Renewable energy looks like it will be an engine for job growth in both Detroit and Michigan in the near future.
Within a relatively few years, Keith Cooley believes that Michigan could see hundreds of thousands of new jobs in renewable energy technologies.
And Cooley is in a place to help make that happen — he's the new CEO of NextEnergy, the state's renewable energy industry accelerator.
In interviews with WWJ Newsradio 950 and GLITR Tuesday, Cooley said Michigan has particular advantages during a national tipping point of transformation away from a petroleum-baesd economy.
Michigan offers good opportunities for wind power, along with a huge agriculture and wood industry from which to draw waste for renewable power and fuels. There's also access to the world's largest supply of fresh water and an industrially savvy work force for whom the Midwestern work ethic is more than just a saying.