GrafTech has pioneered the use of graphite in heat spreaders for consumer electronics applications, such as cell phones, laptop computers, and high definition televisions.  With this funding through the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD), GrafTech is seeking to expand the markets for graphite heat spreaders.  “Our goal in this project was to develop and commercialize a graphite heat spreader with enhanced flexibility,” says Helen Mayer, Research Associate and Project Manager, Nanocomposites, at GrafTech. “Our first task was to develop a test method for repeated flexibility, and the University of Akron provided us with a number of resources for our evaluation.  In the end, we decided to do the testing in-house and purchased a DeMattia repeated flexibility tester partially paid for with grant funds.” At present, these enhanced flexibility graphite heat spreaders are being targeted for three significant markets. 
 
“The most developed of these markets is graphite heat spreaders for the radiant floor heating segment,” says Mayer.  This product, sold under the name GRAFIHXTM, is finding utility in both above and below flooring radiant floor systems with a better heat spreading capability and much easier installation than aluminum, the incumbent heat spreading technology.  GRAFIHX has been honored with the 2009 R&D 100 Award for one of the 100 most revolutionary technologies introduced into the market in 2009.

The consumer electronics industry needs even thinner and more thermally conductive material to enable next generation devices. With GrafTech’s  Ohio Third Frontier’s Research Commercial Program (RCP) award in 2007, the company brought their evolving new material, SS1500, to completion, anticipating its launch in late 2009. This new material, many times more thermally conductive than copper, will position GrafTech to compete more effectively in today’s thinner and more powerful phones and other portable electronic devices
 
Going a slightly different direction with its technologies, GrafTech’s flexible displays needed flexible thermal management solutions.  By exercising some of its networking capability, CMPND introduced GrafTech to Kent Displays, a manufacturer of cholesteric liquid crystal displays.  GrafTech, which had developed a first generation heat spreader solution, then collaborated with Kent Displays to develop heat spreaders that will provide thermal management to display products with increased functionality.
 
“GrafTech has recently started to focus on heat spreading solutions for LED lighting,” says Mayer, “like radiant flooring and flexible displays, LED lighting will benefit from the lightweight, flexible solutions that these newly developed heat spreaders can provide.”  Prototype thermal management solutions for LED street light applications have been demonstrated.

GrafTech has received funding from the Ohio Third Frontier for several projects. The Ohio Third Frontier is an unprecedented and bipartisan commitment to create technology-based products, companies, industries and jobs. Since its inception, the program has created or commercialized more than 500 companies and has attracted $3.5 billion in private investment to Ohio, a 9:1 return on investment. The State of Ohio also helped GrafTech move its global headquarters to Parma, Ohio in 2006 with the Job Creation Tax Credit.

Finally, their RCP funding has promoted stronger partnerships across the state, such as with Case Western Reserve University and University of Akron. GrafTech was able to accommodate many interns from area universities, including as much as 20 percent of the global headquarters and R&D center (in Parma) staff in summer. GrafTech has also been able to develop a successful co-op program, mostly populated thus far with Case Western Reserve University students, primarily in chemical engineering.

**

GrafTech International Ltd. is a world leader in graphite material science with more than 120 years of experience in the carbon and graphite industry. Its products are used in a variety of applications in a diverse array of industries: metal production, electronics, chemicals, aerospace and transportation, among others. Its history goes back to supplying arc carbons to the City of Cleveland, Ohio in the 1870s, to allow the city to become the first in the world with electric powered street lamps. GrafTech has continued to innovate ever since, winning six R&D 100 Awards in the last seven years for revolutionary technologies newly introduced to the market.

The Center for Multifunctional Polymeric Nanomaterials and Devices (CMPND) is a research and commercialization partnership in polymer nanotechnology. This multi-institutional, interdisciplinary organization, centered at The Ohio State University, partners with the University of Dayton, the University of Akron, the University of Toledo, Kent State University, and Wright State University. For more information, cmpnd.org
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Links
GrafTech   http://www.graftech.com/
CMPND http://cmpnd.org
Ohio Department of Development  http://www.development.ohio.gov
Univ Akron Polymer Sci  http://www2.uakron.edu/cpspe/

The morning session included a panel discussion moderated by Mary Saunders, Acting Assistant Secretary of Manufacturing and Services for the DOC ITA. Panelists from various federal and state government agencies addressed the opportunities available to manufacturers interested in improving their energy efficiency. Emphasis was on assessment and consultant programs, funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and other resources and programs that service the manufacturing sector.
Anthony Sutor, Industrial Efficiency Lead for the State of Ohio Energy Office, said that energy efficiency typically equals about seven percent of a company’s annual budget. The Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) is providing funds for energy programs through its Advanced Energy Fund, to help companies lower their overall energy costs.

