What began as a single website to link shale gas drillers with companies that provide supplies has branched out into something unplanned for.
Ohio University students have developed a series of databases that link entrepreneurs with Ohio companies that can provide supplies and services in the creation of energy.
Students used a $100,000 rural business enterprise grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop their first website, OhioShaleEnergy.com.
The site is customizable and offers information including locations of steel suppliers with an online mapping tool that allows users to search by a variety of parameters.
“We got the grant and we chose to focus on the shale energy because it is such a regionally appropriate topic these days,” said Scott Miller, director of energy and environmental programs at the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs.
According to a 2011 study released by Cleveland State University, Ohio State University and Marietta College, 33 wells were drilled but only four were put into production. By 2014 more than one thousand wells are expected to be drilled.
The website, which originally focused on 12 eastern and southeastern Ohio counties, eventually expanded outside of the geographic area.
“We spent money from the grant in 12 counties for the pilot, but there are people from other counties who registered the site so for the next phase we are working with the Ohio Shale Coalition to take it statewide,” Miller said. “Together we will figure out ways to enhance business-to-business connectivity and make these connections more quickly.”
Linda Woggon, executive director of the Ohio Shale Coalition, said she thinks the partnership with OhioShaleEnergy.com will be “really effective.”
“I have been impressed with the work that he (Miller) and OU have been doing,” Woggon said. “I think the website is a very unique idea and could be helpful and we are anxious to partner up and help make it a better resource for Ohio businesses.”
Since OhioShaleEnergy.com received so much attention, the developers decided to create more websites, Miller said.
“We have also recently launched a solar energy database,” Miller said. “We are looking at different segments in the energy industry and trying to identify what business opportunities are out there.”
OhioSolarEnergy.org, is a project by OU’s Consortium for Energy, Economics and the Environment program. Miller said that another site was created for the wind supply chain featuring a similar map structure that identifies several companies.
In response to those who are against fracking efforts, Miller said that he wants to help figure out how it can be done as responsibly as possible.
“My research is on clean energy,” Miller said. “It would be silly for us to ignore the fact that this is the largest energy and environmental issue facing eastern Ohio in decades, but if we can bring analytical capabilities around promoting the safe and environmentally efficient manor of extracting these resources and creating jobs and recycling wealth in the region we’ve got to go for that and try.”
bc822010@ohiou.edu
