Green Career Central Blog

Green Career Tip - Talent Shortage in Clean Tech Opens up Green Career Opportunities

We're in a recession, right? So why is there a talent shortage in the clean tech sector?

Given all the news reports about unemployment numbers, it was a bit startling to see a headline reading: “People power in short supply for green tech”

Emerging clean energy businesses are finding that there’s a shortage of highly qualified employees and executives available to fill their business needs.

What’s going on? How can there be a recession with high unemployment numbers at the same time there’s a talent shortage?

Find out these answers, and how you can move into these positions, in this week's Tip of the Week.

Follow the Green Money: Solar Junction Receives $13.3 Million, Genomatica Secures $15 Million, Cisco Invests in Grid Net

Solar Junction

, based in San Jose, CA, has received $13.3 million from previous venture capitalists.  The funding will be used to manufacture a high efficiency multi-junction solar cell.  Solar Junction has also received $3 million in funding from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

Genomatica, based in San Diego, CA, has raised $15 million from venture capitalists to build a facility to demonstrate their bio-based chemicals.  Genomatica is hiring employees, especially those with experience in molecular biology, fermentation, and chemical process development.

Grid Net, a start-up smart grid software company based in San Francisco, CA was recently invested in by Cisco.  The terms of the investment were not disclosed. Other investors in Grid Net include GE Energy Financial Services, Intel Capital and other venture capital firms. 

Green Career Trends: Chevron Installing 7,700 Solar Panels, Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative Created, Managing Fresh Water Resources

Oil giant Chevron is installing 7,700 solar panels that will produce about 740 kilowatts of power at one of its former California refineries. Chevron is using this opportunity at "Project Brightfield" to test solar panel sizes and technologies from seven different solar companies. Power generated by the panels will be used to provide electricity to the grid and to production operations at nearby Chevron owned Kern River Field in the Bakersfield area.

Founded by utilities, technology, consumer electronics companies, retailers and consumer advocates, the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative was created to "better understand consumer needs" in the coming roll-out of smart grid products and features. A potential PR battle is brewing as consumers in Bakersfield, CA and Dallas, Texas who have recently had smart meters installed, are questioning the accuracy of their utility bill. Utilities investigating these claims have not found any irregularities with the accuracy of the meters. The Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative intends to help consumers understand the changes expected with smart grid technology.

In case you missed it, March 22 was US World Water Day.  National Geographic has created a page of freshwater photos to celebrate the day. The need for ground water by the agricultural industry is affecting California.  The loss of groundwater in California's Central Valley is happening at an unsustainable rate.  One of the largest companies using water management technology is IBM. If you want to learn more about water issues, check out Annie Leonard's The Story of Bottled Water to understand how this industry is impacting our world. (You may recognize Annie's name as she is the creator of The Story of Stuff, also a great video on the site.)

Green Career Tip - Five Strategies that Launched Jane Goodall’s Green Career

Jane Goodall.

Just the name evokes so much in people who have been touched by her in some way.

Last Friday night I happened to see Jane Goodall’s interview with Bill Moyers. She shared stories about how her own career unfolded in unexpected ways.

Find out how Jane Goodall's green career journey can inspire and guide your own. Read or listen to this week's Tip of the Week.

Follow the Green Money: New York Makes $100 Million Available for Building Retrofits, Sunpower Announces $548 Million in Q4 Earnings, Aurora Biofuels Receives $15 Million in VC Funding

Manufacturing companies and data centers in New York are eligible for $100 million worth of energy efficiency funding from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).  Currently data centers in New York spend nearly $600 million on power, a number that could double within three to five years due to rising fuel prices and increased power usage. Retrofitting will lead to tremendous savings for these companies. 

Based in San Jose, CA, Sunpower announced fourth quarter earnings of $548 million with a gross margin of 21.8%.  They ended 2009 with $925 million in cash and investments. Here are their career openings in the US.

Aurora Biofuels, based in Alameda, CA, has secured $15 million in funding from venture capitalists.  The funding will be used to expand their research and development of algae strains for use in biodiesel production.

