The theme underlying the following blog entry is rather depressing. It involves the loss of cherished 'green collar' jobs that were promised to various political constituencies, including the environmental community. These jobs were supposed to be created in anticipation of and incident to Congress' enactment of strict costly climate change regulations that would have penalized producers and consumers of carbon-based fuels, including energy providers, raised consumer living and business expenses and endangered the viability of many small and medium-sized companies. Arguably, the relatively higher number (millions) of estimated jobs previously promised has since been significantly reduced (to thousands), and is no longer likely to materialize, at least, in the short term, because of the financial 'train wreck' our country, like many others around the world, recently experienced.
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While not nearly as serious as a loss of human life, many within the green community have taken the loss of green collar jobs to heart. We recommend that they listen to the truly melancholy song, Last Kiss, performed by the rock group Pearl Jam, to put things back into proper perspective. < http://www.ilike.com/user/adcuram_A792 >
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Oh where oh were could my baby be
The lord took her away from me
She's gone to heaven so I've got to be good
So I can see my baby when I'll leave this world
We were out on a date in my daddy's car
We hadn't driven very far
There in the road
Straight ahead
A car was stalled the engine was dead
I couldn't stop
So I swerved to the right
I'll never forget the sound that night
The screamin tires
The busting glass
The Painfull scream that I heard last.
Oh where oh were could my baby be
The lord took her away from me
She's gone to heaven so I've got to be good
So I can see my baby when I'll leave this world
When I woke up
The rain was pouring down
There were people standing all around
Something warm falling into my eyes
But some how I found my baby that night
I lifted her head
she looked at me and said
Hold me darling just a little while
I held her close
I kissed her our last kiss
I found the love I knew I had missed
but now she's gone even though I hold her tight
I lost my love, my life that night
Oh where oh were could my baby be
The lord took her away from me
She's gone to heaven so I've got to be good
So I can see my baby when I leave this world
ooooooooooooooooooooooo
ooooooooooooooooooooooo
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http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2234144/lack-initiative-robs-future
Lack of initiative robs US of future green jobs
American Solar Energy Society cuts green jobs prediction, following lack of government action over past twelve monthsDanny Bradbury, BusinessGreen 16 Jan 2009
As President-elect Obama prepares to take office, the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) has this week warned that a lack of action has already affected the potential for green job creation in the long-term, potentially robbing the country of almost three million jobs.
The organisation yesterday released its second report, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency: Economic Drivers for the 21st Century, outlining the potential for job creation in both the renewable energy sector, and the much broader energy efficiency industry.
The report highlighted three scenarios, depending on how aggressive job creation strategies are: a base, 'business as usual' option, a moderate scenario, and an advanced one. In all three, the economic significance of the energy efficiency category outweighed that of the renewable energy one.
Roger Bezdeck, principal investigator at Management Information Services and an author of the report, warned that the potential job gains from these areas were already falling due to a lack of government support.
Comparing this year's report to its predecessor, issued a year ago, he said that a failure to stimulate the green jobs market over the last twelve months had already impacted the potential for green collar job creation. The initial report, released in November 2007 had put the the number of jobs within these two categories at between 16 million and 40 million, depending on which scenario public policy followed. However, the top-end prediction for new jobs created by 2030 fell to 37 million in the latest report.
"Every year you lose in the beginning, from 2007-2010, has a highly disproportionate negative impact at the end," he concluded, arguing that there was now an urgent need for more investment in green job schemes. "That's why our forecast for 2030 this year is less than it was for last year."
However, the report did find that the green jobs market is still growing rapidly. It said that in 2006, the energy efficiency and renewables accounted for 8.5 million jobs in the US, with energy efficiency dwarfing renewable energy by a factor of 18. By 2007, the total figure had risen around six per cent to just over 9 million.
Permalink: http://www.businessgreen.com/2234144
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http://www.ases.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=464&Itemid=58
Colorado ‘Green Collar Jobs’ forecast: 613,000 jobs from renewable energy and energy efficiency by 2030 -
ASES / MISI study highlight’s Colorado’s new role as a national leader in the rapidly growing green economy
BOULDER, CO – 1/15/2009 – Colorado is well positioned to take advantage of new growth in the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries, creating long-term opportunities in rapidly growing fields. The renewable energy and energy efficiency industries (RE&EE) generate $10.2 billion in annual revenue and provide more than 91,000 jobs in Colorado (2007) with potential for these industries to grow sixfold by 2030.