Putting Resources to Work – the Experience of Industry was the second panel discussion, also moderated by Ms. Saunders. Panelists from industry sectors shared their innovative strategies for utilizing the “low-hanging fruit” of industrial energy efficiency. Joe Wolfsberger, one of the panelists, is Senior VP for Environment, Health and Safety for Eaton Technologies. He said that, “in the future, companies will be expected to improve the environment, not just limit the damage to the environment.” He described this change as a “culture shift.”

Marty Tusim, VP for Programs at PolymerOhio, attended the conference and said that among the subjects discussed, some are very germane to helping companies assess their energy efficiency and prepare for the future. “PolymerOhio coordinates energy efficiency assessments for companies, through its contacts with PCX, and can be of general assistance related to solar and clean energy, especially for smaller companies that don’t have the luxury of having their own energy assessor or staff,” he said. “Such audits and assessments identify actions for energy efficiency.”

Another topic presented ways that a company can structure its own energy efficiency improvement program. “Some of the reasons for heightened interest in energy efficiency revolve around the fact that greenhouse gas standards are coming out and will be looked at harder by federal agencies,” said Tusim. “Tools are available for self-audits from the US Department of Energy (DOE), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Marketing Extension Partnership (MEP), and others. There is lots of government help available, too,” he said.

Using the DOE Energy Star model, the University of Dayton has a three-day energy assessment program based on the DOE model. But companies of any size can help themselves by building a check list approach to performing self-audits, setting performance goals, determining the roles and resources available, raising awareness and building energy-saving capacity, investigating energy-efficient financing options, installing energy-efficient equipment and processes, measuring results and evaluating progress, registering for their-party verification, and recognizing achievement.

Attendees also had the opportunity to tour the University of Toledo’s Clean and Alternative Energy Incubator. The University has already been serving small and emerging companies for two decades. However, in 2001, the Incubator committed to building a program of national excellence in alternative and renewable energy, and kicked off that effort with a focus on solar energy. A building was purchased for the Incubator in 2005, and today, the program has 11 clients, 6 graduates, and is host to 8 centers, notably the Wright Center for Photovoltaic Innovation and Commercialization, an $18.6MM Ohio grant-based program representing a three-university partnership with industrial companies to propel commercialization and supply chain development of the solar cluster in Ohio.

Tusim notes that typically, only about 20 percent of new, small companies succeed. However, at the UT Incubator, almost 80 percent of the companies have been successful. “One reason for this success is that UT is providing much more than just office and lab space, they are encouraging direct connections with faculty, helping with business planning, and promoting networking – all of which drive success.”

The University of Toledo’s Incubator clients and graduates have created more than 200 jobs and a total job impact of over $15MM. Due to the success of the Incubator, the University recently won an EPA grant for $2MM to build a mixed-technology incubator, which is due to open in 2010.
**
PolymerOhio, Inc. is a polymer industry-specific Ohio Edison Technology Center, which is funded by the Ohio Department of Development.  PolymerOhio focuses on enhancing the global competitiveness of the polymer industry, including companies from the plastics, rubber, bioproducts, and advanced materials segments. For more information, polymerohio.org

Working with its partners across business, state and local governments, academia, and the non-profit sector, the Ohio Department of Development works to attract, create, grow, and retain businesses through competitive incentives and targeted investments. Engaged every day in marketing, innovating, investing, and collaborating, the Ohio Department of Development works at the speed of business to accelerate and support the teamwork that is absolutely necessary for success by providing financial, informational, and technical assistance to those making an investment in Ohio’s future.

Although the Nano-Network has been in existence since 2003, a major transition to a much greater role in Ohio has just taken place.

