Ohio and Michigan are near the top of any list of clean energy development sites with great potential. Benefitting from abundant wind resources and a strong manufacturing base, the two states have high potential to rapidly transform their energy economies and green their grids.

Across the rust belt, from Detroit to Toledo, Cincinnati to Columbus, there are signs that an energy and economic transformation is already occurring. From Astraeus wind manufacturing in Eaton Rapids, Michigan to First Solar’s growth in Toledo, the renewable energy manufacturing industry has taken a stronghold, creating jobs and rejuvenating communities. But the clean economy doesn’t stop with renewable energy. In addition to clean energy component manufacturing, businesses are increasingly entering the energy efficiency sector by producing efficient products or providing efficiency services.

To learn more about the developments in Ohio and Michigan, and to see firsthand how clean energy technology is driving economic growth, my colleagues Cai Steger, Dylan Sullivan, Pierre Bull and I are spending the next week in these states. We will tour the facilities and meet the people leading one of America’s most rapidly developing economic sectors. On the agenda is a visit to the nation’s greenest zoo, an automated refrigerator recycling facility, a wind turbine hub manufacturer, and many more. Stay tuned.