These are some of the report’s conclusions from the state’s first comprehensive ASES Green Collar Jobs report, produced by the nonprofit American Solar Energy Society (ASES) based in Boulder, and by Management Information Services, Inc (MISI), an internationally recognized research firm based in Washington D.C. This report, which also includes new national jobs data, provides some of the most detailed analysis yet in the rapidly growing RE&EE industries.
You can download the free report at: www.ases.org/greenjobs.
“In a surprisingly short time Colorado has effectively positioned itself as a national leader in the green economy,” said Brad Collins, ASES’ Executive Director. “Colorado’s experience offers a good case study for other states on how to tap into the tremendous economic opportunities in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors.”
According to the advanced scenario in the report, which represents the upper limit of what is technologically and economically feasible, RE&EE would generate about 613,000 jobs and $61.5 billion in annual revenue by 2030. It’s one of three forecast scenarios highlighted in this report. Under the base case (business as usual) scenario, which assumes no major change in policy or initiatives, the green job forecast is about 192,000 jobs and nearly $20 billion in revenue in Colorado by 2030 – less than one third the jobs and revenue than the advanced scenario. The third scenario assumes moderate policies and initiatives and forecasts 238,000 jobs and more than $24 billion in revenue by 2030.
Key conclusions from the report include:
• Renewable energy and energy efficiency industries are already significant economic drivers in Colorado and are well positioned for future growth. In 2007 RE/EE generated $10.3 billion in sales and provided over 91,000 jobs in Colorado, accounting for more than 4% of the gross state product. This could grow to as much as $61.5 billion and 613,000 jobs by 2030 with continued leadership, research, development, and policy efforts.
• Despite fierce competition from other regions of the U.S., Colorado is a disproportionately large player in the renewable energy industry. Colorado’s gross state product accounts for only about 1.7% of the U.S. GDP, but in 2007 Colorado had about 6% of the U.S. wind market, nearly six percent of the photovoltaics market, and about 5% of the biofuels market.
• Hottest sectors include: wind, solar thermal, solar photovoltaics, fuel cells, biofuel, R&D (federal government), recycling, energy efficient windows/doors, green building• The vast majority of jobs created by RE&EE are in roles similar to roles that are in other industries. Hot job areas include: electricians, truck drivers, welders, machinists, roofers, accountants, cashiers, software engineers, civil engineers, energy efficient construction, energy audit specialists.
• While renewable energy sectors are growing more rapidly than the energy efficiency industry, the energy efficiency industry is much larger and will see the greatest number of new jobs added.
• Current RE/EE jobs are located throughout the state, in urban centers, suburbs, small towns, and rural areas. Most of the firms are relatively small, though they range in size significantly. These firms employ workers at all skill levels, from basic and rudimentary to the very highly skilled technical and professional.
• RE&EE generates about 70% more jobs than the oil and gas sector. RE&EE is an effective job creation mechanism, generating more than 2.5 times as many jobs per revenue as the oil and gas sector.
The report also detailed over 160 of RE&EE occupational specialties and emerging areas, as well as corresponding salaries, and education requirements representing a wide range skills. While some positions require advanced degrees, many others offer relatively high salaries with a high school diploma, trade school, or apprenticeships. Examples include: solar operations engineer ($87,400), solar installation electrician foreman ($58,236), wind field service technician ($44,344), and field energy consultant ($60,076).
[WHAT JOBS, IF ANY, WOULD THEY BE REPLACING? AND, HOW MANY OF THESE SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS ARE MANUFACTURED IN THE U.S.? WHAT U.S. MANUFACTURING JOBS WOULD BE CREATED? IF THE SOLAR PANEL EQUIPMENT IS IMPORTED FROM ABROAD, THEN WOULDN'T U.S. GREEN COLLAR JOBS CONSIST OF OFFLOAD, TRANSPORT, ASSEMBLY & INSTALLATION JOBS, BUT NO DESIGN OR MANUFACTURING JOBS?]
