The Effect of Alternative Energy Sources on the Unemployment Rate

-By Jennifer Runyon, November12, 2010 (Renewable Energy World)

New Hampshire, United States – The reports are so grim, it is hard to believe at times. America is staring down a 10% unemployment figure and the number doesn't seem to budge as the months tick by.


Analysts report that if you take into account the number of Americans that have stopped looking for employment as well as the number who have found only part-time work but seek full-time employment, the figure is more like 18%. In California, it's 22%, an unemployment percentage that hasn't been seen since the depression. In total, as many as 30 million people are looking for work right now.For years, the clean energy industry has claimed that it is the one bright spot in the U.S. economy. While other industries shrink and lose jobs, clean energy grows.

In looking at the data, it is clear that in all renewable energy technologies but one, in 2011 there will be significantly more jobs than there are now. The simple fact is that clean energy is indeed growing and creating jobs, but with U.S. unemployment figures so large, it’s just been hard to notice.

Solar Power

The solar power industry doubled the number of people that worked in the industry from 2009 to 2010, from approximately 50,000 in 2009 to 100,000 in 2010, according to the latest reports. In 2011, it is expected to grow the number of jobs in the industry by 26%. “You’d be hard pressed to find another industry with a 26 percent job growth rate for 2011,” said Rhone Resch, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

The Solar Foundation released its National Solar Jobs Census 2010 at Solar Power International in October, showing that the solar industry is creating jobs at a much faster rate than the overall U.S. economy, which is expected to grow at around 2%. The report documents, through 2500 interviews with employers throughout the country, that over the next 12 months, more than half of U.S. solar firms expect to add jobs, while only 2% expect to cut workers. Firms are adding employees in all 50 states and the fastest growing jobs are installers and electricians.

Jobs for installers are growing because installations are growing at very high rates as well. SEIA along with GTM Research recently released a report that shows solar installations in 2010 are up more than 100% over 2009. The U.S. Solar Market Insight report compiled data for the first half of 2010 and shows significant growth in the U.S. solar industry.

It appears very likely that when accounting for both solar electric and solar thermal installations, the industry will surpass the 1 GW mark for annual installations in 2010. While 1 GW is a big number, Resch announced at SPI that the industry’s goal is to be installing ten times that number annually in 5 years. Resch said that installing 10 GW annually by 2015 would create as many as 220,000 jobs.

Geothermal Market: Strong 2011 Growth

For geothermal energy, the industry is expected to experience a strong rebound in 2011 thanks to the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA), said Karl Gawell, Executive Director/ President of the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA).

“We are now projecting that they’ll be between 500 and 700 MW of new geothermal power projects in the drilling construction phase in the coming year,” said Gawell. He said that this final phase of geothermal development is the most difficult, expensive “and job intensive stage of development.”

Those projects will result in 3000 or more jobs added in the coming year, mostly in California and Nevada.

In late October, the GEA released its Green Jobs for Geothermal Energy Report, which examines jobs in the industry from project start to finish. The findings show almost 1000 different people are involved in a geothermal project. According to report, the development of geothermal power projects provides long-term income for a variety of skill-leveled employees. “This includes welders; mechanics; pipe fitters; plumbers; machinists; electricians; carpenters; construction and drilling equipment operators; surveyors; architects and designers; geologists; hydrologists; electrical, mechanical, and structural engineers; HVAC technicians; food processing specialists; aquaculture and horticulture specialists; managers; attorneys; regulatory and environmental consultants; accountants; computer technicians; resort managers; spa developers; researchers; and government employees.”

Since geothermal projects have long lead times, much of the money allotted to the industry from the ARRA will result in projects getting off the ground in 2011. According to the GEA, about 95% of the projects that received stimulus funding are either less than 50% complete or have yet to break ground. Gawell said that stimulus funding will be peaking in 2011 for the geothermal industry.

Looking Further Ahead: Bioenergy, and Hydro Jobs On the Rise. Wind, not so much.

