Green Career Central Blog

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Follow the Green Money: 1366 Tech. Gets $5.15 Million, Coulomb Tech. Secures $14 Million, Vulcan Power Receives $108 Million

Based in Lexington, MA, solar start-up 1366 Technologies has secured $5.15 million in venture capital funding.  1366 Technologies was also the recipient of $4 million in funding from the the Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects.  Here are their career openings.  Semprius, a maker of concentrator solar photovoltaics, based in Durham, NC, has received $8.16 million in funding.

Coulomb Technologies, based in the Silicon Valley area of CA, has secured $14 million in venture capital funding to continue developing its business of charging stations for electric vehicles.  Coulomb has sales offices in Europe and Australia as well as throughout the US.

Vulcan Power, a geothermal energy developer based in Bend, OR, has received $108 million in equity from an affiliate of Denham Capital.  Vulcan already has purchase power agreements in place with SoCal Edison and Nevada Power Company.

Green Career Trends: Top 100 Smart Grid Players, Musicians Going Green, How to Pay for a Green MBA

Being aware of the companies and the leaders who manage them is always helpful when researching an industry.  Green Tech Media has compiled a list of the top 100 people in Smart Grid and the companies that employ them.  If your research has lead you to examine utility scale solar as your industry of choice, you may want to know who the top PV solar companies in utility scale installations are.

Perhaps you are wondering if there are green careers for non-technical, highly qualified people.  Maybe you would like a career in the music business as well as being green.  The newly formed Green Music Group was organized to reduce the environmental impact of the music industry.  Key players include: Dave Matthews Band, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow among others.

Achieving a green MBA can be a daunting undertaking.  Paying for it can also be a challenge.  In this article from the Green Economy Post, you can learn about scholarships, fellowships, assitantships, grants and other types of assistance that make paying for a green MBA easier. 

Workshop: Jump Start Your Green Career Action Group

Announcing our next...

Jump Start Your Green Career Action Group

February 25th – April 6th

Shorten Your Path to Your Green Career

Bring Your Green Niche into Focus and
Create a Personalized Action Plan to
Find Your Green Career

As a result of this workshop by phone, you will:

• Be able to state your green career goal with confidence, clarity, and enthusiasm.
• Know how to use your goal to guide you as you research your career options, network with people in the field, and strengthen your resume.
  
  
• Have a personalized plan to guide your actions as you pursue your green career.
  

This 6-week action group, facilitated by Carol McClelland and her team of career coaches, helps you shorten your path to your green career. Through a collection of personal exercises, group activities, and personal coaching sessions, you gain a clear focus that guides your choices and actions regarding your green career search.

Early Bird Pricing until February 12th

Green Career Tip - Cleantech and Your Green Career: The Opportunities and Challenges

The cleantech sector is going to have a huge impact on the world economy.

What is cleantech?

How will it affect your dream green career?

What do you need to know about cleantech to prepare for your green career?

Discover the answers to these questions, and more, in this week's Tip of the Week.

Follow the Green Money: DOE Makes $1.4 Billion Loan to Nissan, Tesla Files for IPO, Panasonic to Invest $1.1 Billion in Solar, ClearEdge Power Raised $11 Million

Electric cars are getting plenty of attention and funding this week. The Department of Energy has announced its $1.4 billion loan agreement with Nissan Motors to retool their Tennessee plant to build advanced electric cars and battery storage devices.  The Leaf is Nissan's entry into electric vehicles. Tesla, the all electric auto maker based in San Carlos, CA, has filed with the SEC for an Initial Public Offering (IPO).  A recent recipient of a $465 million loan arrangement from the Department of Energy, Tesla hopes this IPO will generate $100 million in funding.  Future plans include building an all electric sedan, the model S.  Better Place, a company producing charging stations for electric vehicles, has received $350 million in venture capital funding.

Maker of consumer electronics, Panasonic, has announced it plans to invest $1.1 billion into producing and selling solar panels over the next five years.  With an earlier purchase of competitor, Sanyo, Panasonic now has more access to solar technology.

ClearEdge Power, based in CA and OR, a maker of  fuel cells that convert natural gas into heat and electricity, has raised $11 million in venture capital funds. Here is a link to their green career openings page.

Green Careers for Dummies Book Launch Party

Green Careers for Dummies Book Launch Party

Kepler's Bookstore
1010 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA 94025

Saturday, February 6,2010
2:00pm - 4:00pm

Come celebrate the launch of Green Careers For Dummies with author, Carol McClelland, PhD.