NorTech, the champion for high-tech industry growth in Northeast Ohio, has transitioned the operations of the Nano-Network to PolymerOhio, based in Columbus.

With this move, the Nano-Network will shift to an all-Ohio provider that will educate the public about nanotechnology and related issues; communicate Ohio’s role in the nanotechnology industry at local, state, and national levels; sponsor and support activities to expand nanotechnology commercialization across the State and abroad; and advocate for resources and funding to continue nanotechnology business and research in Ohio.

The decision to transfer Nano-Network operations is a result of NorTech’s strategic planning process that was completed in mid-2008. Last fall, NorTech decided to focus on assisting the growth of the advanced energy and flexible polymers industries; previously, it had promoted five technology industries. While nanotechnology will continue to be integral to NorTech’s focus on industry building and technology commercialization, PolymerOhio is better positioned to now manage the organization and carry the nanotechnology message statewide in Ohio. In actuality, PolymerOhio was a natural place for Nano-Network to transition because PolymerOhio can pick up right where NorTech left off and help the program continue to grow and serve even more Ohio nanotechnology efforts.

“I appreciate NorTech’s leadership and efforts over the past four years to make Nano-Network one of the best-known privately funded, ‘grass roots’ nanotechnology organizations in the U.S. I look forward to building upon the group’s success by mobilizing the resources and connections of Ohio’s advanced materials industry to encourage adoption of nanotechnology throughout the state of Ohio,” said Wayne Earley, President and CEO of PolymerOhio.

Ken Vaughan, Vice President of Programs for PolymerOhio, has been appointed as successor to Dr. Alexis Abramson and will serve as the new Executive Director of the Nano-Network, under PolymerOhio’s management. “The Nano-Network fits well with PolymerOhio,” says Vaughan. “There are lots of nanotechnology applications in polymers, but also in materials and products used in medicine, engineering, and many other advanced technology arenas.”

Moving forward, Vaughan says that the Nano-Network “will focus on all of nanotechnology and its constituent applications.” A kick-off event is planned to raise statewide awareness that the Nano-Network has expanded its efforts and expects to play a major role in statewide support of the nanotechnology industry. “We plan to work with the Center for Multifunctional Nanomaterials and Devices (CMPND) to develop technology as we, at the Nano-Network, advocate for the industry, participate in the political process, and expand to serve the entire State,” says Vaughan.

“PolymerOhio has developed a business model that has been effective in assisting polymer companies to commercialize new technologies in Ohio. Under the PolymerOhio umbrella, we will bring those same resources to Nano-Network to assist companies as nanotechnology moves into more and more commercial applications.”
**
The Nano-Network was formed in 2003 by scientists, entrepreneurs and financiers to improve and expand nanotechnology research and commercialization activities and capacities in Northeast Ohio, and throughout the nation. Since 2005, the Nano-Network has been managed by NorTech, a regional economic development organization that champions high tech growth in Northeast Ohio. NorTech’s relationship with the Nano-Network has provided the group with structure, contacts and resources to further promote nanotechnology in Ohio and the United States.

PolymerOhio, Inc. is a polymer industry-specific Ohio Edison Technology Center, which is funded by the Ohio Department of Development.  PolymerOhio focuses on enhancing the global competitiveness of the polymer industry, including companies from the plastics, rubber, bioproducts, and advanced materials segments. For more information, polymerohio.org

The Center for Multifunctional Polymeric Nanomaterials and Devices (CMPND) is a research and commercialization partnership in polymer nanotechnology. This multi-institutional, interdisciplinary organization, centered at The Ohio State University, partners with the University of Dayton, the University of Akron, the University of Toledo, Kent State University, and Wright State University. For more information, cmpnd.org

Lance Criscuolo, Zyvex President, says that the composites industry is emerging in Ohio and will require state support. “Third Frontier (Ohio Department of Development – ODOD) and other programs have been a huge boost thus far, and such programs need to continue.” One reason why the work begun by the Third Frontier (TFP) is producing noticeable successes is that Ohio has developed a strong supply chain of companies that each take part in the specialized functions required to bring a product from raw material to sellable item. “However, there is a need to capitalize and leverage resources to ensure that Ohio emerges as the national leader in composites and other advanced materials,” says Criscuolo. “In Europe, there is a Composite Park located in France and supported by the French Government that is going to be direct competition for companies in the US.”

