New data released on Tuesday from the Ohio Advanced Energy Economy found that more than 100,000 Ohioans are a part of the fast-growing clean energy economy.
The analysis was done across 11 Midwestern states and found that 569,000 people are part of the clean energy economy. In Ohio, 100,782 people are working for businesses that are manufacturing, selling, installing, or servicing renewable energy or energy efficiency products.
Ian Adams, spokesman for the Clean Energy Trust, said, "We see a transition from traditional economies to the clean energy economy, particularly around building efficiency, energy efficiency and construction."
Adams went onto to explain the transition to clean energy: "You see businesses that start off working in a traditional sector and begin doing more business in the clean energy sector. You see more penetration into the clean energy sector, which means there is a greater adoption of these high-efficiency products."
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Cleveland-based Talan Products Inc. is a 30-year-old metal-stamping company that makes fasteners for appliances and roofing. Talan became involved with clean energy a few years ago after a few large electric utilities—that had once relied on coal—began building large solar farms. Talan provides the mounting hardware for the solar arrays. Steve Peplin, CEO of Talan, said, "That is how we got started in solar. We are growing like a weed. Residential is exploding. Commercial is also a high growth segment. We feel like we have a tiger by the tail."