MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The historic investment announced by Fortune 200 company LG Electronics is being called a significant development for the future of economic development, jobs, technology development, and alternative energy.
On WAJR’s “Talk of the Town,” President and CEO of the Morgantown Area Partnership, Russ Rogerson, said this will get the attention of other companies and potential workers across the country. Companies that complement LG or others looking to expand are now looking at West Virginia in a new light.
“There will be growth in technologies, and therefore, new companies will be developed from that,” Rogerson said. “It’s significant; it really helps put West Virginia on the map in a significant way.”
Delegate Evan Hansen, D. Monongalia, 79, has been an advocate for alternative energy and diversifying the economy, so this announcement was well received. He looks forward to significant growth in emerging technologies to create jobs and career opportunities that will keep residents here, growing the population in the process.
“We’re showing promise toward diversifying our economy so we can thrive in the future, and I’m particularly excited that the investment should support renewable energy tech start-ups in West Virginia,” Hansen said.
Hansen has long been a proponent of community solar projects and hopes the announcement will bring that possibility closer. Community solar legislation would allow residents, businesses, and organizations in areas where solar cannot be installed to “share” in community solar projects. The projects are typically between five and 60 acres per site, and subscribers receive a credit on their monthly electric bill.
“I think the types of technologies that could benefit from these types of investments could make solar even more efficient and even more profitable, Hansen said. “And that means West Virginians could save even more money on electric bills if they go solar.”
Rogerson credited the partnership that has worked over the last year to bring the project to reality. Like Hansen, Rogerson believes this will get the attention of other companies and will lead to additional similar announcements.
“Kudos really to our higher education institutions in the state for helping make that ground more fertile for this investment,” Rogerson said.
Hansen agrees that this announcement adds to the portfolio the state is developing to promote economic development- specifically in technology sectors.
“For so many years people never thought about West Virginia as a place to make those investments and I think this is an important signal to investors and entrepreneurs that they should take a strong look,” Hansen said.