The European program is very similar to what Ohio already has in place, namely financial and technical support similar to what PolymerOhio, the Center for Multifunctional Polymer Nanomaterials and Devices (CMPND), and ODOD offer ; the presence of university subsidiaries; networks of similar companies; training programs; and job creation opportunities.

Zyvex has become a role model for how emerging companies in Ohio are optimizing the available technology, funding, and collaboration opportunities to support their growth and advancement. Zyvex started working with nanotechnology and nanomaterials almost a decade ago. They have developed a strong intellectual property basis with 18 patents granted and slightly more than that number moving through the acceptance process. Their Columbus facility has increased to 20 employees and predicts to grow to 55 by 2010. Even better is that their products are winning awards and recognition – Forbes 2005 product of the year, a golf shaft won US Open in 2006; and baseball bats used in the College World Series in 2006 and still produced today.

With some products in production, some in development, and some just emerging from the concept stage, Zyvex is building functionality into nanomaterials-based products. Criscuolo explains that his company’s products depend on molecular and polymer design to incorporate CNTs into nanomaterials with significant mechanical and electrical enhancements. “We can tailor nanomaterials to be adaptable to multiple systems,” Criscuolo explains. “We are using unique and novel, non-covalent, non-damaging functionalization based on patents and protected trade secrets.” “And we have been able to develop compatibility with multiple host matrices and nanomaterials.” CNTs are 100 times stronger than steel at one-sixth the weight, he explains, and they are electrically and thermally conductive. CNTs are also “phobic” to almost everything, so they need to be coerced into resin systems. Criscuolo explains that Zyvex has developed the technology to make CNTs compatible with resins, thus opening the door to many new products and processes.

“Our value is based on our technical approach,” says Criscuolo, “which involves exfoliation of CNTs (which is required to debundle raw tubes), followed by uniform dispersion of nanotubes into matrixes. The technology is dependent on strong adhesive properties, which prevent the CNTs from slipping within the matrix.” “Our Kentera™ technology, which is a dispersing and compatibilizing agent, has enabled Zyvex to lock CNTs into composites and optimize their properties.” CNTs fill the gaps between carbon fibers in composites and effectively increase the load transfer from fiber to fiber. Zyvex has capitalized on this technology with a new product called Arovex, which  is a CN- enhanced, carbon-fiber prepreg with performance improvement of 40 to 50% over the current industry standard products. The Zyvex Epovex™ technology, a novel epoxy, tests out at a 40 percent improvement over conventional epoxy systems used in composites. From its earliest applications as an early applier of CNTs in marine, auto, aviation, and sporting goods, Zyvex is continuing to develop its core capabilities and expand the use of nanomaterials into resins, elastomers, and thermoplastics.

Zyvex recently won a new Research Commercialization Program (RCP) grant from ODOD with networking/supply chain coordination and proposal strategy support from CMPND. The previous RCP grant won by Zyvex has help propel Arovex™ into marine products, and Epovex and Epovex adhesive into wind blades (for power generation) and sporting goods (such as skate boards). Now moving forward is the Zyvex collaboration with PolyOne Corporation and others in their Ohio supply chain to find ways to boost both the conductivity and mechanical properties of materials via nanotechnology. “To date, most innovators in this area have been challenged by the market reality that composite materials that achieve good conductivity tend to lose mechanical properties,” says Criscuolo. “We aim to put both property categories into the “high” category, and are working on such products as a moldable product that has enhanced electromagnetic shielding.” By collaborating with PolyOne, Zyvex hopes to have the first such products released by 2010 for medical and automotive applications.

**
Zyvex Performance Materials is one of the first companies to successfully commercialize materials that take advantage of the superior properties of carbon nanotubes and other nanomaterials. With its collaborators – PolyOne, Renegade Materials Corp., APV Engineered Coatings, Hexion Specialty Chemical, Lockheed Martin, the University of Dayton Research Institute, the University of Akron, Shawnee State University, Owens Corning, and PolymerOhio – Zyvex has been researching advanced chemistry to expand its unique Kentera technology for the development, production, and marketing of new materials and products into various markets.

