HB 251 - Hooray for advanced energy research

Environment Ohio recently released a story congratulating (former) Governor Taft for signing HB 251 which creates standards for new state funded construction to be of an energy efficient design which includes lifecycle analysis costs and renewable energy sources. Also included is language requiring all state vehicles to be purchased having the ability to operate on alternative fuels and an allocation for advanced energy ("Such energy includes, but is not limited to, wind power; geothermal energy; solar thermal energy; and energy produced by micro turbines in distributed generation applications with high electric efficiencies, by combined heat and power applications, by fuel cells powered by hydrogen derived from wind, solar, biomass, hydroelectric, landfill gas, or geothermal sources, or by solar electric generation, landfill gas, or hydroelectric generation") research and implementation which includes access to funds for research and development.

There has been quite a bit of press about how an advanced energy such as wind power can double the efficiency of farms and ranches, how the agricultural community is learning to embrace the possibilities of adding wind energy to their communities and how even utilizing small power generators can just be used to power individual farms.

Ohio sits in a pretty convenient location to harness some wind power and I know I am starting to sound like a broken record when I repeatedly advocate for Cleveland especially to persuade some alternative energy manufacturing companies (wind, solar, etc) to re-locate here, especially by using the region as a physical demonstration of what alternative advanced energies can do but I don't mind. I will just have to keep talking until someone listens. Or get a company to move here on my own.