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Archive for the ‘Green Jobs News’ Category
The U.S. military is the single largest consumer of energy in the world. It’s also a leader in renewable energy initiatives and energy efficiency. The Department of Defense has a goal that 25 percent of its energy consumption will be supplied from renewable sources by 2025. Their recent announcement of Project SolarStrong is a significant step in that direction and will mean substantial job creation at 124 military bases in 33 states.
Job growth statistics released today (April 1, 2011) by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows continued growth in the U.S. labor market. The unemployment rate dropped to 8.8% as the economy created 216,000 new jobs in March. The unemployment rate has improved a full percentage point in the last four months. The economy needs to add 125,000 new jobs each month just to keep up with a growing number of Americans eligible for employment. The private sector added 230,000 jobs in March on top of the 240,000 jobs in February as local government hiring continued to contract.
Moody’s Analytics, as illustrated in USA Today has forecasted U.S. job growth by geographic region and by industry.
Forty years after the Beatles released the song Here Comes the Sun, the USA is putting the sun to work for us, “…and I say it’s all right”. Solar Power is on the move with several important announcements this week.
The White House will now be a solar house … again. Energy secretary Steven Chu and Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley announced that the White House will have solar panels installed early next year. The panels will provide both hot water and electricity. Nancy Sutley, Environmental Quality Chair, stated that the “federal government has to lead by example“.
Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar announced final approval to the Lucerne Valley and Imperial Valley Solar Projects in California. The projects are deemed “smart from the start” by environmental groups and are the first ”large-scale” public lands solar projects. The Imperial Valley Solar Project is expected to produce 709 megawatts which can supply power to 212,700 – 531,750 homes with clean energy. When completed, the Lucerne Valley Project is expected to produce 45 megawatts to power between 13,500 – 33,750 homes. The projects will create 600 jobs during the construction phase and 100′s of permanent positions.
The Department of Interior announced the approval October 25th of the 1000 megawatt Blythe Solar Power Project. It will be the largest solar energy project to be constructed on public lands. Solar projects on publics lands, announced this month alone, will produce 2800 megawats of power for 2 million homes in California and the Southwest.
How about this announcement as we transition from fossil fuel to clean energy in the USA? Ohio Governor Ted Strickland’s office announced that a 49.9-megawatt solar 
farm, the Turning Point Solar project, will be built on the site of a former strip mine in Ohio. Up to 600 jobs will be needed during the construction of the project. The $250 million operation is expected to achieve full capacity in 2014. Solar energy and green jobs are coming to Appalachia.
Here Comes the Sun “sun, sun, sun, here it comes”…
The Center for American Progress and Energy RM jointly released a ground-breaking report this month advocating a conprehensive, sustainable energy efficiency initiative to help get America back to work. The initiative has the potential of creating 625,000 jobs over the next decade with $500 billion in new investments to improve home/office building energy efficiency resulting in $64 billion in energy savings.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 59% of residential buildings and 54% of commercial buildings in the USA were built before 1980. Buildings consume more energy than any other segment of the economy. That’s more than either transportation or industry. The potential market for energy efficiency is opportune to retrofit and improve existing buildings to save valuable resources and support programs for sustainable development, energy independence, and environmental protection.
However, the energy efficiency initiative will not happen on its own. States need to make the first move. They need to implement energy policies to initiate, encourge, develop and sustain energy efficency programs. The 50 page report highlights ten key energy efficiency policies that “are already providing numerous real-world examples of how policy-driven energy efficiency markets can create a new industry to power job creation in the construction sector profitabily and sustainably”. However, “no state has fully developed the potential of their energy efficiency market to create clean energy jobs, let alone the federal government”. The report recommends that the states lead the way.
The construction industry has been especially impacted by the recession with unemployment around 25%. Residential construction unemployment hovers around 38%. Additionally, construction related businesses in retail and manufacturing are significantly impacted as well. The report, “Efficiency Works – Creating Good Jobs and New Markets Through Energy Efficiency”, addresses a core problem with the economy today. Housing burst the economic bubble. Housing and commercial energy efficiency programs can help get us back on track. 