To date, the success of renewable energy production in the U.S. has been intrinsically tied to the availability of subsidies that help to make the younger and cleaner forms of power more financially competitive. As we near the end of 2011 the industry players are becoming antsy as the future of subsidized aid for renewables comes into question once again. An increasing public focus of trimming an ever-growing federal deficit, a stagnant job market and the financial woes of European economies on the other side of the Atlantic make for a challenging backdrop for the next phase of clean power. Will renewable energy fall into another trough of its historical boom-and-bust cycle or has its recent, successful years helped to cement itself into necessity in the greater American economy?
Archives For green jobs
Proponents of an economic migration towards sustainability often tote “Green Jobs” as one of the reasons for pressing and supporting a societal shift. The pitch is often given in hopes of securing funding and government legislation that would steer the U.S. towards new standards of efficiency or implementing renewable energy. We can see a common tactic: throw out large, nondescript numbers as vague promises for new employment opportunities, but few actually walk through an explanation of where these new jobs will actually occur. Companies would do better to take the extra step and show people that a new workforce would not just be found in constructing wind turbines and solar panels, but that these changes permeate through the veins of the economy that connect our industries to offer jobs at numerous venues.