How a County Utility Can Catalyze the 21st Century Economy: Cuyahoga County’s Vision to Develop Clean and Resilient Energy Districts to Attract and Retain Commercial Activity

The Cuyahoga County Department of Sustainability and the Cleveland State University Energy Policy Center have for the past several years been researching strategies for development of clean, highly resilient commercial districts in Cuyahoga County. In the fall of 2021, the County created a new utility division for the purpose of developing such districts, with the goal of attracting and retaining commercial activity. This paper summarizes the vision of the County as it moves forward with this innovative strategy to develop microgrids and other 21 ^st century infrastructure that will attract business to the County.