Thursday, June 28, 2007
Roanoke Valley can be more than cool
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It's one thing to have nice restaurants, hotels and museums contributing to a sense of urban cool in Roanoke, but if we want the Roanoke Valley to be truly cool we're going to want to go a little deeper and get ahead of the economic development curve.
We are in the midst of dramatic changes in habits and attitudes regarding energy production and use in the United States. We are already on the path of moving away from fossil fuels (oil and coal) and toward renewable energy sources, or "smart energy," as a supplement to our energy supplies.
The industries that produce smart energy products already are showing signs nationwide that they will likely dominate the economy during the next 20 to 30 years, and Southwest Virginia can certainly become another place for smart energy component manufacturing.
Windmills need blades and engineered internal components. Hydroelectric systems need parts, and solar panels and systems have to be manufactured somewhere. These industries, especially solar, are growing worldwide because demand is increasing.
Right now there are a number of ethanol-producing plants being constructed in the Midwest that produce ethanol from corn. Ethanol need not be based on corn, however, and regional facilities that produce ethanol from sugar beets, sorghum and various grasses can be based in our valley, utilizing regional farm products. Not only would our region then have an exportable product, local consumers would have that additional fuel option here at the pump as well.
Other biofuels, such as biodiesel, can be grown and produced in the region, providing a reliable supply of vegetable oil-based fuel for industries and fleets of diesel vehicles and machines. Regional production facilities for fuels such as these can bring jobs and economic activity, as yet untapped.
There was an announcement in Southside not long ago about the creation of the nation's first Essential Technology Center that will occupy a 70,000-square-foot shell building in the Ringgold East Industrial Park. Matrix Technologies Inc. is creating what it calls an environmentally friendly factory that uses green technology to produce some innovative products such as Fibercrete, which uses biomass such as cornstalks and waste paper, instead of gravel and sand. This is one example of the industries of tomorrow that concentrate on smart energy ideas locating in Virginia, though not yet in the Roanoke region.
We have yet to focus on the potential of smart energy as a component of our regional economic development strategy. Defining this new mission would include luring clusters of smart energy manufacturing companies to defined spaces, such as the brownfields in Roanoke under rejuvenation through an Environmental Protection Agency grant. At the same time, our efforts should include luring and helping establish regional fuel source producers such as biodiesel and ethanol production facilities.
The world of alternative energy is growing, varied and diverse, and is surely among the industry mix that will continue to expand as we move away from a petroleum oil- and coal-based energy economy. We should take advantage of this inevitable change and board this train before it leaves the station.
For the Roanoke region, that would be cool.
