Renewable energy jobs and the future

>
> Feb 04 - USA TODAY -By Julie Schmit -
>
> The number of clean-energy jobs in the U.S. would more than double by
> 2025 if the nation adopts a plan to get 25% of its electricity from
> renewable energy sources, says a report backed by energy firms.
>
> Nationwide, 274,000 jobs would be created in the wind, solar,
> hydropower, biomass and waste-to-energy industries by 2025 if a 25%
> standard is adopted, says research firm Navigant Consulting. Those
> sectors now support about 196,000 jobs.
>
> Navigant did the study for the RES Alliance for Jobs, a consortium of
> renewable energy companies and others that recommends national
> renewable electricity targets of 12% in 2014 and 20% in 2020.
>
> Unlike three dozen other countries, including China, the U.S.
> doesn't have a
> national standard to drive use of renewable energy, although it's
> being debated in Congress. President Obama has pushed for 25%
> renewables by 2025.
> Meanwhile, 30 states have renewable standards. Five have set goals.
>
> But company executives say state standards are often unenforceable and
> lack the punch of a national standard that would more forcefully drive
> use of renewables. That would entice companies to put manufacturing
> and operations in the U.S. as opposed to other countries, they say.
>
> "We're building this industry right now," says Don Furman, senior vice
> president of Iberdrola Renewables, a leading wind farm developer.
> "We're
> really in a footrace with China and Europe to secure these jobs long
> term.
> When you create demand, you really create jobs."
>
> Losing jobs to China
>
> Navigant's research, based in part on interviews with dozens of energy
> firms and suppliers, found that every state would see job growth with
> a 25% standard.
>
> The biggest winners include states already strong in wind power
> generation or manufacturing, including Texas, Pennsylvania and
> Colorado.
> California, a
> leading solar state, would also be a big beneficiary.
>
> The Southeast, meanwhile, would gain jobs in biomass, which includes
> turning wood and agricultural products into energy, Navigant says.
>
> On the flip side, many states will lose clean-energy jobs if no
> national standard is passed, Navigant says. Texas, for one, could lose
> more than 2,500 jobs given its already big presence in wind and
> expiring tax credits for wind projects, Navigant says.
>
> Without a strong national standard, Furman says, the U.S. wind
> industry could even lose jobs, especially to China. Last year, China
> became the No. 1 maker of wind turbine equipment. It's also the No. 1
> maker of solar cells for solar panels.
>
> While the federal government pumped $150 million in stimulus funds
> into renewable energy, China is moving faster, Obama told governors
> Wednesday, while calling for more ethanol production and technology to
> limit pollution from coal.
>
> Southeast raises concerns
>
> A national electricity standard has faced opposition from Southeastern
> lawmakers, who fear that it'll benefit states with big wind and good
> sun.
> Southeastern states are largely dependent on coal and nuclear power.
>
> "We're not opposed to renewables, but we're of the opinion that states
> should come up with their own plans," says David Wright, past
> president and current commissioner of the Southeastern Association of
> Regulatory Utility Commissioners. If the Southeast benefits from
> growth in biomass, he wonders if it'll lose jobs if coal plants close.
>
> Renewable energy also remains more expensive than coal. Mandates that
> drive up its use could result in higher energy prices, which could
> result in lost jobs, says Max Schulz, analyst at the Manhattan
> Institute, a free- market think tank.
>
> "There's no question that if you have a national standard, you'll see
> an increase in green jobs," Schulz says. "But you'll also have harmful
> effects."
>