In terms of bioenergy and biobased products, the U.S. is expected to lead the world in global development according to a report form the World Economic Forum released earlier this year. In the report, data provided by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), shows that as of June 2010, the biorefinery industry accounted for more than 40,000 jobs in the U.S. The commercialization of second and third generation biofuels is expected to create 800,000 new jobs (190,000 direct new green jobs, and 610,000 indirect new jobs) in the U.S. by 2022. Achieving the biorefining industry’s full potential could create tens of thousands more new jobs within the next five years, said the report.

In another report, “The Economic Impact of Advanced Biofuels Production,” which was released in February 2009, it was estimated that under the renewable fuels standard scenario the total number of jobs created through the production of second and third generation biofuels will be 29,000 by 2012. “Taking into consideration indirect job creation as a result of the economic stimulus created by biofuels development brings total job creation to 123,000 by 2012,” said the report. These short-term job growth number could be lower than the 29,000 and 123,000 projected due to the fact that the RFS was scaled back in February 2010, after this report was issued. Under the original ruling, it was required that 100 million gallons per year of cellulosic ethanol be on the market by 2010 but once it became clear that that was unachievable the number was reduced to 5 million gallons. The 2022 job growth numbers are solid however, as the overall number of gallons of cellulosic ethanol that will need to be produced by 2022 remained unchanged.

Jobs in this industry range from laborers and freight, stock and material movers; mixing and blending machine setters, operator and tenders; shipping and receiving clerks; chemical equipment operators and tenders; electrical and electronics repairers; sales representative, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products and many more.

Wind Power: Still Waiting

The wind power industry experienced a slowdown in 2010 for the first time in many years. With less access to the large amount of capital needed to build projects, the industry installed just 539 MW of capacity in the first quarter of 2010, the lowest number since 2007.

“The industry is stalled,” said Peter Kelley, Vice President, Public Affairs with the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) who indicated that the wind power industry is waiting for policy that would help it grow. AWEA has been calling for a nation renewable energy standard for several years, believing that a strong signal from the U.S. government is what is needed to jump-start the industry.

In 2008, the industry employed 85,000 people, a number that has fallen in recent months as financing fell away.

Swift, short-term action to extend tax credits for renewable energy in 2009 helped boost the U.S. wind industry to historic job growth and a high of 10,010 MW in new capacity last year. With swift passage of a Renewable Electricity Standard, Denise Bode CEO of AWEA said the wind industry can get back on track and add new generation faster than any other source of electricity.

“This industry has proven a number of times that when you turn these policies on, we charge out of the gate,” said Steve Lockard, CEO of TPI Composites, a former boat-building company now manufacturing large wind turbine blades. “[The] U.S. wind energy has tens of thousands of workers and wind farm sites ready to go,” Lockard added. “It’s a good investment opportunity for Congress and the states, to create manufacturing jobs across the country.”

Hydro Power: Employing Millions in the Long Run

The renewable energy with the most capacity online in the U.S. is hydropower, which currently accounts for 7% of the electricity generated in the country. If you take into account an average of 2 to 3 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers per megawatt of installed capacity that are needed to operate, maintain and license compliance of the existing 100,000 MW of installed hydropower capacity, the U.S. hydropower industry currently accounts for approximately 200,000 – 300,000 of direct jobs.

A recent study conducted by Navigant Consulting and released earlier this year focused on just how many jobs could be created if hydropower was expanded under either a strong national RES (25% by 2025) or a weak RES (10% by 2025). The number of jobs that would be created is staggering. Under the strong RES scenario, it is estimated that 1,400,000 cumulative jobs across the country would be created by 2025, including 420,000 direct jobs, 280,000 indirect jobs and 700,000 induced jobs. Induced jobs account for the multiplier affect of direct and indirect jobs.

These numbers comes from taking advantage of the vast untapped potential of hydropower in the U.S., which has more than 400 GW of untapped hydropower resource potential inland and in its oceans.

