Green Jobs That Will "Stay In Las Vegas"

Jaime Cruz helped Las Vegas make its city center more energy efficient. Now he is working on bringing green jobs to America's gambling capital.

Timothy Pratt at the Las Vegas Sun interviewed him:

"Why does Southern Nevada need green jobs? The current economic climate has accentuated the point that, for a long time, we’ve had all our eggs in one basket, with jobs in the service economy and construction. What we’ve seen is that we have to diversify, and green jobs are one way.

What are the challenges? In the long term, we need policies to change the way this community looks at solar energy, more cooperation with the federal government over land use and, with the private sector, ways to make solar energy more affordable. But in the meantime we have to attack what we have control over. For example, if we can find ways to make large buildings more energy efficient, that will create more jobs." See full article.

Clean Energy Sparks 77% Rise in Profits for Florida Utility

One major major utility is showing huge profits through its alternative energy arm.

Julie Patel of the Sun Sentinal reports:

"FPL Group reports ... that its net profit shot up 77 percent in the second quarter to $370 million from $209 million the year before. That’s largely because the net profit of NextEra Energy Resources, FPL Group’s unregulated alternative energy arm, skyrocketed to $186 million last quarter from $3 million the year before. Some of NextEra's hedging on energy contracts paid

"While the Florida economy is quite challenging, we are delivering exceptional value to FPL customers in the form of reliable, clean energy at low rates,” FPL Group Chairman Lew Hay said in a statement. Executives from FPL Group, the largest U.S. wind and solar power generator, said during an earnings call this morning that they expect to benefit from government policies supporting investments in energy projects, including renewable energy." See full article.

Indiana Experts See Clean Energy Economy Coming

A group of energy and economic experts see green energy as a large part of Indiana's future.

The Bloomington Alternative reports:

"The panel was convened by Environment America and the Richard Lugar Center for Renewable Energy in response to the recent U.S. Global Change Research Program report showing that Indiana is already experiencing more extreme storms, drought and flooding due to global warming. According to a survey of green businesses by the Pew Charitable Trusts, job growth in the emerging clean energy economy in our country has been more than twice as fast as in the economy as a whole -- 9.1 percent growth in green businesses, compared with 3.8 percent in all businesses combined.

Economists at the University of Massachusetts calculated that a $100 billion investment in building a clean energy economy could create as many as 2 million new, well-paying jobs in the United States in just two years, with 38,000 jobs here in Indiana. The panel of experts agreed that transitioning to a clean energy economy would benefit the state of Indiana." See full article.

Washington State Wind Farm Expands and Creates New Jobs

A wind farm expansion creates jobs and helps lower carbon emissions.

KNDO.com reports:

"As the wind whips at the Wild Horse Wind Farm, power is being generated and jobs produced. "The county road fund, the county general fund will also see some new tax money based upon this projects value," said Brian Lenz, government and community relations manager, Puget Sound Energy. Wild Horse currently contributes around 1.5 million tax dollars to local schools and government services. The 22 new wind turbines will whirl even more tax revenue into the local economy. Around 150 people are working on the expansion. They're constructing nacelles, which house the generator." See full article.

Governors See Green Job Creation in Climate Legislation

Many states are seeing the importance of embracing the new green economy but others are less convinced citing regional differences.

Associated Press reports:

"Three Democratic governors told a Senate panel [July 21,2009] that efforts to curb global warming and spur the development of cleaner sources of energy have created jobs and new businesses in their states, a trend that could expand nationwide if Congress passes federal legislation. All three states New Jersey, Colorado, and Washington have adopted measures to achieve reductions in the gases blamed for global warming and standards requiring a certain percentage of electricity from renewable sources.

But this view was not shared by all state leaders testifying Tuesday before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, including North Dakota's Republican governor and a Democratic state legislator from Arkansas, highlighting regional differences in addressing climate change." See full article.

Navajo Lawmakers Form New Green Jobs Commission

The Navajo Nation Council recognizes they need to diversify their economy and address profound joblessness. Green jobs look promising.

