Following up on our two posts this week on the 2011 Solar Census conducted by The Solar Foundation, The Solar Foundation sent along the following fun graphic. Thought it was cool enough to share as a weekend quickie 😀
The US Dept. of Energy (DOE) issued partial loan guarantees for renewable energy projects in three states totaling as much as $624 million Friday. Energy Secretary Chu announced partial loan guarantees of $168.9 million for Granite Reliable Power’s 99-megawatt (MW) wind farm, New Hampshire’s largest; up to $350 million for Ormat Nevada’s 113MW geothermal power plants; and $105 million for POET’s ‘first-of-its-kind’ cellulosic ethanol bio-refinery in Iowa.
On September 22, The House Oversight & Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) chaired yet another Republican hearing against the president’s climate change policy in the new GOP-held House. In the hearing, titled “How Obama’s Green Energy Agenda Is Killing Jobs” Issa claimed that President Obama is destroying jobs by conducting a “systematic war” against fossil energy by aggressively pushing clean energy.
To stop climate change, obviously it is necessary to switch to a clean energy economy, and so government policy that aggressively pushes a clean energy economy is the appropriate response.
Solyndra is the big cleantech story of the day again today for those outside (and some of those inside) the cleantech arena. We’ve been covering the story quite a bit lately, so if you want to read more from us on the matter, check out these solyndra stories. There’s one thing, though, that I’ve mentioned but haven’t dedicated a post to, so think I will quickly now…
The US solar industry has created 6,735 new jobs across the country since August, 2010, a 6.8% growth rate, bringing to 100,237 the number of Americans working in the industry, according to a preview of The Solar Foundation’s “National Solar Jobs Census.” That compares to an overall nationwide job growth rate of 0.7% and a 2% decline in jobs in fossil fuel electric generation.
Saint-Gobain Solar announced that construction of its solar thermal mirror plant in Goodyear, Arizona has begun. The plant is slated to start production in this year’s fourth quarter, creating 50 permanent jobs and manufacturing millions of square feet of solar mirrors used in solar thermal and concentrating solar power (CSP) installations, including solar concentration towers and liner Fresnel lenses.
Energy efficiency saves us bucket-loads of cash, but it also creates jobs for our fellow Americans (and the money they make goes back into our economy).
James Dixon, chairman of the National Association of Energy Service Companies, recently pointed out on Politico that, since 1990, the energy efficiency industry has added 330,000 jobs (I imagine some of you have such jobs). Here’s more:
The Solar Industry is showing the highest growth, employment and innovation at a time when the balance of the country is not and media, focused on politics and Solyndra, suggests a weak or ailing industry that is being supported, against the public interest, only on the backs of government money.
I thought I’d start highlighting upcoming cleantech events more here on CleanTechnica. Here are a handful of events you may or may not be interested in and able to attend. Drop more you are aware of in the comments below.
Here’s yet another great response to the Solyndra debacle and all the attacks on clean energy and green jobs that have followed. It’s part of an email I received from the Natural Resources Defense Council last night. Check it out (and please share it):
