Tag Archives: renewable energy jobs

Nebraska’s better off without Keystone XL

Lincoln Journal Star Editorial Board

Increased investment in renewable energy — wind energy, solar power, electric vehicles, etc. — proves that America’s future will involve fewer fossil fuels going forward, a fact underscored by the growing number of financial institutions and other entities that now refuse to invest in the oil and gas industry . . . The grassroots coalition of environmentalists, farmers, ranchers and property-rights advocates who fought the pipeline tooth and nail can celebrate, knowing their efforts weren’t in vain. Read more here.

Additional Recommended Reading

When TC Energy said the pipeline would create nearly 119,000 jobs, a State Department report instead concluded the project would require fewer than 2,000 two-year construction jobs and that the number of jobs would hover around 35 after construction.

The market case, even before the COVID-19 pandemic sent oil prices plummeting, has also deteriorated. Low oil prices and increasing public concern over the climate have led Shell, Exxon, Statoil, and Total to either sell their tar sands assets or write them down. Because of this growing market recognition, major new tar sands projects haven’t moved forward with construction for years, despite investments from the government of Alberta, Canada. For example, in 2020, Teck Resources withdrew its ten-year application to build the largest tar sands mine in history—citing growing concern surrounding climate change in global markets.

Alberta’s Renewable Energy Growth

Biden Moves To Have U.S. Rejoin Climate Accord

By Nathan Rott, NET

In one of his first acts in the Oval Office, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to have the United States rejoin the Paris climate agreement, the largest international effort to curb global warming. The U.S. officially withdrew from the accord to limit climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions late last year, after President Donald Trump began the process in 2017. It is the only country of the nearly 200 signatories that has withdrawn. Read more here.

President Biden halts Keystone XL pipeline project, by David Earl, KETV
In one of his first executive orders, President Biden called the Keystone XL project a “disservice to the national interest” and said that leaving the permit for it in place would not be consistent with his economic and climate imperatives. The Biden Administration said it wants good, union jobs, but wants those workers on the frontlines of the climate crisis, building wind and solar power instead of oil pipelines.

Additional Recommended Reading 

Driving Toward a Majority Renewables America to Catalyze Nearly One Million Direct U.S. Clean Energy Jobs

American Wind Energy Association News Release

Washington D.C. December 16, 2020 – Clean energy resources – wind, solar, energy storage, hydropower, and other renewables – represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to drive U.S. economic recovery and add hundreds of thousands of family-supporting jobs. According to a new, first-of-its-kind study released today by global natural resources research consultancy Wood Mackenzie and the American Clean Power Association (ACP), reaching a majority renewables grid will deploy over $1 trillion in capital investment into the American economy over the next decade, while supporting 980,000 direct jobs, stabilizing wholesale power prices, and reducing U.S. carbon emissions by over 60 percent. Targeted administrative actions and Legislative policies are essential for the U.S. to achieve these benefits within the next ten years.

“A majority renewables electric system for the U.S. is possible within a decade and will deliver much-needed investments in our economy and create a pathway toward steady, well-paying employment for workers across the country. This research shows that a collaborative promise of an American grid powered by wind, solar, hydropower, energy storage, and other renewables represents an economic powerhouse that will lead our country towards a more prosperous, healthier, and cleaner future,” said Amy Farrell, ACP Senior Vice President of Government and Public Affairs. Continue reading here.

Related
Job creation and clean energy go hand in hand in post-pandemic recovery, by John Hensley, Into the Wind, AWEA Blog

Also of Potential Interest
Renewables bring deflation to the energy sector, Financial Times
Opinion contributed by Mark Lewis, chief sustainability strategist at BNP Paribas Asset Management.

Sunpro Solar to Expand Rooftop Solar in the Midwest Region

Sunpro Solar News Release, Send2Press Newswire

Sunpro Solar, a leading residential solar energy company in the U.S., announced today that they are expanding to bring affordable solar to homeowners in the states of Nebraska and Illinois. The company’s expansion to new markets in the Midwest will help satisfy the demand for lower electricity bills and to create more renewable energy jobs. Sunpro Solar will offer residents of Nebraska and Illinois affordable solar energy systems, battery backup and energy efficiency upgrades. “There is a strong interest and growing demand for clean energy in the Midwest,” says Sunpro Solar Founder and CEO, Marc Jones. Read the entire news release.