Under a weak RES scenario, the number of cumulative jobs is expected to be 480,000 by 2025.

Jobs in hydropower come in all shapes and sizes. Project development activities result in jobs doing permitting, regulatory studies, licensing, design, and model testing. Hydropower also employs folks who perform component manufacturing, shoreline development, environmental instrumentation construction (such as fish bypass pieces), project construction, project commissioning, routine O&M, and minor and major equipment overhauls.

Clean Energy Creates Millions of Jobs

Admittedly, it’s difficult to tally these numbers in any comprehensive way to draw a clear picture of the total growth of the renewable energy job market for next year, in five years and in 15 years. Some industry estimates are projecting jobs in 2011, others look out as far as 2025. Just a rough summation of the above numbers shows that more than 2.5 million people, at least, will be either directly or indirectly employed in renewables by 2025. That would put about 8% of the 30,000,000 people looking for jobs right now back to work.

New Solar Power Network Acquired By ITOCHU

NEW YORK, April 13 /PRNewswire/ -- ITOCHU Corporation, jointly with ITOCHU International Inc. (collectively, ITOCHU), has agreed to acquire the business of SolarNet LLC, a solar energy solutions provider that includes DC Power Systems, the largest privately-held wholesale distributor of solar energy systems in the US, and Stellar Energy Solutions. ITOCHU has been actively implementing a global solar energy strategy since 2006 and has made a number of strategic investments, including the acquisition of California-based wholesale distributor and systems integrator Solar Depot in 2007. With the acquisition of SolarNet, the combined market share of Solar Depot and DC Power will give ITOCHU collectively the largest solar distribution network in the US. SolarNet will be operated as a majority-owned subsidiary of ITOCHU, beginning immediately. While the current management and employees will be retained, ITOCHU personnel will be added to strengthen the capability of SolarNet.

ITOCHU also supplies manufacturing equipment to solar module manufacturers globally and is involved in the systems integration, financing and development of solar energy projects in various countries. Observing the rapid growth in the solar industry, ITOCHU recently centralized all its solar energy related business into a new business department in order to provide a stronger and more streamlined approach to executing its solar energy business.

"ITOCHU is pleased to add the substantial business experience and capabilities of DC Power and Stellar Energy Solutions to our rapidly growing solar energy business activities in the US market and around the world," said Harutoshi Okita, Senior Vice President, ITOCHU International Inc. "This acquisition expands our presence in the US distribution market and extends our capabilities with regard to the development of large-scale solar systems."

ITOCHU expects this development to result in an improved product offering and level of service for solar dealers and customers across the country, making world-class solar solutions available at the most competitive prices. The acquisition also positions ITOCHU as a leading integrator of commercial-scale solar power systems, with a project pipeline of over 80MW across the US.

"SolarNet's partnership with ITOCHU will give our companies the resources to execute our aggressive business plan and continue to provide outstanding customer service in a rapidly growing business. We are excited to have a partner with such a long-term vision and global reach," said Joseph Marino, President of SolarNet. Mr. Marino will continue with SolarNet after the acquisition as a member of the Board and as Founder.

ITOCHU will actively expand SolarNet's business throughout the US market by building on its existing solar energy business activity and utilizing its global business network to add value to SolarNet. Through these efforts, ITOCHU expects its growing solar operations to accelerate the adoption of solar power in the US.

Minority owners of SolarNet and Board Members include Chris Tyson and Mark Sampson, who will focus on providing financing services to the company and solar industry (www.energyfinancecompany.com and www.newedgesolar.com).

Solar Power On A Large Scale

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., March 11 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (NYSE: STP), the world's largest manufacturer of photovoltaic (PV) modules, in partnership with the City of Santa Barbara and Tioga Energy, a leading solar financing firm, today announced the activation of the City's first large-scale solar power system. The 384 kW DC system is the first large-scale solar deployment for the City of Santa Barbara as well as the largest solar power system in the City.

