Earlier this month, the Energy Policy Center at Cleveland State University released an energy roadmap for northern Appalachia co-written by Scioto Analysis Principal Rob Moore.
The report catalogues sector assets for the energy storage industry in southeast Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. It also lays out a framework for growing the energy storage industry in northern Appalachia and includes recommendations for policymakers interested in encouraging growth in the energy storage supply chain in the area.
Based on the study team’s research of Northern Appalachian commercial enterprises engaged in the business of energy storage, at least 17,000 workers are employed across over 200 companies.
The study team also identified metropolitan areas in northern Appalachia with concentrations of certain engineering professions, finding a concentration of materials engineers in Erie and Pittsburgh, PA and Youngstown, OH, electrical and mechanical engineers in Pittsburgh and State College, PA, and chemical engineers in Charleston, WV. Northern Appalachia also enjoys a cost of living advantage, with eight metropolitan areas under the national cost of living.
The study also includes recommendations for development of the energy storage industry in Appalachia, including promoting grid and stationary storage in Northern Appalachia, promoting adoption of energy storage in the transportation sector, and funding market validation programs for energy storage startups.