About Sunpro Solar
Sunpro Solar is a top solar company in the U.S. that provides affordable solar energy and battery storage solutions to homeowners nationwide. Sunpro Solar was named 5th largest residential solar installer in the U.S. by Solar Power World Magazine in July 2020. An Inc. 500 company, Sunpro Solar continues to expand as the demand for home solar in the United States rapidly increases. Sunpro Solar has headquarters in Louisiana and currently operates in 17 states.

Additional Recommended Reading
Sunpro Solar Named to Inc. Magazine’s Vet100 List, Sunpro Solar News Release, Send2Press Newswire
Sunpro Solar has been named to the annual Vet100 list, which acknowledges the nation’s fastest growing veteran-owned businesses and entrepreneurs. The ranking is composed of honorees who have also landed on the iconic Inc. Magazine 500/5000 lists of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S and created in partnership with Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF).

For more information on the Inc. Vet100 list, visit: https://ivmf.syracuse.edu/Vet100/

New coalition targets 25GW of renewables-based hydrogen production by 2026

By Jules Scully, PV-Tech

ACWA Power and Iberdrola are among the seven founders of a new coalition that aims to scale up the production of green hydrogen 50-fold in the next six years while halving production costs. The Green Hydrogen Catapult – which also includes CWP Renewables, Envision, Ørsted, Snam and Yara – will target the deployment of 25GW of renewables-based hydrogen production by 2026, with a goal of driving down the cost of producing the fuel to below US$2/kg.

It is estimated that the initiative will require an investment of around US$110 billion and create more than 120,000 jobs, as the founding partners look to accelerate the necessary technology, component manufacturing, market development and flow of investment. The seven companies will work towards the 25GW target by developing project capacity, supporting the design tools to solve early market challenges and sponsoring collaboration to accelerate economic growth using green hydrogen. Rocky Mountain Institute, a non-profit that promotes clean energy, will facilitate the initiative. Continue reading here.

Photo Credit: Iberdrola

Rocky Mountain Institute News Release: World’s green hydrogen leaders unite to drive 50-fold scale-up in six years

It is now estimated that green hydrogen could supply up to 25 percent of the world’s energy needs by 2050 and become a US$10 trillion addressable market by 2050. These projections are underpinned by the recent emergence of strong hydrogen-focused national hydrogen strategies around the world including in Australia, Chile, Germany, the EU, Japan, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain and South Korea.

Previously posted article also written by Jules Scully:  Scaling distributed solar and storage is lowest-cost path for US to reach clean electric grid – study, PV-Tech 

Meeting the Climate Moment With a 100-Day Agenda for Solar

By Abigail Ross Hopper, SEIA President & CEO, SEIA Blog

I want to share our vision for the next decade, and more specifically, for our new President-elect. It goes without saying that this is an exciting time to be in the solar industry. We are now 32x bigger than we were a decade ago and this $18 billion industry supports American families in every state. Solar is a job-creating engine with bipartisan support and helps to bring clean, affordable electricity to millions. That’s why big businesses like Walmart and Amazon are investing in solar and why 90% of Americans, regardless of political beliefs, support solar. Continue reading here.

New studies find grid modernization accelerates cost-effective renewable energy growth

By John Hensley, Into the Wind, AWEA Blog

Renewable energy has begun to dominate new electric generation capacity additions over the past several years for a variety of reasons – plummeting technology costs, increasing efficiency, and corresponding demand from the public and private sector, among others. However, to fully realize a 21st century clean energy economy we need to update our electric system to meet today’s needs, modernize the grid, and expand access to renewables through transmission infrastructure. Now, two new studies show how transmission investments can accelerate clean energy growth while saving money for American families and businesses. Read more here.

Photo Credit: Nebraska Public Power District

NPPD’S R-Project Newsroom
Nebraska Public Power District’s Board of Directors voted to award a construction contract to Forbes Brothers Timberline Construction, Inc., of Rapid City, S.D. for the R-Project transmission line.