High Country News reports:

"The Council passed the legislation by a vote of 62 to 1. According to Enei Begaye, who spearheaded a coalition to create the legislation, it is the first tribal government initiative to create green jobs policy and structure. Undoubtedly ambitious -- combining traditional culture, web-based marketing and cutting-edge green technologies -- the plan could transform the Navajo Nation and serve as a model for other tribes.The legislation will establish a commission to implement projects in seven areas: renewable energy (large-scale and small), green manufacturing (focused on traditional crafts such as rug-weaving, combined with sophisticated marketing and PR campaigns), sustainable agriculture, weatherizing and making energy-efficient traditional and nontraditional homes, green workforce training, management training, and a small business initiative." See full article.

Green Jobs Northwest: As State Industries Make Changes, Jobs Are Expected To Follow

The northwest region anticipates job growth -- some new and some redefined.

Suzanne Monson of NWJobs report:

"Green jobs are not necessarily new jobs, but often traditional jobs in industries and companies that are adapting to new markets and opportunities available in a clean energy economy,” according to the 2008 Green Economy Jobs report from the Washington State Employment Security Department. According to a Global Insight report prepared for the U.S. Conference of Mayors, some 750,000 green jobs existed nationally in 2006, and 4.2 million more are expected by 2038. “Washington has around 13,075 green jobs now, and that number could increase to over 100,000 by 2038,” the report says. “Nearly 50,000 of those jobs are forecast to occur in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue region.” See full article.

Hybrid Market Offers Hope For Auto Industry Recovery

With all the bad news about auto companies these days the idea of new, more fuel-efficient models is providing a bright spot.

NewsOxy.com reports:

"The auto industry might recover faster than most analysts believe due to the growing demand for new hybrid cars. The cars are equipped with hybrid components that actually pass gas savings down to the consumer. There is a growing movement around the globe for these new vehicles that is potentially saving automakers from a total collapse. There is also a trend of auto startup companies on the rise vowing to develop hybrid cars with a lower price tag. Recently, there is a company in China that purchased a factory in Detroit. The company plans to build the parts globally but will assemble the automobiles here in America." See full article.

Investments and Jobs: Pennsylvania Will Triple Its Solar Energy Capacity

Many states are investing in green jobs including Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Governor's Office reports:

"Governor Edward G. Rendell ... said Pennsylvania will triple its solar capacity with nearly $23 million in new grants and loans for companies throughout the state that are embracing the renewable energy industry. 'From a 134-acre solar park in the northeast to hot water heaters for Pittsburgh firehouses, Pennsylvania is investing in its energy future,' Governor Rendell said.' Thanks to the groundwork we've laid during the past several years, we are ready to create a brighter future for Pennsylvania's renewable energy industry while advancing our energy independence. 'Even in this economic downturn, we're creating jobs, expanding Pennsylvania's manufacturing base and producing more environmentally friendly, home-grown energy options.'" See full article.

The New Energy Innovators: Twenty Five Intriguing Clean Energy Start-Ups

In the national discussion about green job creation, innovation and ingenuity are coming to the fore.

BusinessWeek and GreenBiz.com report:

"BusinessWeek teamed up with GreenBiz.com, a green business information service. We don't promise any will blossom into the next Google (GOOG) or Cisco Systems (CSCO). And because they are private, there are no public data on cash flow or profits. But innovators on the list have the brainpower, intellectual property, and ambition to play a role in the coming energy revolution. Since the focus here is strictly under-the-radar, we have excluded famous green startups such as battery maker A123 and electric-car ventures Tesla Motors and Better Place. But like those well-publicized players, all the ones on this list have lined up significant venture backing. "These are companies that, so far, have survived the gauntlet of fund-raising, R&D, and the economic downturn," explains Joel Makower, executive editor of GreenBiz.com, a unit of Greener World Media." See full article:

UK's New Low Carbon Industrial Plan -- 500,000 Green Jobs

A new industrial plan developed in the UK predicts lower greenhouse gas emissions and a half million new jobs by 2020.

