CLEVELAND— “Each of Ohio’s innovations made our lives better, created jobs, and strengthened our economy. Today, technological innovations are rapidly transforming the energy economy by making wind, solar and other renewable energy sources more efficient and less expensive.
And without a particularly strong or coherent renewable energy policy on the federal level, state policies are driving advances. Some U.S. states — including Iowa, the Dakotas and Kansas — produce a greater percentage of their electricity by wind than some European nations like Spain and Ireland.
Always on the lookout for opportunities to prosper from change, Ohio readied itself to reap the benefits of this changing economy. In 2008, our state Legislature passed a law that required utility companies to invest in the future by sourcing a greater share of their power from clean energy. Investments in renewables quickly ramped up, with $750 million invested in new solar and wind projects over the next few years. According to research by Ohio State University, Ohio’s renewable energy standards stimulated GDP by $160 million in 2012 and created more than 3,200 Ohio jobs over four years.
But then Ohio marked a “first” for which we should not be proud. In 2014, we became the first state to reverse energy efficiency rules and renewable energy requirements, putting the brakes on renewable investment at the cost of 1,400 Ohio jobs.”
Josh Knights, Ohio Nature Conservancy
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