The ceremony and educational tour are to be held from 2:00 - 3:00 PM beginning in the David Gebhard Meeting Room, located at 630 Garden Street in Santa Barbara. The speaker program includes local Nobel Prize Laureate and sustainability advocate Walter Kohn and Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum, who will dedicate the City's Corporate Yard solar system.

"We are excited to produce clean, renewable power here in Santa Barbara while simultaneously reducing our energy costs," said Marty Blum, Mayor of the City of Santa Barbara. "Our climate is perfect for solar, we can apply the savings to other city programs, and we are helping the environment. This is a tremendous win for everyone."

The system, which is spread among the Corporate Yard's roofs, features Suntech modules designed to minimize aesthetic impact while providing maximum energy output. Suntech solar panels were chosen for their consistent high quality, reliable performance, and efficiency. Suntech Energy Solutions installed the system in Fall 2008 in less than three months.

"Working with the City of Santa Barbara and Tioga Energy has been a pleasure for Suntech," said Marco Garcia, Vice President of Project Development for Suntech Energy Solutions. "We look forward to helping cities and local governments follow Santa Barbara's lead in converting unused land and roof space into power generating assets."

The solar energy system was built without any large capital outlay on behalf of the City of Santa Barbara. Instead, the system is financed and operated by Tioga Energy, through its SurePath(TM) Solar Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). Through the SurePath PPA agreement, Tioga Energy sells the energy generated by the system to the city at a fixed, predictable price over the 20-year contract term. As a result, the city receives immediate energy savings and a hedge against future utility rate increases, without the hassle of owning the system outright.

"With its commitment to clean energy, the City is demonstrating that solar power is an affordable option for public agencies concerned with reducing carbon emissions," said Paul Detering, CEO of Tioga Energy. "Our collaborative effort with the City of Santa Barbara and Suntech provides the City with predictably-priced power and demonstrates how successful public-private partnerships can help municipalities meet their financial and sustainability objectives."

The system will produce 550,000 kWh of energy per year, effectively offsetting 421,466 lbs, or 191 metric tons, of carbon dioxide. This is equivalent to removing 35 cars from the road, saving 21,328 gallons of gasoline, or powering over 100 Santa Barbara-area homes a year (based on a single family occupancy energy use of 5,000 kWh per year).

"This first system is a first step in reducing our energy costs and producing clean, renewable energy. We look forward to 'throwing the switch' on more projects in the years to come," said Mayor Marty Blum.

BP Solar Contract With Comverge

EAST HANOVER, N.J., Feb. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Comverge, Inc. (Nasdaq: COMV), a leading provider of smart grid demand response and energy efficiency solutions, announced today that BP Solar has selected Comverge to develop data acquisition and deployment solutions using Comverge's recently announced Apollo(R) integrated demand response platform, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) enabling technology, and information command center technology. The award is part of BP Solar's DOE sponsored project known as Solar America Initiative: "Reaching Grid Parity Using BP Solar Crystalline Silicon Technology".
The new contract with BP Solar calls for Comverge to integrate its advanced metering infrastructure technology utilizing its advanced PowerPortal(R) In-Home Display. Developing interfaces that provide solar production and other system information, BP Solar will have the option to integrate demand response using ZigBee(R) enabled intelligent thermostats and digital control units. Onsite systems data will be acquired and communicated offsite for performance monitoring, control, utility and customer information portals.
Robert M. Chiste, chairman, president and CEO of Comverge said, "We are pleased to be chosen by BP Solar for this important development initiative. We believe that the selection of Comverge is tangible recognition of the value of our integrated clean energy AMI enabled and solar power solutions, including our recently announced Apollo Platform(R) and PowerPortal In-Home Display." Mr. Chiste continued, "It is becoming generally recognized that, because of the uneven nature of solar and wind generation, demand response programs can act in concert with these alternative energy supplies to 'level' capacity. This relationship with BP Solar is an important step in Comverge's strategy to facilitate the integration of alternative energy solutions as part of the nation's drive toward energy independence."

Are Solar Cells Becoming More Simplified?

