A colleague of ours, Kevin Doyle, co-chair of the New England Clean Energy Council Workforce Development Group, recently did a search of 24 small to medium sized clean energy firms in the New England area and found nearly 300 job openings. When he looked at just two national companies looking to fill positions nationwide, he found nearly 1700 job openings! The companies are Phillips and Belcan Corp.
These job openings were for a wide variety of skill sets. Needed are: technical engineers, IT pros, project managers, financial and accounting, sales and marketing, energy auditors, renewable energy installers among others.
While it may seem to some that there are no green jobs out there, Kevin's experience says otherwise. In fact some of the openings for top-ranked engineers in the New England area are difficult to fill, even while unemployment remains high.
You can keep up with the New England Clean Energy Council here.
Texas-based XtremePower has a deal to provide 36 Megawatts of grid energy storage to a wind farm operated by Duke Energy. The deal is estimated to be worth $43 million. Xtreme Power uses their own Power Cell battery believed to be a chemical capacitor. The chemical makeup of the batteries is proprietary.
The Department of Energy has awarded a conditional loan guarantee for $1.2 billion for a solar farm to be built by Sun Power and owned by NRG Energy. The farm is to be built near San Luis Obispo. PG&E has already signed a 25 year contract to purchase power.
Suniva, a developer of efficient solar cells, has raised $94 million through equity funding. The Atlanta area company will use the funding to build a new factory, the location of which has not been decided. About 90% of the cells produced by Suniva are sold in Asia and Europe.
The state of California has upped its renewable energy portfolio standard to 33% by 2020. In order to comply with the legislation, all of the state's utilities will have to get 33% of the electricity they produce from renewable sources such as wind, solar and other sources. This new law is expected to further drive the acceleration of renewable energy industries in California.
Ford Motor Company has released its list of the top 25 cities that are making progress toward creating charging stations for electric cars. Ford will be releasing it all-electric Focus later this year and the C-Max plug-in hybrid in 2012. Nissan has already released their own version of the all electric car, the Leaf.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has given its Certified Biobased Product label to 11 companies. Among those receiving the label are Seventh Generation for their cleaning and personal care products, NatureWorks for their corn-based clothing fibers and Clear Lam for their food packaging made from plant based products.
One of the most powerful ingredients to green job creation is what the state and national governments are doing and have done. Unemployment has hit one state particularly hard.
For a long time Michigan has been well aware of the large number of jobs lost as the auto manufacturing business shrank. In 2005 Governor Granholm started the $2 billion 21st Century Jobs Fund as a way to switch from the fossil fuel economy to the clean energy economy. The goal of this ten year plan was to assist 1,500 firms, both new and existing, to transfer to the high tech economy. In 2008 Michigan passed the renewable energy portfolio standard that required utilities in the state to get 10% of their power from renewable sources by 2015.
The results of these and other coordinated policies is the expected creation of 150,000 jobs over the next ten years from a total investment of $14 billion in projects. The clean tech industries that are expected to create the jobs include: battery and energy storage companies, (including batteries for electric vehicles) solar, wind and biofuel companies.
By paying close attention the tax credits, stimulus grants, renewable energy portfolio standards and other legislative markers, you are better able to assess the direction and vitality of clean/green/sustainable companies in your area.
The largest thin-film solar power manufacturing plant is going to be built by General Electric. When completed, the factory will have the capacity to produce 400 megawatts of solar power per year. The location of the factory is still to be decided. GE has also acquired PrimeStar, a maker of thin-film solar cells. PrimeStar recently announced its cells achieve a 12.8 efficiency rate, a remarkable rate given the low cost of production.
Davis, CA based AgraQuest has received $17.7 million from venture capitalists. AgraQuest develops biopesticides for use in sustainable farming. Here is a link to their page offering internships to college or graduate students interested in a career in biotechnology.
Internet search-engine giant Google plans to invest $5 million in a photo voltaic power plant in Germany. When completed the plant will produce enough energy to power up to 5,000 homes.
A recent report about Tesla Motors, the maker of the all electric 2 seat roadster, boosted their share price. Some on Wall Street think Tesla is a good bet to provide significant competition to some of the internal combustion engine automakers. Others disagree.
There can be honest disagreement about whether Tesla is ready to become the fourth major US automaker. Moving electric cars into the marketplace may require some testing first.
The blog, Yale e360, has a suggestion of launching demonstration projects in selected cities, test incentives, provide proper infrastructure and find out if the public will adopt plug in electric cars like the Tesla or the Nissan Leaf.
Given that gas is approaching $4 a gallon and in some places has already passed that price, plus the political instability in countries that supply crude oil and the transfer of wealth to those countries, there is enough momentum behind the idea of replacing the internal combustion engine with a non fossil fuel, or at least making current autos more fuel efficient.
Environmental change, momentum and innovation are the driving factors behind the idea of replacing fossil fuel burning cars. This change also means new career paths in auto companies, old and new. Here is a brief interview with Jana Hartline, Manager of Environmental Communications for Toyota.
Concentrated solar power builder, owner and operator, Bright Source Energy has raised $200 million in equity financing. Bright Source is developing the 370 megawatt, utility scale Ivanpah project in the California Mojave desert. When completed the project will provide enough energy to power 140,000 homes. Here is a link to their career page.
Using technology to convert waste plastic to crude oil, Agilyx has received $22 million from venture capitalists and corporations. Among the corporate investors is Waste Management. Agilyx uses heat and the absence of oxygen to convert plastic into a gas which is then condensed and turned into oil. Estimates are that a 1,000 pound bag of plastic will generate about one gallon of oil.
Pinnacle Engines, developer of a four stroke, opposed piston combustion engine has received $13.5 million from venture capitalists. The engine is expected to be 30% to 50% more fuel efficient than current combustion engines. The engine is expected to be fully available by 2013.
When looking for a career in the sustainable, green, or corporate responsibility areas there are obvious businesses sectors to look at; renewable energy, Smart Grid, recycling and environmental remediation to name a just a few. But there are also an increasing number of companies outside these green industries that are demonstrating their commitment to sustainability as well.
Some companies are committing to reducing their energy consumption. The US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy together are using the Energy Star brand to assist companies with their energy reduction goals. (The Energy Star brand is also given to household appliances that meet specific energy reduction standards.)
Take a look at the Energy Star list to discover companies that have set specific energy reduction goals. Here are a few examples:
Other companies are using renewable energy rather than fossil fuel to power their enterprises. The Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Partnership maintains lists of companies that are purchasing the most renewable energy in 2011 . Here are a few examples:
Take a look at both of these lists to get a sense of the fortune 500, government agencies, and local governments that are making concerted efforts to green their businesses. You may find potential employers that meet your desire to work for a company that is committed to sustainability.
Schneider Electric, claiming that 70% of the world's electrons flow through their equipment, has purchased Summit Energy for $268 million. Summit Energy provides energy consulting and management services to industrial and commercial companies. IBM has also made a purchase in the Smart Grid sector. They purchased building energy management software company, Tririga for an undisclosed amount.
Based in McLean, VA, Sunnovations has secured an undisclosed amount of funding from venture capitalists to expand their markets. Sunnovations sells solar water heating systems to installers. California and New York are two of the states currently offering rebates to home owners who purchase roof top solar water heating systems.
A maker of water conservation hardware and software, ET Water has received $2 million in funding from venture capitalists. A portion of the funding will be used to expand distribution to nationwide networks.
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.
