The other day as I was pumping gas I heard a gentleman behind me cursing the three-dollars-a-gallon he was going to have to shell out. Although I completely empathize, I also know that Michigan is fast becoming a leader in the development of alternative energy sources. Companies excelling in the solar, advanced battery, biofuel and wind industries are choosing to locate and grow here. United Solar Ovonic, the world’s largest producer of photovoltaic, thin-film solar panels, recently built a new $132 million-solar panel plant in Greenville and plans for its fourth Michigan manufacturing facility to begin operations there next year. Adaptive Materials, the recognized world leader in the design and development of portable fuel cell technology, is growing its R&D operations in Pittsfield Township. Massachusetts-based Mascoma Corporation is planning to build in Michigan what may me the nation’s first commercial-scale biorefinery using wood as a feedstock. Thunder Bay Development LLC recently announced plans to purchase and upgrade an idled manufacturing facility in Alpena to produce iron castings for wind turbines. All of these projects point to Michigan as a leader in the development of alternative energy technology and fuels that will one day bring our nation’s dependence on foreign oil to an end.

Tagged as: advanced battery, advanced technology, Alternative Energy, biofuel, economic diversification, Economic Growth, green manufacturing, Green Technology, manufacturing diversification, renewable energy manufacturing, solar industry, water technology sector, wind energy, wind turbine manufacturers

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