Recent news reports out of Illinois have indicated that even more money is being allocated in the state to jumpstart several programs that train potential workers for green industries in the skills necessary to perform numerous green jobs. As Green Jobs Ready reported this week, a band of several community colleges throughout Illinois are partnering to develop comprehensive and consistent programs that deal with a number of green industry-related subjects and aim to provide pragmatic and forward-thinking training to those enrolled in them.

Now, a local news station for Rockford, Illinois—WREX—is reporting via its online journalistic presence that the City of Rockford is receiving a quarter of a million dollars to “help launch a multi-year green jobs training program” which will help the city directly by facilitating the creation of much-needed employment opportunities and indirectly by speeding progress toward cheaper substitutes for traditional energy sources, such as wind and solar energy.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity seems to be behind the provision of this grant. Department Director Warren Ribley specified that the money will in part go to facilitate training in home weatherization, an important area of green energy jobs that maximizes a home’s efficiency, thereby reducing costs and environmental impact simultaneously.

“Weatherization benefits homeowners by increasing energy efficiency and helping keep their energy costs down,” he is quoted as saying. “This initiative will provide a much needed economic boost to disadvantaged neighborhoods that will help revitalize communities and create jobs.”

For more information, please read WREX’s original coverage here: http://www.wrex.com/story/15588961/rockford-gets-money-for-green-jobs-training-program

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

In the past few years alone, many major advances have been made in the area of solar energy. As China continues to innovate new and strategic advancements in solar technology across the Pacific, the United States has faced a significant economic impetus to further develop its own alternative energy resources. Via funding from the Federal Government in the form of grants, stimulus packages, and rebates, numerous establishments and businesses based in the United States and focused on the cultivation of a green economy have grown. As solar power products continue to appeal to a wider consumer base, and as potential buyers realize not only their environmental friendliness but also their affordability and return on investment promise, solar power continues to steadily heighten its popularity.

Recent research from scientists at the University of California, San Diego, have provided information that lends another reason for those in the market for solar panels to make the leap to purchasing and installing them. According to the researchers, since the presence of solar panels on top of the buildings they fuel also adds some level of shade, solar panels—active or inactive—provide a notable cooling affect on the buildings below. In the winter, although solar panels may keep out some sunlight during the day, they hold their heat during the night and allow the building to recoup the energy then.

The study concluded that the presence of solar panels on roofs can result in an up to 38 percent decrease in total heat reaching the roof. What’s more, the total energy savings from this effect of solar panels on the buildings they are tethered to can be equated to obtaining a 5 percent discount on the price tag of the panels themselves.

For more information, please visit: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/25/idUS192914813620110725

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

According to recent news coverage pertaining to renewable energy industry development at JOE.ie, approximately 330 new green jobs are set to be created as 4 million euros of funding has recently been allotted for the express creation of “green” travel projects located outside the Greater Dublin region.

JOE.ie reports that the funding for new green jobs in Ireland has been allocated in part by the efforts of Alan Kelly, the Minister for Public and Commuter Transport. Utilizing the newfound funding, Kelly has already designated specific projects with cash, including traffic claiming measures for particular areas of Donegal, such as Fintown, Glencolmcille, Ballybofey, Buncrana, Milford, Rathmelton, and other sections of the town. Additionally, Kelly has allotted funds from the creation of bicycle parking and lanes in Cavan town, as well.

“This €4m allocation is in addition to €10m worth of jobs-intensive sustainable travel projects which have already been announced for the Greater Dublin Area and the regional cities,” Kelly is quoted as saying by JOE.ie.

In addition to the cities of Cavan and Donegal, the municipalities of such towns of Kilkenny, Cork, North Tipperary, Offaly, Sligo, Roscommon, Wexford, and numerous other areas will benefit from the funds in the creation of green jobs and the stimulation of the green energy economy of Ireland as well.

For more information, please visit JOE.ie: http://www.joe.ie/business-money/money-jobs-news/330-new-green-jobs-to-be-created-0013951-1.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

A new study by the National Center for Atmospheric Research explains how cities are not only centers of pollution because of their factories, but also because of their design. The study, which focused on the Houston Metropolitan Area, explains that the natural cleaning processes of the earth do no function well in a city. Of the numerous factors that make this true, two stand out.

The first of these two factors is pavement in cities. During the day the pavement absorbs heat retaining it long into the evening hours. This heat stops the air from correctly circulating. This is because the hot pavement makes air rise and therefore does not naturally blow through and clean out the city. This is one major reason why pollution stays in the already polluted urban areas.

