Advanced and Alternative Energy : Featured Stories

Last year, the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo) announced a long-term plan to develop wind power in the Ohio waters of Lake Erie -- the first freshwater offshore wind farm in North America. The initial 20-megawatt wind farm is expected to be completed in late 2013 and followed by subsequent projects. The long-term goal: 1,000 megawatts by 2020. HiVelocity spoke with Dr. Lorry Wagner, president of LEEDCo and the driving force behind the 20-megawatt pilot project, about the future of offshore wind power in Ohio.

While personal ingenuity and hard work may be credited for much of Simply Southern Sides' rapid growth, Claude Booker credits a new initiative spearheaded by JumpStart for helping beef up his operations with sound advice and resources.

For nearly 30 years, the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, or MAGNET, has served as the state's Edison Center charged with providing resources and advocacy for manufacturers in the northeast Ohio region. It's also the designated Edison Center for the state's automotive industry. hiVelocity spoke with Daniel E. Berry, MAGNET's president and CEO, about how manufacturing is faring these days.

What's "smart grid" and what will it mean for me? The question's an increasingly common one as Ohio utilities prepare to test and implement a new generation of technologies designed for more efficient planning, distribution, monitoring and use of electricity. AEP Ohio, which serves 1.5 million customers throughout the state, is implementing smart grid technology among 110,000 customers in central Ohio as part of its gridSMART demonstration project. We asked project director Karen Sloneker, the company's director of customer services and marketing, to help us understand those efforts.

Whether he's on Cincinnati televison, a national late night show or on public radio's The 90-Second Naturalist, Thane Maynard is the public face of the Cincinnati Zoo. Personable and passionate, the longtime zoo director is an advocate for wildlife and natural preservation. That makes him the perfect spokesman for the Zoo's ongoing quest to be The Greenest Zoo in America.

Once a dominating global player, Ohio's glass industry has been battered by increased foreign competition and changes in the American economy. Now, it is looking to innovation and diversification to regain the foothold that made it one of Ohio's most prominant industries.

Of the 10,000 or so African American students who enroll in U.S. engineering programs each year, fewer than 3,500 graduate with engineering degrees. The National Society of Black Engineers wants to change that, and one of its targets is Ohio.

Big business doesn't always have to mean life in the big city. Some of Ohio's fastest-growing companies are proving that, becoming leaders in high-tech and service fields far from the outer-belts of Ohio's urban centers. And they plan on staying there.