Two weeks ago, we told you about the many jobs likely to develop in the area over the next several years thanks to a wind turbine project on Lake Erie. Lorry Wagner, Ph.D., president of Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo), which is overseeing the project, says that Cleveland's growing expertise in the wind energy industry could reach well beyond the local shores.

The wind turbine pilot project, which is in its infant stages, will be a learning process for those involved, according to Wagner, but will likely establish Cleveland and Northeast Ohio as the source for wind energy expertise.

"As offshore wind develops on the Great Lakes, many of our services can be exported," Wagner says. "Canada, for example, has a huge plan for offshore wind development, but it will only have a 50 percent Canadian content requirement. That gives us tremendous incentive to develop our industry here."

In addition to Canada, Michigan and New York are reviewing opportunities for wind energy along the Great Lakes.

"If Ohio doesn't become the biggest in the world, the fact is we are the first in the region to do this, and if we develop the infrastructure, it will help us to serve the entire Great Lakes region," Wagner says.

To get there, Cleveland needs to leverage the talents and resources it already has and encourage other companies and individuals to join the wave. "We have to develop the expertise so that wherever this alternative energy occurs, we will be able to provide the most cost effective and the technologically best service," Wagner says.

SOURCE: Lorry Wagner
WRITER: Diane DiPiero