The Center for Multifunctional Polymer Nanomaterials and Devices (CMPND) is a research and commercialization partnership in polymer nanotechnology. This multi-institutional, interdisciplinary organization, centered at The Ohio State University, partners with the University of Dayton, the University of Akron, the University of Toledo, Kent State University, and Wright State University. For more information, cmpnd.org

“My activity is across a very broad spectrum of science and technologies. The puzzle is to match the technologies that are needed by industry with the science,” Mikesell said. “The professors talk very well about the science, but what the industries want to know is who cares and what could this do for me. That’s the role I play in providing the translational component so that it sparks and peaks the interest of industry.”

Mikesell is the associate vice president of OSU’s recently created Industry Liaison Office. His job is to find companies interested in the new technology and research being done at OSU and bring the two sides together; whether that might be medical breakthroughs in the College of Medicine, new nanotechnology in the College of Engineering or any of some hundreds of projects going on at one time at OSU and its subsidiaries.

“I have an understanding of what industry wants and needs and how to communicate with industry. My role right now is to help connect the Ohio State University with more companies. It’s connecting with companies that would come in and have research done here, but also companies that would have internships, co-ops and learning experiences for students with the ultimate expectation that we will help retain more students with jobs in Ohio,” Mikesell said.

Mikesell said current harsh economic times present him with challenges as many companies don’t want to expand or gamble on the new, but they know they must.
“They all know they can’t save their way into prosperity and their answer is they have to find value added products or new technologies to reduce cost or new technologies to add features. To get that first conversation on the possibilities we can offer is an easy task right now. The difficult one is, soon as we hit bingo, how are we’re going to fund it,” he said.

He previously worked for General Electric and Owens-Corning and still serves as the co-director for Ohio’s Center for Multifunctional Polymer Nanomaterials and Devices. It was through this state-funded program that he first started working with OSU.

“I have sat in all the industry seats,” Mikesell said. “I understand the technology. I understand the business. The things I’m doing now I’ve already had 30 years of experience doing. Now that I’ve landed at the university, I look at it in that context and it really reduces the time and discussion with a company by getting right to what are the critical issues.”

Mikesell was raised on a dairy farm in Coshocton County and was the star dairy farmer for the state of Ohio while in FFA in 1960. “I really cherish my time as I grew up on a dairy farm, but as I learned a lot of things about hard work and responsibility, I also learned I didn’t want to be a dairy farmer,” he said. “I had an excellent family arrangement where mom and dad were best friends as well as parents.”
He graduated from Union Local High School in 1961 and still comes back to the area often to visit his friends from that class along with family members and his mother who lives nearby.

He left the area following high school to attend college at Olivet Nazarene University in Kankakee, Ill., before pursuing advanced degrees in chemistry from OSU and the University of Akron.

“When I left to go to college, I never dreamed I would be around the world, been the places I’ve been and done the things I’ve done,” he said. “It’s still home (Coshocton). All those good family and friend ties have matured over the years and coming back you get to relive some of those fond memories.”
**
Note: A longer version of this article originally appeared in the Coshocton Tribune and was written by Leonard Hayhurst. This version appears by permission of the Coshocton Tribune.

The Center for Multifunctional Polymer Nanomaterials and Devices (CMPND) is a research and commercialization partnership in polymer nanotechnology. This multi-institutional, interdisciplinary organization, centered at The Ohio State University, partners with the University of Dayton, the University of Akron, the University of Toledo, Kent State University, and Wright State University.

All the Scholars holding a solar panel at Xunlight Photo: Brian Gay

OSU President E. Gordon Gee joined Senior Vice President for Outreach and Engagement, Joyce Beatty, throughout much of the two-day adventure that serves as inspiration for participants when they return to work. The Roads Scholars program is intended to highlight OSU’s collaborations with all 88 Ohio counties by visiting sites where these partnerships provide excellent examples of the OSU mission to partner our teaching, research, and service with Ohioans and their communities.

Among the stops on this year’s tour was the Mad River Family Practice (East Liberty), a rural medical practice where OSU medical students expand their clinical experiences through residencies, the OSU Lima regional campus, and the Secor Metro Park (Toledo), to discuss OSU Extension programs.

