One hundred years later, Graham County would have welcomed any commotion –  the  New York Times reported in 2001 that  “within 50 miles of Morland [Graham County], fading towns settled more than a century ago — like Zurich, Palco, Jennings, Clayton and Dresden — lost 15 percent to 30 percent of their inhabitants.”

A town does not vanish in a single moment. Nor does it vanish for a single reason. In Morland’s case, the decline was brought on by the mechanization of agriculture and nearly two decades of low wheat prices and shrinking oil fields. –NYT

The renewal story of Graham County – as told by Kirk Schweitzer, Director, Graham County Economic Development – began with a question:  What does a county, with less than three people per square mile, do to attract  commerce to the northwest corner of Kansas? The answer came from an unlikely place — Jacksonville, Fla.-based Wind Energy Consulting & Contracting.

Harnessing wind power - From Beginning to Wind

Kansas was already in the process of harnessing the Great Plains winds for energy production – the Kansas Electric Transmission Authority (KETA) was established in 2005.

“[It's] mission is to ensure reliable operation of the electrical transmission system [grid], diversify and expand the Kansas economy and facilitate consumption of Kansas energy through improvements in the state’s electric transmission infrastructure.

In the 46-county region of western  Kansas, no such  structure exists. Independent power companies provide power to the 46-county region, of which Graham County is part.

Enter the Sept. 23 – 24, 2008 Kansas Wind & Renewable Energy Conference in Topeka. In an intensive two-day conference, over 45 speakers presented all aspects of primarily wind-power technology – transmission issues, manufacturing and business development and workforce issues.

At the conference, the  GCED – Schweitzer, four board members – and the mayor “took a crash course in Wind 101.”

Would it even be economically viable for  Graham County?

Next up – Wind Networking!

- k. a. gardner

“Green Cities™ Florida was held May 20-21, 2009 at the Orange County Convention Center South Concourse Building, and offered a highly interactive, outcome-based portfolio of workshops presented with practical steps and specific plans for participating in the growing $400 billion green economy.

www.greencitiesflorida.org

“State and national experts in green government, business, and technology provided practical tools, case studies, and resources.  Speakers’ shared vital information that is driving today’s new green economy and moving Florida towards a sustainable future.”

John Adams, president and CEO of Enterprise Florida, led a break-out discussion group exploring the challenges and opportunities in building Florida’s clean energy industry - not only in renewables, but  supporting technologies [energy- efficient building services and products; manufacturing and distribution]. The conference was well-attended  and Adams noted a keen interest in all cross-sections of  clean business opportunities.

Renewable energy technologies include  biomass, biofuels, geothermal,  solar,  wind; and emerging ocean research and development.

Click here for more information on at the State of Florida’s Clean Energy Industry Cluster from Enterprise Florida.

-k. a. gardner