ScienceDaily (Dec. 1, 2008) — Currently, solar cells are difficult to handle, expensive to purchase and complicated to install. The hope is that consumers will one day be able to buy solar cells from their local hardware store and simply hang them like posters on a wall.

A new study by researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has shown that the dream is one step closer to reality. Reporting in the Nov. 26 edition of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Yang Yang, a professor of materials science and engineering, and colleagues describe the design and synthesis of a new polymer, or plastic, for use in solar cells that has significantly greater sunlight absorption and conversion capabilities than previous polymers.

The research team found that substituting a silicon atom for carbon atom in the backbone of the polymer markedly improved the material's photovoltaic properties. This silole-containing polymer can also be crystalline, giving it great potential as an ingredient for high-efficiency solar cells.

"With the reality of today's energy crisis, a new-game changing technology is required to make solar cells more popular," Yang said. "We hope that our newly synthesized polymer can eventually be used on solar cells far beyond their current rooftop applications. Imagine a house or car covered and powered by flexible solar films. Our dream is to see solar cells used everywhere."

Polymers are lightweight, low-cost plastics used in packaging materials and inexpensive products like insulators, pipes, household products and toys. Polymer solar cells utilize organic compounds to produce electricity from sunlight. They are much cheaper to produce than traditional silicon-based solar cells and are also environmentally friendly.

But while polymer solar cells have been around for several years, their efficiency has, until recently, been low. The new polymer created by Yang's team reached 5.1 percent efficiency in the published study but has in a few months improved to 5.6 percent in the lab. Yang and his team have proven that the photovoltaic material they use on their solar cells is one of the most efficient based on a single-layer, low-band-gap polymer.

At a lower band gap, the polymer solar cell can better utilize the solar spectrum, thereby absorbing more sunlight. At a higher band gap, light is not easily absorbed and can be wasted.

"Previously, the synthesizing process for the polymer was very complicated. We've been able to simplify the process and make it much easier to mass produce," said Jianhui Hou, UCLA postdoctoral researcher and co-author of the study. "Though this is a milestone achievement, we will continue to work on improving the materials. Ideally we'd like to push the performance of the solar cell to higher than 10 percent efficiency. We know the potential is there."

"We hope that solar cells will one day be as thin as paper and can be attached to the surface of your choice," added co-author Hsiang-Yu Chen, a UCLA graduate student in engineering. "We'll also be able to create different colors to match different applications."

The study was funded by Solarmer Energy Inc. and a UC Discovery Grant. Solarmer Energy Inc. has recently licensed the technology from UCLA for commercialization.

Solar Cell Production Less Harmful Than Originally Thought

ScienceDaily (Feb. 26, 2008) — In a finding that could help ease concerns about the potential environmental impact of manufacturing solar cells, scientists report that the manufacture of solar cells produces far fewer air pollutants than conventional fossil fuel technologies. Their report is the first comprehensive study on the pollutants produced during the manufacture of solar cells.

Solar energy has been touted for years as a safer, cleaner alternative to burning fossil fuels to meet rising energy demands. However, environmentalists and others are increasingly concerned about the potential negative impact of solar cell(photovoltaic) technology.

Full Story

BP Expands into Solar Energy

VACAVILLE, Calif., Jan. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- OCR Solar & Roofing and BP
Solar, a global leader in solar energy, today announced an expanded
agreement to provide turn-key solar installations to production
homebuilders throughout Northern and Central California. Within the
framework of the expanded agreement, valued at over $10 million, OCR Solar
& Roofing will receive the exclusive right to offer BP Solar's
market-leading EnergyTile roof-integrated solar modules to production
homebuilders in Northern and Central California. In addition, OCR Solar &
Roofing will also offer BP Solar's low profile Integra(R) framing system
for asphalt shingle roofs.

Originally purchasing solar modules under a nonexclusive supply
agreement, OCR has seen an increase in its solar revenue by over 300% since
offering BP Solar's products, and the company expects the growth rate to
more than quadruple in 2008.

