Radio Address: A Great Week for Efforts to Diversify Michigan’s Economy
In this week’s radio address, Governor Granholm takes a look at the how the announcement that Dow is expanding their efforts in renewable energy is a great example of how our the state is working in partnership with business to diversify our economy.
Hello, this is Governor Jennifer Granholm.
This was a great week for Michigan and the Dow Chemical Company.
Dow is a Michigan company headquartered in Midland, and it announced a combined investment of almost $1.3 billion in three clean-energy projects that’ll create thousands of new jobs in our state – in wind, in solar and in batteries. And these three projects came to fruition through Dow and the state of Michigan working together to achieve our mutual goals of diversification of the economy and job creation.
First, Dow announced that it will manufacture its new Powerhouse solar shingle in Midland. This is a revolutionary product. It’s a solar panel that looks like a shingle. The Powerhouse solar shingle will crate 1,275 new jobs at Dow, with the potential for another 425, plus an estimated 4,400 spin-off jobs.
Dow’s announcement that it would produce its Powerhouse shingle in Midland was the culmination of 18 months of collaboration between the state and Dow to help the company diversify into clean energy. Dow has facilities in 23 states and 51 countries and really could have chosen any one of them to manufacture this exciting new product. But by state government partnering with Dow, the Powerhouse solar shingle is going to be made right here in Michigan.
The second Dow project involves advanced-battery production. This week, a state advanced-battery tax credit was awarded to a Dow joint venture – Dow Kokam – to support the manufacture of cells and batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles. About $670 million has been invested in Dow Kokam’s Midland facility. And up to 800 new jobs will be created – Michigan jobs for Michigan workers.
The third piece of good news this week was that Dow is being designated as the state’s seventh Center of Energy Excellence.
Michigan’s Centers of Energy Excellence, with the assistance of state grants, enable innovative companies like Dow to partner with our world-class universities and research centers to accelerate the commercialization, the selling of clean-energy technologies.
Dow’s Center of Energy Excellence will focus on developing low-cost carbon fiber materials for products like advanced wind turbine blades. The challenge with wind turbine blades is making them lighter and stronger. This is an opportunity for Dow to find a solution that can be used throughout the wind-energy industry.
The three Dow clean-energy projects announced this week – all supported with targeted state incentives designed to diversify Michigan’s economy – will create up to 2,500 new jobs at Dow and an estimated 4,400 spin-off jobs. Through partnerships like the one between Dow and state government, we are helping transform Michigan into the nation’s center for clean-energy manufacturing and create thousands of jobs for Michigan workers.
Thank you for listening.
For more on how Michigan is making significant strides in the new “green” economy, check out Governor Granholm’s op-ed piece for the Huffington Post.
