Bauer Power

The recent addition of Bauer Power to the Peoria area is another step in the direction of making the Midwest—and the Peoria area—a haven for green, sustainable energy.

Mark Bauer of Bauer Power is a long-time environmentalist and owner of a company that focuses on sustainable and renewable energy sources—including wind, solar electric and solar thermal systems. Based out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Bauer Power opened a second location in Dunlap in July, bringing with it big hopes of helping the region take advantage of its resources and make great strides towards sustainability.

“We like to work in the Midwest, we want to grow our business in the Midwest, and we think Peoria is the heartland of the state,” Bauer stated. He believes this is the right time to expand his business and cites numerous reasons why the Peoria area is the right setting in which to do so. “It’s all right here,” he said, “laid out in front of us, just like it is in Michigan.”

With the headquarters of Caterpillar planted firmly in Peoria, Bauer believes that central Illinois could potentially benefit from sustainable energy equipment made by a company known for its high-quality products—and its sustainability initiatives. “We think [Caterpillar] could one day make a medium-sized wind machine like [those that] John Deere is getting into—not one of these monsters, and not a tiny one to put on a home, but a medium-class wind turbine. It’s a wide open market.”

The Illinois River also makes the region attractive to Bauer Power. The skyrocketing price of oil has made it very expensive to transport the massive equipment and parts needed to build wind turbines and solar panels, and the Peoria area’s waterways offer a practical solution.

Then there is the workforce which already exists here. Bauer said he plans to hire a crew of five to eight people within the first 12 months of operation here in Peoria, all of whom will be “local people who have experience in the construction industry.”

Crises are Opportunities

While other industries are downsizing and condensing facilities, the field of renewable energy is growing at an extraordinary pace as people begin to realize its urgency.

“Thirty-four years ago there were 1.5 billion people on this planet. That took [about] 1,974 years to happen. In a simple 34-year time span, we’ve quadrupled to 6.5 billion people on this planet.” And each of these people, Bauer points out, needs to be sheltered and fed, which requires more and more energy.

“Human existence and the stress on our planet are forcing its resources to be pushed to the breaking point. Our fossil fuel-centric world can’t continue…to supply that need for billions of people who continue to want more food, shelter and energy.” Last year alone, Americans used 18 million barrels of oil. It takes the earth nearly 1,000 years to produce that much oil, noted Bauer, a pace which is unsustainable.

Ironically, it’s the low cost of energy that has kept us using so much of it. Because our nation subsidizes fossil fuel industries, rates have remained affordable. “The self-perpetuation of inefficiency is because of that very thing—we are right where we are, using a profound amount of energy, because it’s so cheap, and we’re not going to stop using so much until it costs us more,” explained Bauer. “Gasoline is a prime example of that.”

In recent months, many motorists have ditched SUVs and changed their driving tendencies to squeeze as many miles as possible out of each gallon. But this, Bauer points out, is reactive, not proactive, behavior. By acting now and investing in sustainable energy systems, Americans can “hedge their costs.” Most of our current systems, Bauer noted, are only good for 20 to 40 years, after which they must be replaced. By replacing them now with sustainable systems utilizing wind and solar power, Americans can save money in the long run.

“We need to be good stewards of the earth. We need to think of the generations behind us and not burn every single drop of everything we can find,” said Bauer. “Once we leave, we leave a legacy. We may be gone, but our usage of energy is lasting.”