SEIA Blog: Solar + EVs: Two Peas in a Pod

IOWA’S RENEWABLE ENERGY & TRANSMISSION

Experts: Iowa’s renewable energy growth depends on better transmission, Iowa Capital Dispatch
Iowa could become an even bigger leader in renewable energy, especially if renewable hydrogen is developed and transmission lines are improved, a panel of university, government and corporate leaders said Wednesday. 

MICHIGAN STUDY QUANTIFIES RETURN ON CLEAN ENERGY INVESTMENT

Commentary: Clean energy is good economic policy for Michigan, by Laura Sherman / Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council, Energy News Network

Last month Gov. Gretchen Whitmer set a goal for Michigan to be carbon-neutral by 2050, a bold move that will bring more jobs and industry to the state. We can measure the economic growth and jobs that these energy innovations have already brought to Michigan and can continue to bring—not in 10, 20 or 30 years, but right now. A new report from the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council (Michigan EIBC) does just that. It quantifies how increasing investment into advanced energy through a future federal stimulus package could energize the state’s economy, and finds that these investments would generate a return on the order of eight times the level of public spending for Michigan. 

ENVIRONMENT AMERICA’S “RENEWABLES ON THE RISE 2020” REPORT

The 2020 edition of a report by Environment America Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group
Clean energy technology has boomed in the last decade, enabling Americans to envision a future powered by 100 percent renewable energy. “Renewables on the Rise 2020” tells the story of the dramatic growth of clean energy. The data story below explains how strong state renewable energy commitments have helped to spark the clean energy revolution. The interactive charts enable you to explore how clean energy technology is growing in your state. And the six fact sheets provide a detailed look at the key technologies driving America toward clean, renewable energy — from electric vehicles to offshore wind power — and the hope they provide for the future. 

Environment America’s 100% Campaigns

CLEAN ENERGY JOBS ANALYSIS

Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2)), the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), and the Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) commissioned BW Research to analyze clean energy job wages and benefits.

The Clean Jobs, Better Jobs report is the first comprehensive analysis of wages and benefits across the clean energy sector. According to the report, workers in renewable energy, energy efficiency, grid modernization and storage, clean fuels and clean vehicles earned a median hourly wage of $23.89 in 2019 compared with the national median wage of $19.14. In addition, jobs in many clean energy sectors are more likely to be unionized and come with health care and retirement benefits than the rest of the private sector, the analysis shows.


REIMAGINE APPALACHIA

Clean energy, infrastructure plan could bring 489,000 jobs to Ohio, Pa., Farm and Dairy
ReImagine Appalachia’s plan, released in July, lays out how to build and modernize infrastructure, repair the land and create jobs through public investment in Appalachia’s Ohio River Valley. Reimagine Appalachia is a coalition of more than 75 grassroots organizations from Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky. It calls for, among other things, encouraging regenerative agriculture practices, reviving the Civilian Conservation Corps, increasing clean energy use, expanding broadband, building a sustainable transportation system and creating “good union jobs.”

GREEN HYDROGEN CHARGING STATIONS

World’s First Green Hydrogen Universal Charging Station for Electric and Hydrogen Vehicles, H2-Greenforce, Extends Preferred Series A Funding Raising up to $12 Million to Debut Green Island™, H2 Greenforce LLC News Release, PR Newswire

About H2-Greenforce: Founded in 2019 in New Jersey, H2’s mission is to decarbonize our planet through production of green electricity. H2-Greenforce combines its own proprietary green hydrogen technology and know-how, with advanced industrial components to build self-sustainable electric infrastructure. H2-Greenforce is a trademark of H2-Greenforce LLC in the United States and other countries.

CLIMATE ACTION 100+ NEWS

Investors call on major US polluters to clean up lobbying activities, by Cecilia Keating, GreenBiz
It is just the latest intervention from Climate Action 100+, which is backed by more than 500 global investors representing $47 trillion of assets worldwide and aims to ramp up climate ambition from companies it has identified as collectively responsible for up to 80 percent of global industrial greenhouse gas emissions. Companies targeted by the campaign span a number of polluting sectors, including oil and gas, consumer goods, power and transportation, and have been identified as “systematically important” to the net zero transition by the campaign.

