Next100 - A Dialogue on the Next Century of Energy

Mar 21 2008

Green Collar Jobs

In addition to protecting the environment and energy independence, another often cited benefit of renewable energy is its potentially positive impact on the broader economy, especially on the creation of new jobs.

A catch-all phrase used to capture all of the new positions created by the clean-tech and renewable energy industries is Green Collar Jobs. Everyone from Governor Schwarzenegger to non profit groups like the Apollo Alliance have been highlighting the potential impact of these sectors as a catalyst for the next big wave of jobs. A recent report by UC Berkeley indicates that California's Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32) could generate 89,000 additional jobs by 2020.

Yet, a recent blog entry by influential green business consultant, Joel Makower, questions the job creation promise by asking: "So, now that clean technology and the greening of business seem to be in full swing, where are all the jobs?"

Makower illustrates his doubts by highlighting how "most of the big companies in the clean-energy business -- the BPs, GE, and PG&E's of the world -- don't seem to be going on hiring sprees, typically creating clean-tech business units from within. And few of the start-ups are undergoing massive hiring, and when they do, they're more often in the market for engineers and other skilled professionals."

Despite his doubts, Makower does say that there is some movement on the green jobs front. He highlights the recently held Good Jobs, Green Jobs conference in Pittsburgh, organized by the Sierra Club and the United Steelworkers union, which drew more than 900 people from business, government, nonprofits, academe, and labor unions.

Another conference worth mentioning along this vein was the California Public Utilities Commission's Advancing the New Energy Economy in California Summit held in January. The Summit brought together the state's policy makers, business leaders, and non profit sector to identify ways to advance long-term investment, job creation, and financial growth within the green technology industry in California, with a focus on engaging low-income communities.

During this conference, PG&E introduced PowerPathway, a new program designed to train and prepare individuals for high-paying, high-demand energy sector positions of the future. The majority of these jobs will be technical and focus on roles held traditionally by the blue collar work force. PowerPathway is a great example of the Green Collar Jobs phenomenon. As we look to bring more renewable energy online, we will need to have a trained work force to build and maintain the transmission infrastructure to support these new technologies.

This is just one example of how PG&E and other companies will be meeting the state's future energy needs through Green Collar jobs. Other examples include technicians to support and analyze the Smart Grid, including SmartMeter technology; engineers to develop new clean generation resources; and clean energy financial analysts and attorneys to negotiate renewable energy contracts, to name just a few.

Makower also asks: "Why aren't bigger companies more engaged? Do they not foresee a need for talent in this arena? Are their labor pools overflowing? Or are they simply not tuned in to the opportunity? Any ideas?"

I can't speak for all big business, but I can say with certainty that this trend is already having a huge impact on PG&E's workforce.

The bottom line is this: jobs related to the environment will only continue to grow. At PG&E alone, we're already seeing a transformation of our employee base to focus more closely on environmental issues. Positions range from our environmental policy and compliance team, communications, supply chain, government relations, regulatory relations, customer care, energy efficiency, energy procurement, and even IT.

Posted by: Keely Wachs | Comments (0) Permalink