Kat Baker for PerssonnelToday.com reports:

"As part of the 'Low Carbon Industrial Strategy', climate and energy secretary Ed Miliband [UK] said 200,000 new green-collar jobs would be created by 2015, and a further 300,000 by 2020. The strategy sets out a series of government interventions to help create jobs by supporting industries critical to tackling climate change – including offshore wind and marine power. The government aims to cut emissions by 34% by 2020 – with employers forced to cut their 2008 carbon emissions by 13%." See full article.

Job-Strapped Michigan Moves Up In Inventive Patent Applications Including Green Tech

The bad economy in Michigan has caused applications for invention patents to spike -- including green technology solutions.

Jennifer Youssef from the Detroit News reports:

Although Michigan has been hard hit in other sectors, it ranked seventh among all states in the number of patents granted in 2008, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Linda Chamberlain, executive director of the West Michigan Science & Technology Initiative, a program that assists inventors and entrepreneurs, credits the state's research universities and major industries for the high number of patents. Michigan also has fifteen "SmartZones" where technology firms, entrepreneurs and researchers cluster and collaborate.

Geoff Horst and his colleagues at Algal Scientific Corp. are hard at work inventing a new source of biofuel in an East Lansing lab. Horst, the Michigan-based company's chief science officer and a doctoral candidate in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University, is testing combinations of algae species that suck up nutrients from wastewater and are then converted into biofuel. " See full article.

White House: Health and Green Jobs On Track.

A new White House report looks at jobs through 2016 and finds that the health and green job sectors are growing even with concerns over the stimulus package.

Ascociated Press reports:

"President Barack Obama's Council of Economic Advisers said jobs ranging from technical record keeping to nursing and physical therapy will grow in the health fields and that greater spending on renewable energy and on a more efficient electrical power grid will spike employment in those sectors as well. The White House, seeking to calm domestic frustration, has insisted its plan would eventually boost millions of jobs. The CEA report stood by a prediction that the stimulus spending would save or create 3.5 million jobs by the end of 2010." See full article.

Green Energy Job Creation: Return On Investment Facts

In a detailed assessment of how many actual jobs are created for every $1 million invested in the energy sector Alt Energy Stocks has reviewed the data. Bottom line -- green energy 16.7 new jobs to fossil fuel 5.3 jobs. That is three times better return on investment,

Tom Konrad for AltEnergyStocks.com reports:

"The best national report I read was Green Prosperity, which was sponsored by Green for All and NRDC, and written by the economists Robert Pollin, Jeanette Wicks-Lim, and Heidi Garrett-Peltier at the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (PERI). This report used data from the US Commerce Department Input-Output tables and IMPLAN to look at the potential for job creation from each $1M of spending in various industries, some of which is presented below in table 3 from the report:"

The cost of creating jobs per $1million in spending:

Weatherization --17.1 Transit/Rail --20.8 Smart Grid --13.3 Wind --13.8 Solar --14.1 Biomass ---15.5

Av.------------------16.7

____________________
Fossil Fuel ---------- 5.3

See full article.

Employment Impact of Proposed Sahara Solar Project: 240,000 Green Jobs

The Desertec project would cover a Masachusetts-sized area of the Sahara with solar panels. New estimates are it will also generate 240,000 new green jobs in Germany.

A consortium of 20 blue chip German firms has thrown its weight behind the gigantic Desertec Sahara solar plan. A new study helps explain why: The mega project could help spawn 240,000 new green jobs in Germany and deliver up to $2 trillion in profits to companies by 2050, according to the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy. Desertec was launched in 2007 by the German association of the Club of Rome. Its architects seek to spread a supergrid of concentrating solar thermal plants (CSP) across a 6,500 square-mile stretch of North African desert to eventually power most of Europe. See full article.

UK: 400,000 New Jobs and 34% Greenhouse Gas Reduction by 2020

As we get closer to the next world global warming summit, some nations are stepping up reductions while feeling more confident about green jobs. Photo: David Parry, UK.

