Dayton company part of ‘clean energy’ movement that could create 20K Ohio jobs

“Energy innovation” could create 20,000 total jobs and $25 billion in investment in Ohio, according to a university study.

According to “Powering Ohio: A Vision for Growth and Innovative Energy Investment,” by Case Western Reserve University’s Great Lakes Energy Institute and its partners, if Ohio focused on certain energy technologies, it could attract more than $6 billion in investment and 2,000 jobs in electric drivetrain facilities.

The state could also draw $4.2 billion in capital investment and 1,000 direct jobs by growing onshore wind deployment to 3 gigawatts by 2026 and $450 million per year in “renewably-powered data center construction,” the report claims.

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The report noted that Emerson Electric in recent years opened its Helix Innovation Center for research into heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems on the University of Dayton campus.

“The insights developed there will feed into Emerson’s compressor technology business, which is based in Sidney,” the report said. “Emerson is expanding its Sidney facility to stay on the cutting edge of research, development, and manufacturing of scroll compressors, which are a key technology for more efficient single- and variable-speed heating, cooling, and refrigeration systems.”

The report also said that Liberty Savings Bank invested $870,000 with Energy Optimizers, USA to save $99,000 a year on energy costs in its Liberty Tower, 120 W. Second St. in downtown Dayton.

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“Investing in smarter, cleaner, and more efficient energy is simply good business,” Asa Hopkins, principal associate of Synapse Energy Economics — one of the primary researchers for the report — said in a statement.

“With over 15,500 manufacturers producing $106 billion of annual industrial output, Ohio is a manufacturing powerhouse that ranks third in manufacturing employment nationally,” the study says.

The report notes that General Motors will use a 100 megawatt wind farm in Ohio to power its plants in Ohio and Indiana. JPMorgan Chase & Co. will build up to 20 megawatts of on-site solar at its Polaris Corporate Center, the report also said. And Campbell Soup Co. installed 9.8 MW of solar at its plant in Napoleon.

The report can be downloaded and read here.

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