Dow Chemical’s $165 million Powerhouse™ solar-shingle manufacturing site in Midland has been designated a 155 acre Renewable Energy Renaissance Zone for 15 years. Other state assistance for this site includes brownfield tax credits, a photovoltaic tax credit, and job creation tax credits. Hiring has started, with full-scale production and market introduction expected in 2011. The building-integrated photovoltaic shingle is part of Dow’s development of building-related solar generating products. Meanwhile, another division of Dow Chemical has made a minority equity investment in Blade Dynamics, a wind turbine blade technology design company in the United Kingdom utilizing composite materials. The company has developed a nanotechnology blade surface material that extends the lifetime and lowers the lifecycle cost for wind turbine blades. Blade Dynamics is working on the development of wind-turbine blades that are 90 meters in length.