Recently in Green Jobs in Energy Category
California committed to getting a third of its electricity from
renewable sources by 2020 in a Monday executive order by Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger. This expands on the earlier commitment to produce 20%
of its power from renewables such as wind and solar by 2010 as part of
its plan to cut emissions of carbon that contribute to global warming.
Read more at California Green Solutions
David Roland-Holst, a professor of agriculture and resource economics at UC Berkeley. "We cannot afford to miss this market opportunity."
California's per-capita electricity use is about 40% less than the national average, Roland-Holst said, largely because of government-mandated energy efficiency standards for utilities, buildings and appliances put into effect over the last four decades.
Roland-Holst found that the lower use has enabled Californians to save $56 billion on energy since 1972. That money was spent in the local economy, he said, instead of on imported oil, out-of-state electricity or building new power plants. The result: 1.5 million additional California jobs with a total payroll exceeding $45 billion.
Programs like AB 32 will have a multiplier effect
California's Environmental Innovation Advantage
Some of California's leading companies agree with Roland-Holst's assessment that environmental innovation could become a pillar of the California economy.Read more about the report: Energy Efficiency, Innovation, and Job Creation in California (by David Roland-Holst, UC Berkeley, Oct. 2008)
Some policy experts argue that blind faith in technology is a harmful distraction from the hard sacrifices needed to control global warming.
"The temptation is to say, 'Let's get John Wayne on horseback or Bill Gates . . . and solve this problem,' " said Dale Jamieson, director of environmental studies at New York University.
But some scientists say that the potential of such ideas cannot be ignored given the world's political paralysis on controlling emissions and its myopic addiction to cheap and dirty coal. LA TIMES
So it's technology VS conservation VS politics...? Or is it all three in balance and harmony? And maybe a few additional ingredients such as education, values and discipline, collaboration, and paying attention to history lessons about how our ancestors lived, thrived, and survived challenges.
Technologists work their way through the "heavy industrial" stage to get to more practical applications of their breakthrough solutions. The cost of that maturation is sometimes born by a society that eventually have to clean up the damage created by this long pathway. When diversity is included, technology solutions can draw on the elegance of nature's design, history lessons, and common sense based on affordability to vett the technology. Great designers have generous doses of those inspirational sources within one person...others work in teams of siblings or families or buddies to balance their perspectives.
But diversity has been shown time and again to be very smart in the solution process. DIVERSITY takes into account the diverse ingredients in reality.
Pacific Gas and Electric out here in California announced that it reached an agreement with BrightSource Energy to build three new solar-powered electric generating stations in the Mojave Desert. The three could eventually generate up to 900 megawatts of electricity, or the same amount as a major coal-fired power plant, only at lower cost and without producing any greenhouse gases. The first plant, producing 100 megawatts, and planned for Ivanpah, California could be online as early as 2011. According to the labor agreement signed by the building trades unions and utilities in 1997, the jobs to build and maintain the plants will be high-paying, clean energy union jobs.
“Solar thermal energy is an especially attractive renewable power source because it is available
when needed most in California – during the peak mid-day summer period,” said Fong Wan, vice
president of energy procurement at PG&E. “Through these agreements with BrightSource, we continue
to broaden our renewable energy portfolio and provide our customers with some of the cleanest energy
in the nation.”
BrightSource’s goal is to substantially lower the cost and increase the use of solar energy
throughout the Western United States. “PG&E is making this goal possible by committing to power
purchase agreements that will bring the benefit of carbon-free power to their customers,” noted John
Woolard, president and CEO of BrightSource in making this announcement. “PG&E is demonstrating
true leadership in bringing large scale solar power to California.”
The first of these solar power plants, sized at 100 MW in Ivanpah, California, could be
operating as early as 2011 and is expected to produce 246,000 megawatt hours of renewable electricity
per year. BrightSource will build and place in commercial operation each of its plants as quickly as
permitting and infrastructure allow.
The contracts filed today with the California Public Utilities Commission are part of PG&E’s
broader renewable energy portfolio. Since 2002, PG&E has entered into contracts for more than 2,000
MW of renewable power. California law requires each investor-owned utility to increase the share of
eligible renewable generating resources in its electric power portfolio to 20 percent by 2010. PG&E has
made contractual commitments to have over 20 percent of its future deliveries from renewables. For
2008, PG&E expects to have 14 percent of its energy delivered from renewable sources.
About BrightSource Energy, Inc.
BrightSource Energy designs and builds large-scale power plants capable of delivering solar energy to
industrial and utility customers at prices competitive with fossil fuels. BrightSource enables industrial
and utility customers to lessen their dependency on fossil fuels by providing a clean source of power.
Luz II, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of BrightSource Energy, is located in Israel and is responsible
for solar technology development and the supply of solar fields to BrightSource plants.
Privately held, BrightSource Energy is headquartered in Oakland, California. Further information for
BrightSource and Luz II may be found at www.brightsourceenergy.com.
About Pacific Gas and Electric Co
.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation, is one of the largest combined
natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees,
the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to 15 million people in northern and central
California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/about/.
In response, Apollo Alliance Chairman Phil Angelides issued the following statement:
“The Senate should be commended for extending a life-line to our clean energy industries that will preserve good jobs at a time of economic uncertainty while helping to secure a cleaner, brighter future for our children. Now that the Senate Finance Committee has taken the ball to the 10-yard line, we hope the full Senate and House leaders carry it into the end zone.
“The full Senate should also add the Green Jobs Act of 2007, authorized in the 2007 Energy Bill, to its stimulus package in order to train working Americans for green-collar jobs and provide pathways out of poverty into the new clean energy economy for low-income Americans. We greatly appreciate the leadership of Senators Sanders (D-VT) and Clinton (D-NY) on pursuing funding for this crucial initiative.
“In December, big oil’s lobbyists blocked a tax package to fund energy efficiency and expand renewable energy. That clean energy tax package is essential to America’s future. Without it, the wind, solar, and geothermal industries could start to lay off tens of thousands of workers in coming weeks. Without it, American consumers and businesses will pay more for energy, and fewer Americans will be put to work weatherizing homes and businesses.
“Thanks to the leadership of Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-MT), Ranking Member Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Congress and the President now have a chance to take one small but important step toward economic and energy security by extending the tax credit for renewable and energy efficient technologies that create well-paying jobs, promote energy independence and curb global warming pollution. Not extending those credits, especially with the looming recession, could cost 75,000 good construction jobs as wind and solar projects are canceled in coming months. Conversely, extending the credit will spur the growth of this important 21st century initiative, and help relieve America’s costly dependence on foreign oil.”
The Apollo Alliance is a coalition of business, labor, environmental and community leaders working to catalyze a clean energy revolution in America to reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, cut the carbon emissions that are destabilizing our climate, and expand opportunities for American businesses and workers.
Inspired by the vision and technological achievements of the Apollo space program, The Apollo Alliance promotes policies and initiatives to speed investment in clean energy technology and energy efficiency, put millions of Americans to work in a new generation of well-paid, green-collar jobs, and make America a global leader in clean energy products and services.
