MIAMISBURG — Steve Melink, owner of Melink Corp. of Milford, is concerned that political paralysis in Washington is keeping the United States behind in the transition to a renewable energy economy.

“It’s the right thing for our country. Why not become leaders in this clean energy economy — not buying solar panels from China and wind turbines from Germany,” he said.

He sees the proposed “Investments for Manufacturing Progress and Clean Technology Act,” or IMPACT, as a way to combat that industrial lag. It would create a $30 billion revolving loan fund to allow businesses to retool for renewable energy product lines. It has been incorporated into legislation now a part of the energy bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. The provision, sponsored by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, awaits passage by Congress. The senator says IMPACT could potentially generate more than $100 billion in revenue for renewable energy businesses and create 680,000 direct manufacturing jobs and nearly two million indirect jobs nationwide over five years.

By Sen. Brown’s calculation, the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 has so far funneled to Ohio $889.9 million for 219 various projects, including renewable energy-related corporate assistance in the Dayton region.

But while much of the economy is mired in slow or no growth, Melink’s firm is poised to manage several other new large commercial-scale solar power projects around central Ohio, said Craig Davis, project manager. A solar array at the Mound Advanced Technology Center is nearly completed. “I’ve seen an increase in volume of day-to-day work and getting projects off the ground,” he said. “Over the next year to five years, you’ll see exponential growth in projects this size.”

Mike Grauwelman, president of the Mound Community Improvement Corp., said he aspires to make the facility “zero energy,” able to generate all of its power using renewable sources. “We’re looking at a larger solar array on the site,” he said.

It’s a myth that Ohio isn’t suitable for big solar projects, Davis said, as calculations put the state’s solar profile at 70 percent of Southern California. Using state and federal incentives, including tax breaks, a commercial installation will pay for itself in less than three years, Davis said. A residential installation could pay for itself in five to 10 years. Repower Ohio, the renewable energy advocacy group, cites the Gulf oil spill as an example of the need for Congress to act soon.

“There has never been a more important time to begin the transition to clean energy,” Bryan McGannon, state director, said. “With thousands of gallons of oil gushing into the Gulf and tens of thousands of Ohioans still out of work, we can no longer afford to wait for decisive action.”