Another factor, perhaps equally as inhibiting to the natural flow of air, is the high-rise buildings in cities. Because the buildings are so densely packed into the downtown areas they make it hard for air to flow freely through those congested districts. This makes the already weakened airflow – due to pavement – even less effective at tidying up cities.

This study, although not all encompassing, is particularly useful for an urban coastal area. Despite its limited scope, we can take away at least one thing from the study. Cities that have more open spaces – parks, ponds, etc – are less likely to have problems with heated pavements since these areas help to balance the heat emitted from pavement.

On top of this the study also suggests we could benefit from more effective urban planning. The type of planners we need are different from the normal kind. We need planners who are aware of how a city, and an area, naturally cleans itself and adapt the structures built and the layout of the city to those specific needs. This could mean a much cleaner and safer version of the modern city. It would also mean a more diversified type of living throughout the world, depending on climate.

For more information on the study check out the article posted here.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

According to PowerGenWorldwide.com, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has recently released a statement today announcing that it will pursue a total of five agreements to establish “nearly 23 megawatts of on-site solar-generated power” at several facilities, including the Chuckawalla Valley Sate Prison, the Ironwood State Prison, the California Correctional Institution, North Kern State Prison, and Lancaster’s California State Prison in Los Angeles County.

The press release estimates that over $55 million in taxpayer money will be saved over the course of the life of these agreements, which are already reduced in cost by various entities, including the group California Investor Owned Utilities, which is established through the California Solar Initiative Program and administered via the California Public Utilities Commission.

The agreements come as part of a conscious effort to abide by California Governor Jerry Brown’s stated goal of moving one-third of the state’s energy usage to be derived from renewable energy sources, which will in turn provide countless green jobs, by 2020.

For more information, please visit: http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/CDCR_Going_Green/Solar_Power.html

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

According to recent journalistic news coverage by writer Kara Seymour for AOL’s Patch.com, the east coast—Pennsylvania in particular—has added another institution to its list dedicated to educating and informing the next generation of workers for green industries and renewable energy professions.

Bucks County Community College, according to Seymour, located in Pennsylvania, has recently begun offering a Green Jobs Academy. Described by the college’s assistant vice president of continuing education and workforce development Chris Gillespie as “one of the only institutions of its kind in the region,” Seymour cites the Green Jobs Academy, located specifically in Bristol, as offering a variety of viable green jobs training programs pertinent to today’s competitive but blossoming alternative and clean energy job markets.

Among the jobs that the Green Jobs Academy will offer its student training for include occupations that necessitate students’ mastery of skills such as solar thermal technologies, geothermal energy, energy efficiency, and a wide variety of other possible roles within various alternative energy companies.

Built with facilities describes as “state-of-the-art” by Seymour, Bucks County Community College’s Green Jobs Academy began formal operations last year with the aid of a federal grant amounting to approximately $200,000. The academy also works in conjunction with Gamesa, a local wind turbine manufacturing company, to provide training for future employees.

For more information, please visit: http://warminster.patch.com/articles/bccc-training-workers-for-jobs-of-the-future-3

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

According to recent journalistic coverage and several news releases, including information made public today by Business Wire, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has collaborated with solar energy firm SolarWorld to facilitate the development of a 11.6-megawatt DC solar system that is currently estimated to provide enough alternative energy to adequately supply 85,000 Los Angeles homes and to displace 290,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide over the next two and a half decades.

Business Wire claims that this partnership will combine “the nation’s largest municipal utility with the largest and most experienced U.S. manufacturer of crystalline solar power technology.” The press release from Business Wire also goes on to state that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will install and facilitate the upkeep of the system while SolarWorld will provide the engineering power and materials to complete the operation successfully.

In February, both the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and SolarWorld began work on this project at the pre-existing Adelanto Switching and Convertor Station, apparently after an approval from the Board of Water and Power Commissioners for the project’s continuance in December.

“The technical features of Adelanto are advanced, and the design requirements are more sophisticated than typical systems of this size,” Raju Yenamandra, U.S. vice president of sales and a 30-year employee of SolarWorld’s Camarillo facility, is quoted by Business Wire as saying. “But having built the world’s first 1 MW system in California in 1981 and adapted many system types since then, we look forward to once again demonstrating our project-engineering ingenuity.”

For more information, please visit: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110302005664/en/LADWP-SolarWorld-Partner-Develop-11.6-MW-Solar

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

According to an article that appeared recently on LowCarbonEconomy.com, leaders of the climate change awareness movement and alternative and renewable energy causes have commented on the current state of green jobs creation in the United Kingdom–and, when compared to the corresponding rates and ratios of other world powers, it isn’t necessarily something to brag about.

