Energy storage may recharge Oregon’s economy

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Oregon’s business community recognizes that to succeed in a 21^st century economy, sustainable practices must be incorporated in everything we do in both the private and public sectors — and as a result, Oregon businesses are leading the nation on this front.

Over the last seven years, Oregon’s business leaders have embraced my call to grow our clean technology economy. Because of our collective commitment to create economic opportunities, Oregon is creating a niche as a national leader in this high-growth sector and creating thousands of high-paying jobs for Oregonians.

We now have jobs for Oregonians building streetcars and wave energy buoys at Oregon Iron Works in Clackamas. There are hundreds of manufacturing jobs at Sanyo Solar in Salem and at an expanding SolarWorld in Hillsboro. Our focus on clean technology has also helped attract high-paying management positions at the North American headquarters of wind energy leaders Vestas and Iberdrola Renewables.

Our strategy has also helped to create jobs at smaller companies in our state’s expanding clean energy supply chain. For example, in Clackamas Miles Fiberglass transitioned from primarily making parts for RV manufacturers to the point where an estimated 35 percent of its 2008 revenue came from repairing and servicing wind turbines. Now, the company is bidding to build wind turbine components. In Albany, Oregon Freeze Dry is working with EnerG2 to build a manufacturing facility to produce ultracapacitor material for use in batteries — another example of a more traditional Oregon company diversifying into the clean energy economy.

I have no doubt that our strategy to look out over the horizon and be a 21^st century leader in clean technology — particularly wind, solar, wave and other forms of renewable energy technologies — is working. A 2008 Employment Department study showed there were 51,000 green jobs at 5,000 companies in Oregon and a recent nationwide study by the Pew Charitable Trusts showed Oregon had the highest percentage of clean energy jobs in the nation. The report also showed Oregon’s clean energy jobs grew four times faster than overall jobs from 1998 to 2007.

And there are additional new opportunities — such the emerging energy storage sector — on the horizon.

In Lebanon, Entek Manufacturing has expanded its operations to supply more lithium ion battery separators to its partner, Johnson Controls. Entek was recently successful at securing federal stimulus funds to support these projects.

Energy storage is a keystone technology because it has the potential to support a variety of other important, emerging industries and our policy goals. Existing battery technology is adequate for many transportation applications, but technological advances in energy storage are required to extend the capabilities of electric vehicles. Energy storage can also support renewable energy resources, such as solar and wind, that are intermittent and may not be produced at the exact time they are needed.

We stand on the cusp of a transformational moment in our state’s economy as well as the global economy. In partnership, Oregon’s business community and its elected leadership must continue to establish Oregon as a clean technology leader for the benefit of all of our citizens.

Ted Kulongoski is Oregon’s Governor.