TOLEDO, OHIO—SUN CITY

Toledo tries to reinvent itself with solar energy
Dave Hoekstra, January 15, 2009 (Chicago Sun-Times)

“…Tony Packo's, an untony hot dog eatery in the Hungarian section of Toledo…[is] where Barack Obama enjoyed a Packo's classic Hungarian sausage with mustard and onions. So did Bill and Hillary Clinton. And George W. Bush and Joe Biden. Their autographed buns hang in plastic cases near the front door…more than 1,000 autographed buns hang on the walls…

“…owner Tony Packo III said…"This is a Democratic neighborhood. With Obama, we sent food to one of his events here. We don't send a bun out in the mail and say, 'Please sign this.' It is an authentic thing…And Toledo is becoming the epicenter of America with the struggles of the Rust Belt. Toledo is trying to transform itself with things like solar energy. The sand in Lake Erie is what made Toledo such a great place to make glass. We hope we can reinvent ourselves, just like the Carolinas did with the textile industry."

“…just a couple of miles away downtown [is] Pilkington North America, which manufactures and markets flat and safety glass. And Pilkington started a solar division two years ago. It is growing at more than a 40 percent clip annually.

“The University of Toledo is also researching solar energy.

“… Stephen Weidner, Pilkington's vice president of sales [said,] "Glass is unique because it is transparent. Generating electricity from the sun is taking some technology used in the computer industry, which is the use of semi-conductor materials. You need sunlight to activate that. Because [solar] products need to be exposed to the sun, they also need to be protected from the elements. And glass is perfect for that." …”