Participants also attended a reception with House Speaker Pro Tempore Matt Szollosi and Senate Majority Whip Mark Wagoner, where they met with high school students from the community.  The students are currently participating in Ohio State’s Young Scholars Program, which helps highly able, low-income youth prepare for college or the 4-H program through OSU Extension which helps children learn life skills.

One highlight of the tour was the Xunlight Corporation (Toledo), a Third Frontier partnership with the University of Toledo involving innovative, flexible panels for photovoltaic products. Xunlight, a Wright Center for Photovoltaics funded by the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD), is a technology spin-off from the University of Toledo, and engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of photovoltaic modules that convert sunlight into electricity. Xunlight is also the recent recipient of a $4.9MM Research Commercialization Program award from the State. The company develops thin-film, silicon-based photovoltaic products and manufacturing equipment for high-throughput production of flexible and lightweight photovoltaic modules at low cost. Their wide-web roll-to-roll manufacturing process has been successfully demonstrated and is considered a breakthrough in advanced materials development.

Another stop was at Wyandot Solar, where a renewable energy project built on a collaboration among OSU Extension, Wyandot County Commissioners, and several companies is bringing solar energy resources to Wyandot County, Ohio. With a jump-start from Ohio Senate Bill 221, which set out the requirements for solar generation, American Electric Power (AEP) issued a request for proposals to build a solar generation facility, which will be the largest solar generation facility in the Midwest and one of the largest in the US. At capacity, the facility will literally prevent tons of carbon dioxide emissions into the air because solar is clean, green power. Further, approximately 100 construction jobs will be tied to the project. The solar panels, themselves, will come from First Solar, Inc. in Perrysburg, Ohio.

Xunlight CEO Dr. Xunming Deng
explaining to Scholars how solar panels are made
Photo: Sandra Kerka

For more information on the Roads Scholars program, see http://outreach.osu.edu/roads_scholar.php.
The Roads Scholars Tour is sponsored by the Offices of Outreach and Engagement and supported by the Office of the President, the Office of Continuing Education, and OSU Extension.

The OSU Office of University Outreach & Engagement serves an incubator for mutually beneficial partnerships. It works in collaboration with faculty, staff, students, and units to enrich Ohio State’s partnerships with the community and to embed outreach and engagement into colleges and departments.

 Key OTFAMP and OTFSP dates and events include:

 October 22, 2009 – A single Bidder’s Conference for prospective respondents to the OTFAMP and OTFSP RFP, at which Development staff will present information on the RFP and answer questions.  The meeting will be held at 3:00 p.m. at TechColumbus, 1275 Kinnear Road, Columbus, Ohio.  Attendance at the Bidder’s Conference is encouraged, but is not mandatory.

 November 4, 2009 – Letters of Intent (LOI) to file a full proposal are due by 2:00 p.m. ET. 

 Note:   OTFAMP LOIs must be sent to OTFAMP2010@development.ohio.gov, with the subject line “2010 OTFAMP LOI”. 
Note:   OTFSP LOIs must be sent to OTFSP2010@development.ohio.gov, with the subject line “2010 OTFSP LOI”. 

• December 1, 2009 – Development will respond to written questions through December 1.   

Note:   OTFAMP questions must be submitted in writing via e-mail to OTFAMP2010@development.ohio.gov, with the subject line “OTFAMP Q&A”.
Note:   OTFSP questions must be submitted in writing via e-mail to OTFSP2010@development.ohio.gov, with the subject line “OTFSP Q&A”. 

• December 7, 2009 – Full proposals are due to Development by no later than 2:00 p.m.
•  Approximately March 2010 – OTFAMP and OTFSP review and awards.

Eric Romich, OSU Extension agent and head of community development for Wyandot County, is now serving as director of the Wyandot County Economic Development Office, which is mobilizing an effort on many levels to make solar power a reality for the area. “We had several companies initially contact us to gauge the level of community support that might be available for such a project,” says Romich, “and since then, myself and others have been working with the County Commissioners, Township Trustees, school board, and others to measure that support, gather opinions, offer information, determine potential impact, discuss long-term effects, etc.”

