By: Deborah Johnson Wood
West Michigan could generate 4,330 new jobs and attract some $1.2 billion in new investment within five years by aggressively pursuing a strategy to grow the alternative energy industry, according to a soon-to-be released study led by two of the region's leading economic development and public interest organizations.
The first-of-its-kind local study, commissioned by the West Michigan Strategic Alliance and The Right Place, Inc., will be presented to regional leaders on December 18, 2007. It evaluates several alternative energy markets and technologies, and recommends those likely to drive the growth of the region's 21st century economy.
Birgit Klohs, president of the Right Place, says the region's focus on LEED building and sustainability can help to drive innovation and position West Michigan as a leader in the increasingly lucrative alternative energy industry.
"West Michigan is well positioned to grow as an R&D and manufacturing center for alternative energy technologies," Klohs says. "“We are already a player in some of these markets, like solar cell manufacturing. But there are many more opportunities to grow. This study is just the first step in that process.”
That process includes a new partnership between The Right Place and NextEnergy, a nonprofit alternative energy accelerator located in Wayne State University's TechTown.
The December 18 briefing is scheduled to begin at 8 AM at GVSU's Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC) in Muskegon. The three-hour briefing includes a panel discussion of potential strategies to grow the local renewable energy business and a tour of MAREC.
Source: The Right Place, Inc.; West Michigan Strategic Alliance
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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at
[email protected].
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