Green Career Trends: First Solar to Work on Desertech Industrial Initiative, HP Reducing Paper Useage, Solar Panels Getting Cheaper, More Efficient

Tempe, AZ based First Solar has announced it has joined Desertec Industrial Initiative as an associate partner.  This Initiative would use solar and wind power produced in the desert of North Africa to supply electricity to portions of Europe, the Middle East and Africa.  The goal is to provide 15% of the coalition's power needs by 2050 at a cost of $555 billion.  First Solar has experience building solar plants in the deserts of the US and United Arab Emirates. 

If your interest is in greening the job you currently have by becoming an intrapreneur, you may want to look to high tech giant HP  for a model on how to reduce the amount of paper used in house and by your customers. (An intrapreneur is someone who sees an green project opportunity within a company and develops that project by volunteering their time. If you see an opportunity, track your results! You may be able to lobby the company to create a paid position to expand your project.)

One of the ways to get renewable solar energy more widely adopted is to make it less expensive and more efficient than current models.  Scientists at the Royal Melborne Institute of Technology have created just that.  A spin-off company, Technique Solar claims they can deliver solar power at the same price as grid-delivered fossil fuel energy.

Green Career Tip - Discover the Green Job Opportunities Hidden in Plain Sight

Do you have a hard time finding "all those green jobs" that people are talking about?

When I look out at the green economy, I see green career opportunities at every turn.

Yet, when I talk with job seekers and career counselors I’m often asked “Where are the green jobs? We were told there would be green jobs in abundance. Where are they?”

In this week's tip I show you where the green careers are hiding in plain sight.

Follow the Green Money: Purfresh Secures $10 from VC's, Compact Power to Build $303 Million Factory in MI, The Clean Tech Group Secures $3.2 Million

Based in the Silicon Valley city of Fremont, CA, Purfresh has raised $10 million from venture capitalists.  Using ozone, instead of chlorine, Purfresh makes a technology that purifies water and preserves food.  They also sell disinfection systems for use on water and a variety of foods and medicines.  Here is an article from Red Herring about using ozone as a disinfectant.

Compact Power, a subsidiary of LG Chem, has announced plans to build a factory to manufacture lithium-ion batteries for the upcoming Chevrolet Volt.  The estimated price of constructing the plant is $303 million.  The plant is to be located in Holland, MI so as to be near US auto makers. Here is an article about the economics of increased demand and the sources of lithium outside of the US.  The Chinese wind turbine manufacturer A-Power has chosen Nevada as its location to build a factory that will supply wind turbines to Texas.

The Clean Tech Group, a research and advisory group based in San Francisco, CA, has received $3.2 million in venture capital.  The funds will be used to provide research and consulting services to global corporations, investors and government agencies about clean tech innovations and the implications for each sector.  They list some job openings in the clean tech sector here.

Green Career Trends: Texas Sets Wind Power Record, IBM, Stanford Create New Process of Recycling Plastic, Aurica Wants CA NUMI Plant for Their Own Electric Cars

Wind power in the state of Texas has set a new record for delivering power to the grid.  On the morning of March 5 nearly 19% of the energy supplied to the state's largest grid came from wind turbines.  Part of the reason for this record happened in 2008.   A  $4.93 billion wind turbine transmission project to get the energy from the panhandle to the large population areas in the southern part of the state was approved by state regulators. 

IBM and Stanford University together have created a new way to recycle plastic.  This new way of breaking down plastic during the recycling process allows it to be recycled many more times than is currently possible.  A larger pilot study will be conducted in Saudi Arabia. 

Aurica, an unknown electric vehicle manufacturer, wants to move into the NUMI auto manufacturing plant in California. Toyota is leaving the plant at the end of this month.  Aurica wants to retrain the workforce to build electric cars.  Aurica has not released any details on how they would finance the transition.

Green Career Tip - Expand How You Think About Your Green Job Possibilities

Are you looking for a new green job?

Do you have picture of the kind of green job you want?

Are you envisioning yourself in a full time job in a large company that provides full benefits?

Have you considered that this picture might be limiting you in your search for a green career?

Read or listen to this week's tip to learn how you might be limiting yourself, and how to expand your possibilities.