More specifically, according to LowCarbonEconomy.com, Meg Hillier–described as “the shadow secretary of state for energy and climate change”–has publicly stated that she feels Britain is not only behind in green jobs but that the nation’s government should be investing more funds toward their creation and the stimulation of companies and institutions that further growth in the green jobs sector, comments which came after the government’s creation of the National Skills Academy for Environmental Technologies.

“If you look at Germany and the Netherlands, they put public money into things. In spite of the European competition rules, there are ways of investing,” Hillier is quoted by LowCarbonEconomy.com as saying. “We are behind that curve.”

Despite her comments, Hillier said that certain pockets of green industry developing on the country’s coast could prove promising for those seeking to become employed in the various green industries.

“The north-east coast is very important for offshore wind … you’ve got Wales which has got huge opportunity potentially for maritime and tidal. There’s some interesting marine stuff going on on the south-west coast as well,” she is quoted as saying.

To read the original article, please visit: http://www.lowcarboneconomy.com/community_content/_low_carbon_blog/13248/uk_behind_the_curve_in_green_job_creation

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Recent coverage by Susan Ferriss, a journalist who covers information and happenings regarding the state capitol of California, Sacramento, for the renowned newspaper, the Sacramento Bee, has pointed out a new trend in statewide politics: in the California legislature, a significant number of Democratic representatives are supporting the resurrection of the proposed bill that would require the state’s utility entities to purchase, at minimum, 33 percent—or one third—of their total energy purchases from renewable or alternative energy sources by the year 2020.

The ambitious goal comes hand-in-hand with numerous efforts statewide to increase the dependence of different communities on viable clean energy utilities, or more efficient solutions for the usage of available resources such as fossil fuels if it is not possible to develop alternative energy facilities.

According to Ferriss, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, a Democrat and a Sacramento native, clarified the recent commotion over the importance of developing California’s green jobs market and various green industries in light of the state’s burgeoning budget crisis.

“The budget is and remains our top priority,” Steinberg is quoted by Ferriss as saying. He went on to say that “we must also continue to provide state and national leadership in our ongoing efforts to strengthen California’s economy by supporting emerging industries, improving public education and creating jobs for Californians.”

As this blog has attempted to illustrate, all three of Steinberg’s target areas have seen growth in the past six months along. Green industries are, quite literally, sprouting up all across America, and those institutions responsible for training the next generation of workers—vocational schools, trade schools, and numerous colleges—have all accepted the importance of developing green jobs training programs to prepare workers for the needs of an energy economy based on renewable resources.

Conversation regarding the revival of the bill specifying that a total of one third of California’s energy must come from alternative sources like wind power or solar power is ongoing and controversial.

For more information, read Farriss’s complete article in the Sacramento Bee at: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/02/03/3373329/democrats-launch-green-energy.html

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Several years ago, the American Solar Energy Society—a self-described nonprofit organization operating out of Boulder, Colorado—in conjunction with the Washington D.C.-based economic research firm Management Information Services, Inc. (MISI) published a landmark report, titled the ASES Green Collar Jobs Report.

The past—in this case, predictions made in the past—can always be a useful tool for assessing the growth and overall worth of particular efforts. Variables can be adjusted and readjusted depending on how predictions panned out. And while only several years have passed since the study was conducted, analyzed, and finally presented to the public, there may still be some important points of consideration we can take from pondering the data provided by the American Solar Energy Society’s Green Collar Jobs Report.

In 2007, for instance, companies comprising the renewable energy and energy efficiency sector of the marketplace represented “more than 9 million jobs and $1,045 billion in U.S. revenue,” the report states. The report also claims that the renewable energy industry “grew three times as fast as the U.S. Economy, with the solar, thermal, photovoltaic, biodiesel, and ethanol sectors leading the way, each with 25%+ annual revenue growth.” 95 percent of all the jobs the report managed to count were listed as being in private industry.

Perhaps the most significant prediction of the study was that “as many as 37 million jobs can be generated by the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries in the United States by 2030,” a number the reports concedes would represent over 17 percent of the total predicted United States employment.

How do you think the American Solar Energy Society’s study stood up to the passage of a few years? Do these predictions seem right, or do they miss the mark? Do you think it’s too early to tell? Post a comment on this blog entry or let us know on Facebook!

To read the original report in context, please visit: www.ases.org/greenjobs

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.