Wyandot Solar LLC, has moved from exploratory discussions to the planning and implementation stage as they finalized a 25-year lease agreement with Wyandot County, Romich reports. By forming Wyandot Solar, LLC, to hold the paper on the project, the relationship among county commissioners, AEP, and Juwi coalesced. “We approached the relationship among these entities as a partnership, right from the beginning,” says Romich. “It was important to us locally because it’s a 25-year commitment, and we want to be very sure that we have done our research and this does not turn into a 25-year headache.”

To date, the project is slated to occupy a slightly more than 84 acres that will support at least 160,000 solar collection panels. The completion date is targeted for the third quarter of 2010. A pre-bid meeting for building the facility was held in August, 2009, and the site can be staged in September, after the corn and beans currently growing there have been harvested. That said, construction could begin as soon as October, 2009.

Many aspects of the project are getting special attention. For example, County Commissioner, Steve Seitz, himself a certified volunteer naturalist, got involved in this 80 to 90-acre solar field by suggesting that site planners work with the OSU Extension to provide an undergrowth that would support wild life. That led to the involvement of Extension agents Chris Brunis and Marnie Titchenell, who is a wildlife program specialist. They worked up a recommendation for a seed mix that Juwi is presently evaluating. “What we might do is use a few acres of the site to test seed mixes allowing us to optimize a undergrowth product for future projects,” says Romich. “We want to demonstrate how effectively we can make this project work in Ohio. That could be a strong incentive for similar projects to pop up in other places.”

Juwi Solar, has a strong presence in Europe and has made Germany a top producer of solar energy. “If you look at the amount of daily sunlight in Germany (not exactly known as a sunny place) and compare it to Ohio, I think we have a significant solar resource for the generation of power here in Ohio,” says Romich.

“One of the biggest challenges to making such a renewable energy project work is related to taxing, and the need for an enterprise zone agreement to be established,” says Romich.  As part of the enterprise zone agreement there will be a direct compensation agreement with the school system.   In addition, 3 to 4 KW solar generation systems are being designed for all three high schools in Wyandot County. Juwi has already provided an in-depth curriculum for Upper Sandusky and the other high school sites, so that power and learning will evolve together in a hands-on learning experience.

Other counties wanting to develop their own sustainable energy are interested in the project, regardless of whether their plans include solar, biomass, wind, or other renewable projects because much of what is learned-by -doing in Wyandot County might be useful to their efforts in the future.

Looking to the next steps, Romich is already working towards a company attraction effort to bring businesses that make solar industry parts to the Wyandot County area. “Solar has the potential to grow 40 percent annually over the next decade,” he says. “With solar being one of the Ohio Department of Development’s target industries, we hope this will be a huge step towards diversifying our local economy and an opportunity for the state to capitalize on the growth of solar in Ohio and elsewhere.”

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Ohio State University Extension brings the knowledge of the university to your door. We fulfill the land-grant mission of Ohio State University by interpreting knowledge and research developed by the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Ohio State and other land-grant universities, so that Ohioans can use the scientifically based information to better their lives, businesses and communities.

juwi solar has built over 750 solar projects for a total installed capacity of 100MWs. These projects include grid-tied systems operating in Germany, Spain, Italy, and Africa. juwi solar offers a multitude of solutions to implement large scale solar projects in North America. This expertise includes turnkey solutions for solar projects: integrating and managing the process from the initial development and design through construction and operations; and juwi solar provides an on-time, on-budget and low-cost solar generating facility.

Wyandot Solar LLC. is a subsidiary company of Juwi Solar, and will own and operate the solar generation facility located in Wyandot County, and has entered into a long-term lease agreement for the use of the land owned by the County . Wyandot Solar LLC and AEP have entered into a power purchase agreement. (AEP to buy power from solar facility to distribute to their customers).

The Ohio Soybean Council and the soybean checkoff, in partnership with the United Soybean Board, recently hosted the Ohio Soy 2020 forum, which brought together representatives from virtually every facet of Ohio’s soybean industry. Attendees were encouraged to look to the future and draw from the insights of the national Soy 2020 program.

The Ohio Soy 2020 Forum took some next-steps in moving Ohio towards an impressive national goal – to help the U.S. become a global market leader in the soybean industry by 2020. The event featured speakers who emphasized Ohio’s unique position in making this vision a reality and also engaged the attendees in a brainstorming session to help define both the Ohio bioproducts industry of the future and outline some of the steps required and the major players in the State.

