Getting A Handle On State's 'Green' Economy

Surveys will soon begin arriving at companies throughout New York State that have a role or a future in the so-called "green" economy.

As many as 20,000 businesses will be contacted as the State Department of Labor seeks to identify how many people now have green jobs, what companies feel they need when it comes to training, and what the outlook is for green jobs, said Michelle Duffy, a Labor Department spokeswoman.


The work is being funded with a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.

The State Labor Department is working with several other agencies and organizations, including the Energy and Environmental Technology Applications Center (E2TAC) at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering of the University at Albany.

"My sense is that we've been pretty aggressive right from the beginning" in developing green technologies and job opportunities, said Pradeep Haldar, director of E2TAC. He said he believes just a handful of states were chosen to participate in the survey.

Once results have been received and tabulated, policy makers and educators will be able to determine what's needed in terms of training and support.

The field is expected to thrive as efforts build to reduce energy consumption and increase energy efficiency in uses from cars to houses.

Already, Hudson Valley Community College is training students in renewable energy technologies. GE Renewable Energy has established its headquarters in Schenectady, and CNSE is exploring ways to improve clean and renewable energy technologies at the nanoscale level.

Preliminary results should be available in late autumn, Haldar and Duffy said.   Source








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Huge Growth At Largest Wind Farm

A massive expansion is to take place at Europe's largest onshore wind farm, which is situated in East Renfrewshire.


ScottishPower Renewables is to add another 75 turbines to Whitelee wind farm on Eaglesham Moor by 2012.


This will bring the number of turbines on site to 215 - raising electricity generating capacity by two thirds.

The 140 turbines currently at the wind farm, to the south of Glasgow, can produce enough electricity to power 180,000 homes.

The expansion will see its generating capacity increase from 322MW to 539MW - enough to power about 300,000 homes.

Since the site began producing electricity in 2008, ScottishPower Renewables has secured further planning consent - in May and December 2009 - to expand.
'Major project'

The growth will see 69 Alstom ECO 100 turbines added, each with a 3MW capacity - greater than the current 2MW models.

Six ECO 74 turbines with 1.67 MW capacity each will also be added.

Simon Christian, UK director of ScottishPower Renewables, said: "The agreement with Alstom means that work will start shortly on this major extension at Whitelee wind farm, and we expect to be generating electricity by 2012.

"By itself at 217MW, the extension would be one of the largest onshore wind farms in the UK, so we are starting another major construction project in Scotland.

"Whitelee wind farm is already the largest onshore wind farm in Europe and this extension pushing the overall capacity to 539MW will make it one of the largest in the world."

Mr Christian said the extension project would also provide up to 200 jobs.

Source: BBC News



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Obama Backs Giant Solar Project

As reported by The Associated Press, in this morning’s weekly radio address President Obama has just announced that almost $2 billion in federal funding for solar energy and green jobs is in the pipeline.  The money will go to construct solar power installations in Arizona, Colorado and Indiana.
One of the firms, Abenoga Solar, says that it is planning to build the largest solar power plant in the world in Arizona.

Mr Obama said the projects would provide more than 5,000 new jobs.

The Arizona plant should power 70,000 homes and cut carbon dioxide emissions.

The money will come from government stimulus funds designed to boost the economy during the recession.

Outlining the "Solana" project at Gila Bend near Phoenix, Abenoga said it would have an area of 1,900 acres, using thermal storage-equipped parabolic trough technology, with 280 MW of power output capacity.

According to the company's website, 1,500 new jobs will be created during the plant's construction with 100 positions for staff to maintain it.

The second company, Abound Solar Manufacturing, will manufacture state-of-the-art thin film solar panels, the first time anywhere that such technology has been used commercially, the BBC's Jane O'Brien reports from Washington.

Plants will be built in Colorado and Indiana, creating 2,000 construction jobs and 1,500 permanent jobs, the Associated Press reports.

President Obama had promised during his election campaign for the White House to create manufacturing and construction jobs in the green power industry.

"We're going to to keep competing aggressively to make sure the jobs and industries of the future are taking root right here in America," he said on Saturday.

The renewable energy industry in the US faces tough competition from developers in China.

Mr Obama also acknowledged the loans would not be an instant solution.

