in this bipartisan legislation was a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) mandating that 25 percent of electricity generated in Ohio come from advanced energy sources by 2025 with 12.5 percent from renew ables including hydro and 50 percent of that power generation Coming from Ohio projects. An OCEBA 2003 report of Ohio’s clean energy potential written by GEO staff, Creating Jobs & Clean Energy for Ohio, was the first to support an Ohio RPS. GEO has been pivotal in the deployment of renewable energy in Ohio. From 2000 to 2006 under the Taft administration, GEO held the first-ever statewide Ohio Wind Power Conference and led the Ohio Wind Working Group; tested Bowling Green’s wind resource shaving a year off installing the first utility-scale wind turbines in Ohio; put the “Stake in the Lake” at the Cleveland offshore water intake crib—it is the highest elevation wind test in any of the Great Lakes; installed solar electricity at the Ohio governor’s residence; started the Ohio Solar Tour; and, began statewide education and outreach on renewable energy. From 2007 to 2010, under the Strickland administration, Ohio ramped up utility-scale wind and solar projects; spawned new green jobs and businesses; supported education and job training; and adopted a RPS with a one-half percent solar carve out representing 800 megawatts. At SOLAR 2007, GEO brought 5,000 people to downtown Cleveland for a national solar conference and released the first U.S. and Ohio Green Jobs Study. It is clear to most that the Strickland administration leaves a policy legacy strongly supporting green energy as a key economic development driver. Now we look forward to Governor-elect John Kasich sounding the trumpet’s unbroken note by continuing the leadership necessary to make Ohio a world-class leader in green energy jobs and manufacturing, and promoting a sustainable energy economy that will improve the quality of life for all Ohioans. What can you do? Contact your state representatives and let them know you support a sustainable energy economy that will create jobs and transition us to relying on cleaner sources of fuel. Visit www.house.state. oh.us and www.ohiosenate.gov to find contact information for your elected officials. For more information, call Green Energy Ohio at 614-985-6131 or visit www.greenenergyohio.org.

Publication List