San Diego Vaults into Solar Energy and Green Jobs Future

June 5th, 2010 by Tina Casey

Two of the world’s solar energy leaders have just announced major plans to bring new solar energy technology and green jobs to San Diego. The Sanyo Electric group has embarked on a three year, $3 million partnership with the University of California, San Diego on next-generation solar energy systems and management, and in a separate development, solar cell efficiency wizard Kyocera has started up a solar module manufacturing plant in the city, aiming to produce about 30 megawatts annually.

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As an interesting twist, the news comes shortly after Arizona, in a move reminiscent of Russia’s notorious natural gas cutoff to Europe, recently threatened to cut off power to southern California in a dispute over Arizona’s dubious new immigration law. We all know that solar energy and other rewnewables will cut our dependence on foreign oil, but the long term impact of localized, sustainable energy production on relations between the 50 United States is only just emerging.

Sanyo and UCSD on Solar Energy

According to Mike Lee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Sanyo partnership aims to make San Diego “the most advanced green city in the world” by focusing on solar energy’s “missing link,” which is the ability of a solar energy system to provide a steady, reliable stream of power even when the sun is not shining. The solution lies in a combination of new solar energy collection, storage, and transmission technologies. As part of the new venture, Sanyo will provide UCSD with high tech “smart energy batteries” that are about the size of a DVD player. Another part focuses on creating a highly trained green jobs force in the U.S. that can keep Sanyo in its leadership position.

Green Jobs, Solar Energy and Fossil Fuel

Between the British Petroleum oil spill’s impact on the economy of the Gulf region and the devastating long term effects of coal mining on the Appalachian region, evidence is mounting that fossil fuels have gone past the day when they drove the U.S. economy forward and they are now acting as an oppressive force that beats down employment instead of creating it. The latest jobs report, with temp jobs at the U.S. Census the only bright spot, pretty much nails it. As called for by President Obama at his recent speech in Pittsburgh, the time is now to pull back on tax breaks for job destroyers, and start focusing on the green jobs of the future.

Image: San Diego post card by hellochris on flickr.com.

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Tags: Arizona immigration law, Kyocera, San Diego, Sanyo Electric

About the Author

Tina Casey Tina Casey specializes in military and corporate sustainability, advanced technology, emerging materials, biofuels, and water and wastewater issues. Tina’s articles are reposted frequently on Reuters, Scientific American, and many other sites. Views expressed are her own. Follow her on Twitter @TinaMCasey and Google+.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jeanalyn-McWhite/100000490324136 Jeanalyn McWhite

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this one.San Diego Grout Cleaning | San Diego Chimney Cleaning | San Diego Upholstery Cleaning
http://www.gstriatum.com/solarenergy/ santiago

im happy to hear that, every day i see more of green jobs
James

The sad part is we are unites states citizens….we should be working together to increase this technology and help the country as a whole…instead we are divided by states, political views, etc….other countries will soon surpass us if we keep bickering over each other…we have the capability to come together and overcome all nations with our clean energy technology, like history tells us we’ll screw it up over political or state division….I’m from san diego, moved to arizona (prior to the immigration law). I think it’s all amazing how this country is divided….does not seem like (UNITED STATES) we should be called (DIVIDED STATES) of America…
http://www.skyhighenergy.com Solar Jobs in Arizona

I can see why it gets so competitive between the two states. The sooner our country joins forces and becomes energy self sufficient, the better.
http://newworldsolarpower.com Ray @ New World Solar

Love it…..”Arizona, in a move reminiscent of Russia’s notorious natural gas cutoff to Europe, recently threatened to cut off power to southern California in a dispute over Arizona’s dubious new immigration law”…..Russia? Dubious?

California and Arizona have been at war once before, maybe it’s time again. Something needs to snap you folks out of this.
- Tina Casey
  
  Hope you don’t mind but I’d like reply to your comment and another comment I received regarding the same line. Usually we think of the energy access dynamic on an international level (Iraq being the most recent example), but Arizona’s action demonstrates that energy access can be weaponized (I don’t mean that literally, by the way) within national borders as well. More local production of sustainable energy will reduce the strength of that weapon (metaphorically speaking, again).
Latasha Lightfoot

I am having problem with the first link. It gives a 404 error?

Thanks
- Tina Casey
  
  Not sure why you got the error message. That first link is to brighterenergy.org, http://www.brighterenergy.org/11416/brief/solar-brief/coney-island-subway-depot-gains-1-1m-solar-power-system/, which references a press release on the topic from the New York Power Authority website.