Around 125,000 jobs were lost in the last month, the government reported.

Via BBC News

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Steel Workers See Green Jobs

 In a partnership that illustrates the powerful currents at work in today’s environmental movement, the United Steel Workers labor union has joined with the American Wind Energy Association and BlueGreen Alliance, an organization that includes other labor unions, the Sierra Club and the National Resources Defense Council, to produce a blueprint for new green jobs in the wind power industry.


In pushing hard for green jobs, this diverse labor-industry-environmental group puts itself squarely on the side of the U.S. military’s push for alternative energy in the interests of a strong national defense. It also joins a growing number of leading U.S companies calling for national climate legislation and green jobs, in yet another sign that the dominance of fossil fuels is rapidly coming to a close.

The report is titled Winds of Change: A Manufacturing Blueprint for the Wind Industry.
Basically the report details how the wind energy industry has been growing and creating new jobs even without all of the advantages accorded to fossil fuels, such as billion-dollar subsidies and supportive national policies.  More support for alternative energy has been forthcoming from the Obama administration, and the report calls ramping up those efforts through, among other things, a stronger Renewable Electricity Standard of 25%, more tax credits for the renewable energy industry, and strong national climate legislation.  All of these measures would be geared toward creating more jobs in the U.S. wind industry, rather than shipping in components from overseas.

 "Moving to clean energy is just one piece of the puzzle — we need to ensure that America's clean energy economy is built by U.S. workers, and creates good manufacturing jobs," said Leo W. Gerard, International President of the United Steelworkers. "By including common-sense policies like a 25 percent Renewable Electricity Standard (RES), and an extended Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit, in comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation, we can build a wind energy supply chain in the U.S."    Read Full Story






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Walmart's Expanded Solar Power Initiative Moves Forward

Walmart announced yesterday the completion of two solar power projects from its expanded solar initiative announced on Earth Day 2009 (April 22). The solar projects are located in San Diego, California.  Walmart’s expanded solar power initiative will nearly double its solar energy use in California, adding solar installations at 10 to 20 Walmart facilities throughout the state.

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox praised Walmart for its commitment to renewable energy in the region.

“San Diego is the leader among California cities for solar use and generation, so it’s fitting that a Walmart store in our city would go solar,” said Mayor Sanders. “I appreciate Walmart’s leadership on increasing renewable energy in San Diego and throughout the state. It is good policy that will benefit the environment as well as result in energy cost savings they can pass along to customers.”

“I commend Walmart’s leadership in sustainable practices through its addition of solar energy technology to the Chula Vista Broadway store,” said Mayor Cox. “Walmart’s commitment to renewable energy is an investment in an economically and environmentally sustainable future for our city.”
The solar projects were also recognized by Mary D. Nichols, Chairman of the California Air Resources Board.

“Walmart’s effort to expand and accelerate its solar power initiative program here in California demonstrates their commitment to sustainability. These kinds of projects create green jobs, reduce costs for businesses by lowering power bills, and protect the environment,” said Nichols. “We appreciate Walmart’s leadership and encourage other businesses to follow Walmart’s lead.”

The expanded solar initiative builds upon the solar pilot program that began in May 2007. In addition to the two San Diego region stores, three other stores in the Southern California region went online in December 2009 as a part of its expanded solar power initiative. Walmart’s total combined solar efforts in California are expected to:  See Full Story






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Wal-Mart Green, We Will Be Seeing Alot More of This

Mayor Scott Lang was among three mayors honored at the 78th Annual Conference of Mayors held in Oklahoma City for their leadership in green jobs training.

Lang's distinction means that People Acting in Community Endeavors' "Youth Build Green Energy Solutions" program will receive $300,000 through the Wal-Mart Foundation from the conference. The conference chose nonprofit groups in the cities of the mayors honored to receive grants. The grants are intended to support and expand green jobs training.

PACE's program will provide residential and commercial energy efficiency training. The program trains local contractors, experienced construction workers and inexperienced residents interested in entering the green technology sector.

"Energy, climate protection and green jobs have been top priorities in our work with mayors, Congress and the administration, specifically our efforts to enact a new energy block grant program and the Green Jobs Act," Tom Cochran, chief executive officer and executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said through a statement.

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