Over 400 Companies, 25,000 Employees Part of Ohio’s Advanced Energy Industry, New Report Shows
Advanced Energy Economy // Jul 17, 2012
Over 400 Companies, 25,000 Employees Part of Ohio’s Advanced Energy Industry, New Report Shows Employment Estimates Include Only Self-Identified Advanced Energy Companies
Columbus, OH – July 17, 2012 – Ohio is home to over 400 companies that self-identify as advanced energy businesses and collectively employ over 25,000 Ohio residents, according to a new Advanced Energy Economy Ohio report, “Employment in Ohio’s Advanced Energy Industry.”
25,410 Ohioans were employed across 22 industry segments in the advanced energy industry in 2010 – the most recent year data is available– equivalent to Ohio employment in the agriculture/forestry and mining categories combined.
The report, prepared for AEE Ohio by Advanced Energy Economy Institute (AEEI), ensures a conservative count of employment in Ohio’s advanced energy industry by including only the “known universe” of advanced energy companies – in other words, those that readily identify themselves as part of the industry. It omits the “unknown universe” of firms that provide value to the industry, but do not identify themselves as members of it. The full report can be found at aee.net/ohio.
“Ohio has the right ingredients for a strong advanced energy economy, including our productive manufacturing base and history of innovation,” said Kimberly Gibson, executive director of AEE Ohio. “This report shows that Ohio’s advanced energy businesses are already capitalizing on these strengths and flourishing, employing Ohioans and creating economic value today.”
Energy-saving building materials - companies that make insulation and other building materials that conserve energy - employed the largest number of Ohioans (nearly 7,000). HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) and building controls was the second largest employer with over 4,000 jobs, in firms that make energy-efficient temperature management equipment or audit buildings for energy efficiency.
With global energy consumption projected to rise nearly 40 percent by 2030, future prosperity depends on new ways to meet the world’s energy needs. Advanced energy - defined as energy products, technologies, and services that are affordable, clean, and secure over the long term - presents an economic opportunity for American companies and workers, which are highly competitive in the globally interconnected energy industry. The U.S. is already a significant exporter in advanced energy industries ranging from nuclear, which had U.S. exports totaling $2.32 billion in 2009, to solar photovoltaics, for which U.S. net exports hit $1.9 billion in 2010.
83% of Ohioans believe advanced energy is very important or somewhat important to America’s future, according to a June 2012 survey sponsored by Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), its state partner, Advanced Energy Economy Ohio (AEE Ohio), and their charitable affiliates. Additional results from the survey include:
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83 percent of respondents think the manufacturing of advanced energy products like batteries for power storage, high-efficiency motors and equipment, and wind turbine components are very important or somewhat important to Ohio’s economy
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79.5 percent of Ohioans believe it is very important or somewhat important for the state’s political leaders to do more to further advanced energy in the state.
“People see the value of advanced energy companies in Ohio and in other states across the nation. This report is a first step to quantifying that value in Ohio,” said Graham Richard, CEO of AEE. “Ohio’s 400 plus advanced energy businesses and the jobs they have created speak clearly to the industry’s viability and economic potential. We are proud to work with AEE Ohio to demonstrate advanced energy’s already strong footprint in the state.”
Report Methodology
AEE Ohio and AEEI used a company-by-company assessment to generate employment estimates, opting not to infer employment for the wider industry through a survey-based statistical methodology used by some industry studies. As a result, some businesses were not taken into account, principally smaller firms with less visible activities in the industry. In addition, the report’s employment estimates omit certain segments of the advanced energy industry, such as natural gas truck fleets and fueling stations, because they were not part of the best available dataset.
The 22 industry segments analyzed include: Appliances; Battery Technologies; Biofuels/Biomass; Electric Vehicles Technologies; Energy Saving Building Materials; Energy Saving Consumer Products; Fuel Cells; Green Architecture and Construction Services; HVAC and Building Control Systems; Lighting; Nuclear Energy; Professional Energy Services; Smart Grid; Solar Photovoltaic; Wind; Geothermal, Hydropower, Renewable Energy Services, Solar Thermal, Waste-to-Energy, Wave/Ocean Power, and Carbon Storage and Management.
About Advanced Energy Economy and the AEE Institute
Advanced Energy Economy is a national organization representing the entire advanced energy industry. AEE's mission is to influence public policy, foster advanced energy innovation and business growth, and provide a unified voice for a strong U.S. advanced energy industry that will drive the global transition to a smarter energy future. The AEE Institute’s mission is to raise awareness of the public benefits of advanced energy, drive the policy debate on key topics, and provide a forum where leaders can address energy challenges and opportunities facing the U.S.
About Advanced Energy Economy Ohio and the AEE Ohio Institute
Founded last year, AEE Ohio is a growing organization of advanced energy businesses across Ohio promoting a better business climate for the sector in the state. AEE Ohio’s mission is to build and foster a robust advanced energy economy, drive technology innovation and implementation and position Ohio as a global leader by enhancing and aligning existing business networks and assets. AEE Ohio is a partner organization with the Advanced Energy Economy. AEE Ohio Institute seeks to educate the public on the economic and environmental benefits of advanced energy and to provide growth support to organizations within the energy sector to boost economic development and promote the use of advanced energy.
Contact
Jim Hock for AEE
(202) 494-8132
Steve Caminati for AEE Ohio
(614) 315-5908