During the event, Carol will give a talk highlighting the green economy and green careers. In addition, Carol will be autographing copies of her latest book.

Refreshments will be served.

Please RSVP by: Monday, February 1st
Drop-ins are also welcome!

For more information contact: Events Manager Susan Sullivan at (707) 428-3789 or susan@greencareercentral.com

About the Author:
Carol McClelland, Ph.D., a pioneering career-change consultant and Founder and Executive Director of Green Career Central has spent eighteen years helping thousands of clients, students, and readers discover fulfilling careers that align with their personal values. Now she dedicates her time to helping mid-career professionals, students, and career counselors and coaches make sense of the green economy and the green job market.

JOIN US!

Parking: There's underground parking available. The entrance is on Santa Cruz Avenue. See map for driving directions. There are also some great little restaurants very close, if you want to make a day of it!

Green Career Trends: Solar/Hydrgen Process from Sun Catalytix, Parts Suppliers to Hybrid Auto Makers, Building Green Baseball Stadiums

One of the difficulties with renewable energy sources like solar panels and wind turbines is the intermittent nature of the electrical generation.  Sun Catalytix, based in Cambridge, MA, has developed a system that uses solar energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen to create a hydrogen powered fuel cell.  The system mimics photosynthesis.  Here is a list of their career openings.

Not only will their be careers with electric and hybrid vehicle makers like Tesla, Fisker, Think, and the much larger auto manufacturers, but there are green careers with the suppliers of these companies, like MPC and  Poly One Corporation.  These two companies have created a low carbon footprint engine cover made from a PolyOne compund that has a metallic looking finish that will be used on the 2010 Ford Fusion.

How far have green building ideas and materials spread?  Even the national pastime of baseball is going green.  The Florida Marlins are building a new stadium and are aiming for a LEED certification of silver. However, the Marlins will not be the first major league team with a LEED silver rating stadium, that belongs to the Washington Nationals.

Green Career Tip - Expanding Your View of the Energy Issue

Why is our energy situation important to your green career?

Although the energy crisis might not be everyone’s choice of topic for a Friday night, I was intrigued with a new book entitled Who Turned Out the Lights: Your Guide to the Energy Crisis.

The authors, Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson, were on Bill Moyers' Journal last Friday night discussing America's Energy Challenge. 

Within about two sentences I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen to take notes… Why?

Because I think everyone with a green career, or who aspires to have a green career, must be familiar with issues surrounding energy. To be effective in our jobs and in shaping our future we must know more than we do now. 

Find out what you can learn, and how it can help you, in this week's Tip of the Week.

Follow the Green Money: Khosla Ventures Now $1.3 Billion to Invest in Green/Clean Tech, Tesla Approved for $465 Million DOE Loan, 5 Smart Grid Companies Get a Total of $32.5 Million

Khosla Ventures, a clean tech venture capital fund, has increased the size of its fund from $1 billion to $1 billion 300 million.  This additional $300 million will be used to used to fund early start up companies that may not be able to get funding from other sources or are considered riskier investments.

Tesla Motors, maker of the all electric Tesla Roadster, has been approved by the Department of Energy for a $465 million loan to build a factory in Southern California to produce the model S, an all electric sedan.  The loan will also be used by Tesla to build a power train factory in Palo Alto, CA.  EnerDel, a subsidiary of Ener1, has announced plans to invest $237 million in leasing and equipping  a manufacturing plant in Indiana that will produce lithium-ion battery cells and packs for electric vehicles. 

Smart Grid venture capital funding is off to a good start for the new year, five US companies received a total of $32.5 million.  EcoBee raised $6.4 million, Ecofactor received $2.4 million, Ember raised $5 million, Tantalus Systems secured $14 million and Verdiem received $4.7 million.

Green Career Trends: DuPont Invests in Solar Cells, Pike Research Employment Opportunities, NanoH20 Openings for Engineers

Wilmington, Delaware based DuPont Corp. has invested $175 million into its line of Tedlar products, which are used as a backing in solar cells.  The funding will go to Dupont's factory in Circleville, OH.  Go here to research careers at DuPont.

For those interested in a somewhat less technical career, Pike Research, based in Boulder, CO, is a market research and consulting firm that specializes in green/clean technology companies and covers such industries as corporate sustainability, smart energy, clean transportation and green building.  Go here to view their career openings.

By improving the membrane used in the water desalinization process, NanoH20, a start up  company, has lowered the amount of energy needed in the process thereby lowering the cost.  NanoH20 is based in El Segundo, CA and has openings for engineers.