"Our agreement with BP Solar is built on a strong relationship which
will strengthen the support that we provide to our homebuilder customers,"
said Aaron Nitzkin, vice president, Solar Division for OCR Solar & Roofing.
"It is a great time in California for new home renewable energy solutions,
and we plan to aggressively educate homebuilders and consumers this year on
the impact and significance of solar energy."

Unlike most solar providers that just install solar panels, OCR
installs both the roofing and solar electric systems. OCR provides this
turn-key solution to many of the region's leading homebuilders, including
Christopherson Homes, Pinn Brothers Fine Homes, Ponderosa Homes, and Tim
Lewis Communities.

"This key relationship with OCR allows us to further our goal of
becoming a leading provider of solar electric systems on new homes in
California," explained Geoff Slevin, vice president of Sales and Marketing
for BP Solar, North America. "We are confident that with our solar
expertise and products along with OCR's strong roofing reputation, we will
be able to make that happen."

The agreement is designed to support new homebuilders by offering roof-
integrated solar electric systems for energy-efficient homes. Benefits to
the homeowner include dramatically reduced or even eliminated electric
bills, improved comfort, federal tax credits and an aesthetically pleasing
roof design.

nCoat to Join U.S. and Germany in Solar Venture

WHITSETT, NC, Jan 09, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- nCoat, Inc. (OTCBB: NCOA) ("nCoat" or the "Company") has announced the signing of an agreement for business collaboration and commercial product development with Sunvention USA, Inc. ("SV-US": www.sunvention.us) and BSR Solar Technologies GmbH ("BSR": www.bsrsolar.com) using nCoat nanotechnology coatings in a Concentrated Solar Thermal Power (CSP: 10.99, -0.02, -0.18%) system to concentrate the solar radiation and create highly efficient heat absorption and retention in the heat collection element. nCoat coatings will also be used to protect solar "Green Energy" systems developed and built by SV-US and BSR.

"Thermal absorption and transfer coatings used in solar energy production is a new market segment for nCoat," said Paul Clayson, CEO of nCoat, Inc. "Combining our nanotechnology coatings products and experience with commercialization of solar energy systems positions nCoat to capture revenue at the leading edge of the projected exponential market expansion. Since our coatings are known world-wide as state-of-the-art in market ready nano materials, we are being sought by other technology players to commercialize products with them."

In collaboration with BSR technologies (located in Loerrach, Germany), SV-US is creating a working Solar Power Village on site at its Greencastle, Indiana facilities. The core patented technology of the village is an Envelope Power Greenhouse ("EPG") housing optical solar CSP systems mounted in the greenhouse roof which concentrates the energy of the sun 80 to 100 times into the solar collector system, generating electricity by converting solar radiation captured in a heat receptor into electrons. The heat generated then rapidly heats inert vegetable oil to 200 degreesC and transports the oil to a tank outside the greenhouse. The hot oil transfers thermal energy to practical uses including heat for cooking and housing, heat energy to drive a proprietary Stirling (closed-cycle, heat driven) engine to operate water pumps, mill grain and to generate electric power.

The BSR/SV-US technologies can scale from a single residence or commercial site to large scale operations. Envelope Power Greenhouses can be constructed solely for power production or for joint applications to include plant growth.

Under the terms of the agreement, nCoat will provide thermal and corrosion management coatings for BSR/SV-US technologies and will collaborate on innovations to create more efficient thermal capture and transfer of the sun's radiant light to thermal energy production and distribution. nCoat will supply both low emissivity (thermal capture) and high emissivity (thermal transfer) coatings to help enable the solar Green Energy systems.

"After 4 years and nearly 15 million dollars in development, our technologies are now fully operational and moving to commercial development," said Dr. C. William Arrington, Co-Chairman of Sunvention USA. "nCoat coatings will play a significant role in the success of the thermal management process of our systems."

BSR Solar Technologies GmbH develops solar products for...