FEATURED LOCAL RESOURCES TO HELP YOU SAVE ENERGY & MONEY

The High-Performance All-Electric Home

By Joe Wachunas, CleanTechnica

A short 15 months ago, Berkeley, California launched the city-led electrification movement by (essentially) banning gas in all new construction. Then, in a blink of an eye, over 35 cities across California and the United States followed Berkeley’s lead.  Thus, we find ourselves at an inflection point where the all-electric home seems poised to become the default clean energy abode of the future. And there are many additional benefits to all-electric homes for both consumers and builders that make reasons for fuel switching even more compelling. Read more here.

Related Reading

Also written by Joe Wachunas: On the Cutting Edge of Vehicle to Grid. CleanTechnica

TESLA SOLAR ROOF INSTALLATION

Tesla Solar Roof Install Time Lapse – 40 Squares in 4 days, YouTube Video 
Weddle and Sons Roofing just completed a 15kW Tesla Solar Roof installation near Topeka, Kansas. 

Tesla Solar Roof Website
Weddle & Sons Roofing offices in Lincoln and Omaha
Installing A Tesla Solar Roof, by Weddle & Sons Roofing

SOLAR & ENERGY STORAGE FINANCING

Service Finance Company to deliver competitive and convenient financing packages for Panasonic brand solar modules and EverVolt™ energy storage systems, Panasonic News Release

Panasonic and Service Finance Company today announced PowerOn, a new home energy storage financing program exclusively for Panasonic EverVolt™ Certified Installers that enables them to offer 100% financing to homeowners who buy a complete energy storage system including EverVolt™ battery storage and Panasonic brand solar modules, or EverVolt™ battery storage.

CORPORATE RENEWABLE ENERGY PROCUREMENT

Corporate renewable energy procurement jumps 45% in 2020, Solar Power World
More than any other country, the United States has a growing portion of new renewable energy projects being built to meet demand coming directly from corporations.

EDF RENEWABLES  & GEENEX SOLAR

EDF Renewables North America and Geenex Solar Transact on a 4.5 gigawatt (GWac) Solar Development Portfolio, EDF Renewables News Release. The portfolio of project assets in the transaction exceed 20 solar projects in various stages of development.

Previously Posted News Release: EDF Renewables acquires Nebraska wind project

Milligan 1 Wind Project Website
Milligan 1 Wind is a $350 million investment in Saline County. The 300 MW wind farm project will generate clean energy for more than 100,000 homes, boost the local economy with millions in new spending, produce $45 million in total tax revenue, and create more than 200 jobs while sustaining 150 small family farmers and landowners with stable lease payments of more than $50 million over the life of the project. The project is planned to begin operation in late 2020.

CARBON OFFSETS

Michigan officials look to state forests as an offset for carbon emissions, by Tom Perkins, Energy News Network. Skeptics worry the plan will give polluters an inexpensive and imprecise option to meet future emission targets.

HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA: SOLAR GROWN™ HONEY

Clif Family Introduces Solar Grown™ Honey and Honey Spreads Adding to Its Line of Artisan Foods: Harvested From Honey Bee Hives on Pollinator-friendly Solar Farms, The New Products Demonstrate a Productive Use of the Land Around Ground-Mounted Solar Panels.

Solar Grown™ Honey & Honey Spreads. Free shipping on orders of $40 or more.

Local View: Don’t hamper wind growth

By Gary Thompson, Lincoln Journal Star

Last month, the Gage County Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend to the County Board of Supervisors that amendments be made to existing regulations governing development of wind farms in the county.

Among these was the requirement that each turbine be set back at least one mile away from any non-participating residence. If approved, this would be one of the most restrictive regulations in the nation — and its practical effect would be to ban any further development of wind energy within the county borders. Continue reading here.

Gary Thompson has served as an NPPD Board of Directors member for 27 years. He lives in Clatonia.

Also In Nebraska

Midlands Voices: Renewable energy proves a sound investment for Nebraska

By Tim Gay, Omaha World-Herald

Wind energy is crucial to Nebraska’s economic growth. We are fortunate to live in a state that has demonstrated real leadership in the expansion of wind power through pro-growth tax policies and removing regulatory barriers to wind development. Nebraska is on the right path, and given our resources we have tremendous potential for continued growth. New business investment centered on affordable, clean energy generation is a model that is producing results and providing hope for the future. Read more here.

Tim Gay, a Papillion resident, is a member of the Omaha Public Power District Board of Directors.