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Recurrent Energy, a San Francisco, CA based solar power generating company, announced it has purchased a solar project pipeline of up to 350 megawatts from UPC Solar, a Chicago-based renewable energy development company.
First Solar, based in Tempe, AZ, has contracted with the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Authority to build a 30 megawatt solar farm in New Mexico. The contract is estimated to be worth between $98 and $113 million.
When companies like Google, AT&T, Verizon
begin to invest in smart energy meters for residential usage, can new
products and new jobs be far behind? Smart meters allow residential
customers to monitor their energy usage and make informed decisions
about their electrical use. Other companies such as Control 4 and Black and Decker want to enter the industry with energy monitor and control devices that do not need a broadband connection.
The Union of Concerned Scientists, a non-profit organization of citizens and scientists seeking environmental solutions, has a new report that claims if a renewable energy standard of 25% by 2025, 297,000 jobs would be created. If 25% is made a national standard, ( President Obama has called for this) renewable energy would create more than three times as many jobs as producing an equivalent amount of electricity from fossil fuels according to the report. Many of the jobs would be in manufacturing, construction, operations, maintenance, agriculture, forestry, and other related industries. All of the industries will need technical and non-technical employees to meet the challenge.
With 50 bills
in the legislature dealing with creating solar energy, Texas is aiming
to take the national lead and move ahead of California in amount of
energy generated by solar products. Are Texans willing to pay a little
bit more for solar energy? In a poll taken in 2007 by Baselice & Associates, before the economic slowdown, it was found that 81 percent of voters are willing to pay a dollar per month to
encourage those developments.
Electric car manufacturer Tesla has introduced the S model, a roomy sedan that goes from 0-60mph in under six seconds and can travel up 160 miles before needing a charge. Priced
at $49,000 (after federal tax credit), the S model is expected to be
available to consumers by the fourth quarter of 2011.
You, no doubt, have heard the terms: cleantech, clean tech, clean technology, and greentech.
Solyndra, a photovoltaic solar company located in the Bay Area, has tentatively been given a loan guarantee of $535 million by the US Department of Energy. The loan guarantee will be used to expand production facilities thereby creating green jobs.
Solyndra applied for the guarantee in 2005. With the Obama Administration's emphasis on creating jobs and fostering renewable energy, DOE Secretary Dr Stephen Chu fast tracked the guarantee.
The next step for the company is to get legal and financial approvals.
There are some high profile signs indicating the continued growth of the smart grid and all of the industries, products and services related to the grid. Large corporations such as Google, IBM, Microsoft, Cisco and GE, are getting involved. The Stimulus Bill recently passed by Congress has allocated 4.5 billion to revamp and modernize the system. More utilities are switching to a "decoupled"
system as government regulations are changed. While it may be too
early to make bold predictions about a single industry saving the
country from continued recession, the signs are pointing toward a bright future and increased employment for revamping the grid and running the new grid. Over time, Gridwise.org predicts entirely new industries will come out of our shift to the smart grid.
Are you an inventor, entrepreneur, or student with a good idea? Or are you a professional seeking to change the clean tech industry? Your idea or innovation could win you $250,000 from the Clean Tech Open Competition. Not only is the goal to reward new companies and innovative thinking, but also to create 100,000 new jobs. Last years winner, Nila, produces low heat LED lighting that is gaining traction in the Southern California film industry.
Not only is the grid getting smarter, so is waste management. Big Belly Solar has created a trash can that use solar power to compact itself and text when it is full, saving labor and fuel costs. Timberland is putting used car tires on the soles of its boots by using Green Rubber. Agri-Plas
is keeping plastic out of the landfill by turning it into usable crude
oil. The Oregon based company accepts almost all plastic material,
turns it into synthetic crude oil, and then ships it to a refinery in
Tacoma, WA where it can be used to make other petroleum-based products,
lubricants or gasoline.
Books can be fun, informative, or both, but can they lead to getting hired in the green economy? One of the keys to getting hired in the green economy is to be able to demonstrate your knowledge of green and sustainable concepts. Although you may, in some cases, need to take courses or get a degree, you also can significantly upgrade your knowledge by reading several well chosen books.
Read the Tip of the Week to learn why a little reading can help you to your green career.
Last week we wrote Where Are the Green Jobs? Maps Are Worth Ten Thousand Words. For the most part, those maps showed the location of Cleantech companies as well as companies focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency.
But what about the jobs that aren’t so technical? They are out there, but you may need to take a slightly different tactic as you search them out.
Congratulations are in order for Van Jones, formerly the head of Green for All,
an non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to reducing environmental
climate change by hiring underserved populations to perform a variety
of green construction jobs. Van has been appointed by President Obama
to a position titled, Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and
Innovation. He will serve the President as part of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
We at Green Career Central have seen Van speak many times, most recently at the Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference in Washington D.C. in February. His speaking style combines humor and inspiration with wit and intelligence. His appointment is another step forward in turning the reduction of greenhouse gases into recession ending employment. To see and hear him speak on video at the Good Jobs Green Jobs Conference, go to the BlueGreen Alliance Channel on You Tube.
Carol McClelland, PhD, founder and executive director of Green Career Central will be interviewed by Marty Nemko during his job/career makeover program on KGO 810 AM in San Francisco.
Carol will be speaking with Marty and answering callers questions from 9pm until 10pm. KGO AM is one of a few 50,000 watt radio stations in the country and has a broadcast range along the West Coast from Seattle to San Diego. You can tune into Marty Nemko's career/job makeover program on KGO every Sunday from 7 until 10pm.
As regulations regarding CO2 emissions are being talked about in
Washington, D.C., the need for accurate greenhouse gas measurement is
becoming apparent. There is some uncertainty among utilities about
which system will be adopted, will it be cap and trade or a carbon tax,
and from which level of government will the regulations come?
Either way, the need for measuring and monitoring of greenhouse gases from multiple sites is going to grow. By attending the First International Greenhouse Gas Measurement Symposium, sponsored by the Air and Waste Management Association, you can hear the discussion about the technological needs for accurate, local, regional, national, and international monitoring systems as well as how to perform these measurements. The Symposium is being held in the San Francisco Bay Area from March 22 - 25, 2009.
If you would like to explore this career possibility in more depth, check out the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute.
Are you a job seeker who is tired of struggling to find or grow a green career? At this moment, you're ONE CLICK away from discovering powerful strategies to help you grow your green career! Request your free copy of this ebook today! ($29 value). You'll also get my ezine, Green Career Tip of the Week.