The UK Telegraph reports:

"A 'green revolution' that should create 400,000 jobs is to be launched by ministers later this month in the most ambitious ever bid to transform the British economy, industry and sources of energy. Detailed plans for expanding renewable energy tenfold and cutting emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses that heat up the planet - all in little more than a decade - will be announced. The plans will be spelt out in three documents due to be published in about ten days time. Ed Miliband, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary, will unveil a White Paper that will spell out how emissions will be cut by at least 34 per cent on 1990 levels by 2020 and a 'Renewable Energy Strategy' to increase its use to 15 per cent of Britain's total energy supplies by the same date." See full article.

Green Job Referrals: Via A New Green Homes Concierge Service

Green jobs in the new energy economy can come in many forms. A new UK service can help busy people have greener and more energy efficient homes by, among other things, introducing them to green contractors.

Beth Hodgson at Inventers Spot.com reports:

"Green Homes Concierge helps London homeowners reduce their carbon footprint and save money through a comprehensive evaluation of the efficiency of their home. Through a report they will identity areas that need improvement, and once approved, can make the arrangement to have contractors complete the work required to make the home more energy efficient. With a service like this, you don't have to worry about finding the time to call for quotes, wait around for contractors, and struggle to maintain balance in your life." See full article.

Northwest Indiana Is Seeing Green Jobs In Its Future

Northwest Indiana is a traditional manufacturing hub. Leaders there are seeing less of a gap between regular manufacturing jobs and green jobs.

Michael Gonzalez, Post-Tribune correspondent reports:

"Going green can mean more greenbacks for Northwest Indiana, a region whose fortunes have been historically chained to traditional manufacturing. In an information fair sponsored by an ad hoc committee of residents called Concerned Citizens of Northwest Indiana, a panel of experts said there is no longer a gap between a greener region and more jobs.

[U.S. Rep. Pete] "Visclosky said steel making in the region runs 'on green jobs,' as the industry has achieved double-digit decreases in energy usage and carbon emissions and American steel is used in projects like windmill farms. While touting stimulus money for energy conservation and weatherization, he also promised he would vote against any legislation that could cost steel jobs.
Tracy Hall, a veteran electrician with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 697, spoke of installing solar panels on Merrillville's town hall and the need to train workers for similar projects for large scale green projects coming soon to the region. See full article.

U.S. Government Maps Best Solar Regions

The need for alternative energy could redefine the American landscape including how it is mapped and ultimately managed.

CNet News: GreenTech reports:

"The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, in conjunction with the Department of Energy, this week released six maps that could help determine the location of the next big push in solar energy.The BLM maps cover areas within the six U.S. states most suitable for solar energy generation and transmission as judged by the U.S. government: Arizona (PDF and below), California (PDF), Colorado (PDF), Nevada (PDF), New Mexico (PDF) and Utah (PDF).

"Only lands with excellent solar resources, suitable slope, proximity to roads and transmission lines or designated corridors, and containing at least 2,000 acres of BLM-administered public lands were considered for solar energy study areas. Sensitive lands, wilderness and other high-conservation-value lands as well as lands with conflicting uses were excluded," according to a BLM statement released with the maps." See full article.

War Veterans Trade Uniforms for Green Jobs

Seventeen U.S. organizations are getting stimulus fund support for training veterans to move into renewable energy jobs.

Newsweek reports:

"Nonprofit groups like Boulder, Colo.–based Veterans Green Jobs, which last year launched"rapid training and deployment" workshops to hone vets' skills and funnel them into energy companies, deepen the talent and recruitment pool. Following suit, a Washington nonprofit called the Truman National Security Project launched a program this month to train vets to drive the message of an undeniable overlap between green energy and national security.

In some instances, veterans are acting as recruiters for their new employers. Tim Hyclak, an Air Force crew chief who did six tours in Iraq, is now a maintenance technician with Solaicx, an early-stage solar manufacturer. He heard about the company from a fellow vet and has instructed his friends to call him for jobs when they're discharged." See full article.