After a strategic overview of the Ohio Soybean Council’s efforts related to bioproducts, featured speaker, State Senator Karen L. Gillmor spoke about S.B. 131, the BioPreferred Purchasing Program, which encourages the purchase of biobased products for state agencies and state universities when the products are comparable. 

Cathy Horton, CEO of NuTek, LLC, a company that makes soy-based lubricants in Chagrin Falls, OH, discussed how she developed her company and the progress of her line of green lubricant products, under the LubFix brand. These products are manufactured in Ohio.   

Another feature of the meeting was the Bioproducts Industry / Research Group Panel Discussion, which brought together bioproducts industry leaders from both the research/development and manufacturing sides of the business. Their focus was their vision for bioproducts in the future. Participants in this segment of the program were the Ohio BioProducts Innovation Center (OBIC), NuTek, Battelle, Univenture, and Mitsubishi Kagaku Imaging Corp.

These Forum activities were well in sync with Soy 2020, which is a national initiative that looks at different scenarios for the soybean industry to the year 2020. Ohio is the first state to bring this initiative to the State level specifically analyzing how Ohio’s soybean industry could change over the next decade.

According to Soy 2020, by the date in the organization’s title, the world will have seen tremendous changes. The world population will most likely exceed 8 billion people, with more than 93 percent of growth taking place in developing countries. Continued population growth, combined with an increasing economic status in developing countries, will require a global effort to feed a hungry world and provide the energy to sustain global economic growth.

The national Soy 2020 organization has a vision:  the U.S. soybean industry will be the global marketplace leader. The Soy 2020 process established strategies to optimize the U.S. soybean value chain regardless of what unfolds in the future. To fully realize the Vision, the U.S. soybean value-chain (producers and producer associations, input and output channels, and government entities) must fully embrace the vision and strategies, and personalize them as appropriate for implementation.

The national Soy 2020 organizational vision includes the following action items:
• Strive for economic sustainability and a global leadership position through the innovation, adoption and delivery of soy production and trait technologies.
• Create a wide variety of output choices for food, feed, fuel and other outputs,
and increase demand for soy by promoting benefits, such as, higher levels
of health and nutrition.
• Take an environmentally responsible leadership role to ensure a secure, safe, sustainable and abundant global food supply to feed a hungry world.
• Enable success of all soybean sectors and prepare to work in a coordinated leadership capacity through any situation the future may hold for U.S. soy.

On more of a regional level, the primary objective of Ohio’s Soy 2020 initiative is to provide direction for all segments of the Ohio soybean industry to have a winning strategy within an increasingly global and continuously changing environment, including:
• Keep Ohio’s soybean industry moving forward.
• Maintain a thriving industry at a local (Ohio) and national level.
• Map a plan for the future.

New opportunities and challenges are arising through unprecedented growth of the U.S. food, agriculture, and renewable energy industries. The Ohio soybean industry is in an unique position to leverage its strengths to position itself for a thriving future in feeding the world’s need for soy products.

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The Ohio BioProduct Innovation Center is a Wright Center funded by Ohio Department of Development. OBIC focuses on enhancing Ohio’s leadership position in bioproduct commercialization. A novel market pull model integrates academia in support of comprehensive supply chain collaborations across agriculture, specialty chemical and polymer industry sectors. For more information,  bioproducts.osu.edu.

The Ohio Soybean Council is part of the grassroots organization, the Ohio Soybean Association, whose mission is to provide leadership for Ohio’s soybean producers in promoting effective policies and legislation to ensure a growing and profitable soybean industry. The Ohio Soybean Association focuses on representing all Ohio soybean producers; encouraging membership of all Ohio soybean producers; generating legislative effectiveness; focusing and uniting producer interests; educating and promoting the soybean industry; and representing Ohio soybean farmers’ interests at the national level on the American Soybean Association board.
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Links

Ohio BioProducts Innovation Center (OBIC)     http://www.bioproducts.osu.edu/
Ohio Soybean Council   http://www.soyohio.org
Battelle http://www.battelle.org/
Univenture   http://www.univenture.com/