The study is jointly commissioned by the Governor’s Energy Office, Xcel Energy, Department of Local Affairs, Office of Economic Development and International Trade, Colorado Workforce Centers, City and County of Denver, Workforce Board of Metro Denver, and Red Rocks Community College. The results of this study will help guide policymakers, business leaders, and education officials in their efforts to support future industry growth.
Last year several high-profile companies announced plans to bring thousands of private sector jobs to Colorado, including Vestas wind turbine manufacturing, Conoco-Phillips alternative energy research center, AVA Solar manufacturing facility, IBM’s green-data center, RES Americas’ new U.S. headquarters, and Siemens wind research center. These announcements further illustrate the increasing role Colorado is playing in the New Energy Economy.
[IS THIS STILL GOING TO HAPPEN? HOW MANY GREEN COLLAR JOBS WILL IT CREATE? PRESIDENT OBAMA MUST USE CONGRESSIONAL FUNDING TO LEND COMPANIES, EITHER DIRECTLY, OR INDIRECTLY THROUGH STATE & LOCAL ENTITIES, THE NECESSARY FINANCES TO BUILD THE SOLAR & WINDMILL TURBINE FACTORIES THAT WOULD EMPLOY, TRAIN AND RETAIN U.S. WORKERS AND WORKMANSHIP.]
About the American Solar Energy SocietyFor more than 50 years the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) has been leading national efforts to promote education, public outreach, and research about solar energy and other sustainable technologies. http://www.ases.org/
About Management Information Services, IncManagement Information Services, Inc (MISI) is an internationally recognized, Washington D.C.-based economic research and management consulting firm with expertise in economic forecasting, analysis of energy, environmental and electric utility issues, and labor markets. www.misi-net.com
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Green Collar Jobs in the U.S. and Colorado
By Roger H. Bezdek
American Solar Energy Society
January 2009 (c)
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http://www.ases.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29&Itemid=16
Green-Collar Jobs: The New Cash Crop
ASES’ new report shows renewable energy & energy efficiency industries generating 8.5 million jobs across the U.S.
America Solar Energy Society
WASHINGTON, Nov 6, 2007 – Do you have a green job? You will… A new report from the nonprofit American Solar Energy Society shows that as many as 1 out of 4 workers in the U.S. will be working in the renewable energy or energy efficiency industries by 2030.This is the nation’s first comprehensive report on the size and growth of the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries – and the numbers are great news for American workers. This green collar job report shows that these industries already generate 8.5 million jobs in the U.S., and with appropriate public policy, could grow to as many as 40 million jobs by 2030. “The green-collar job boom is here,” said Neal Lurie, Director of Marketing of the American Solar Energy Society.
“Renewable energy and energy efficiency are economic powerhouses.”This new report officially released on Thursday, November 8 in Washington D.C. The report is called Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency: Economic Drivers for the 21st Century. Download the report. Research was led by internationally renowned energy economist Roger Bezdek, Ph.D., President of Management Information Services, Inc, based in Washington, D.C.Key findings of the report include:
By the year 2030, the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries could generate up to $4.5 trillion in revenue in the U.S., but only with the appropriate public policy, including a renewable portfolio standard, renewable energy incentives, public education, and R&D;
The 40 million jobs that could be created in renewable energy and energy efficiency by 2030 are not just engineering-related, but also include millions of new jobs in manufacturing, construction, accounting, and management;
Renewable energy and energy efficiency industries today generate nearly $1 trillion in revenue in the U.S. contributing more than $150 billion in tax revenue at the federal, state, and local levels;
Revenue from the energy efficiency sector -- including from energy efficient windows, appliances, insulation, and recycling -- is currently larger than revenue from renewable energy, but the renewable energy industry is growing much more quickly;
Solar, wind, ethanol, and fuel cells are likely to be some of the hottest areas of growth.
The study will serve as a guide to national, state and local leaders eager to attract renewable energy and energy efficiency businesses and to establish new manufacturing facilities and sales offices.About the American Solar Energy Society:Founded in 1954, American Solar Energy Society (ASES) is the nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the use of solar energy, energy efficiency, and other sustainable technologies in the U.S. ASES organizes and presents SOLAR 2008, leads the ASES National Solar Tour, and publishes SOLAR TODAY magazine. Learn more at: http://www.ases.org/
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