China Outpaces U.S. on Clean Energy

A common expression of concern about the U.S. supporting treaties to abate global warming comes in the assertion that the U.S. would be taking such steps while other large nations would not be so bound.

Photo: Ariana Lindquist for The New York Times

The New York Times reports:

"As the United States takes its first steps toward mandating that power companies generate more electricity from renewable sources, China already has a similar requirement and is investing billions to remake itself into a green energy superpower.

Through a combination of carrots and sticks, Beijing is starting to change how this country generates energy. Although coal remains the biggest energy source and is almost certain to stay that way, the rise of renewable energy, especially wind power, is helping to slow China’s steep growth in emissions of global warming gases. This year China is on track to pass the United States as the world’s largest market for wind turbines — after doubling wind power capacity in each of the last four years." See full article

Smart Meter Roll Out Creates 2,600 New Jobs at British Gas

Linking homes and building to the smart grid will start with basic smart metering -- a source of green jobs.

Easier.com Finance reports:

"British Gas has unveiled plans to create 2,600 skilled new jobs by 2012. The new recruits will lead the roll-out of smart meter technology across Britain - the biggest revolution in home energy use for decades.

The 2,100 new smart energy experts, who will [actually] install smart meters, will also help householders understand how smart meters give them the control to cut their energy use, reduce their carbon footprint, and save money on their fuel bills." See full article.

Former President: Green Jobs Could Comprise Greatest Economic Boon Since World War II

Former President Clinton Addressed the Waterkeeper Alliance In New York City on June 26th and offered his views on the significance of the emerging green economy and green job creation. (Photo: J. Karceski)

Julie Karceski for EMagazine.com reports:

[President] "Clinton called the possible creation of a green job market a great boon to the economy, perhaps the greatest since World War II. He said the U.S. needs a new source of jobs every five to eight years, and green jobs, like building upgrading and wind turbine manufacturing, will provide Americans with work for another ten years.

Furthermore, he argued, investing $1 billion dollars in wind or solar energy creates more jobs than the using the same money to build a coal plant. He explained how making user-friendly financing methods for green home improvements would increase the number of people building greener homes." See article.

U.S. Lags Behind G8 Nations In Grabbing Hold of the New Green Economy

Recent congressional debates over whether green jobs are real are occuring in the U.S. but a new economic report card shows the America is having the debate by itself while other G8 nations are moving forward -- creating jobs and pushing boldly into the new green economy.

The World Wildlife Fund and Allianz SE report:

"The G8 Climate Scorecard, released by World Wildlife Fund and global financial services company Allianz SE, comes one week before heads of state gather in Italy for the 2009 G8 summit. 'During debate on the energy and climate bill in the House of Representatives last Friday, opponents of the legislation demanded that other countries first step up to the plate,' said WWF President and CEO Carter Roberts. 'The truth is that not only has much of the rest of the world already been at the plate, they're several innings into the game and we're only now emerging from the dugout." Other nations have dramatically cut greenhouse gas pollution, set national targets, ramped up investments in energy technology and set regulatory frameworks to spark innovation in key sectors. And now other countries dominate markets in sustainable energy and technology. 'It is time for the U.S. to get into the game and make up for lost time.' Roberts said." See full article.

Dramatic Green Stock Growth on Wall Street

In the discussion about green energy alternatives and job creation, the overall growth of clean energy companies is a factor to watch. The green company stocks are rising faster thanU.S. comapnies overall.

James Pethokoukis of Reuters reports:

"Three major indexes tracking green energy companies have risen sharply of late. The U.S.-only Wilderhill Clean Energy Index, comprising 51 companies, is up 72 percent since a March 9 low. Its global counterpart, the Wilderhill New Energy Global Index, which tracks 88 companies in 21 countries, is up 66 percent in the same period.

The CleanTech Index, which tracks a broader group, including industries like sustainable agriculture, is up 57 percent. By comparison, the S&P 500 is up 35 percent since hitting a 12-year low on March 9." See full article.