Great Plains Energy Summit -- Omaha -- June 17-18, 2009 -- Leaders from the states & provinces of the USA-Canada Wind Corridor are gathering in Omaha, Nebraska on June 17-18 to plan for action in 2010 & beyond. Through the Great Plains Energy Alli...
Hey Friends
Can any of you write up a letter of support for Wed Speakers, Send it to me or Kim Anderson,
Thanks Much :o}
Mike
The RI Pickens Plan Forum on Alternative and Renewable Energy
Wednesday March 11,2009
Providence City Hall Room 302
7:0...
MARIAH WINDSPIRE FEATURED ON ABC'S extreme makeover Sunday May 17th
Aloha, Are you interestested in learning how the Mariah Windspire can work for you? We are now installing Windspires in Northern California and Eastern Colorado. We can produce wind powered electricity for your home or business. Please contact me here or at: mrbillmaui@yahoo.com 402 884-22179(O) or 831 402 2037(C)
Windspire will be featured on a special episode of ABC's "20/20" on June 19th at 10/9C. The episode highlights the impact the new Windspire manufacturing facility is having in Michigan by putting ex-autoworkers back to
Invitation to join NW Renewable Energy Group
I have started a Regional group, welcoming comments, ideas, and suggestions for Renewable Energy in the NW Region. Including states from the Pacific, Cascade and Rocky Mountain areas. I realize that some of my Pickens Plan friends are outside this region, but you are always welcome to join and add your thoughts to the discussion. We should be looking at best available sources of energy in our region, and ways to improve the power grid to transfer energy from region to region as it is needed.
I have informed Bruce on his page about this SPAM practice. Feel free to remove his addition and/or let him know if you care for the post. Apparently he failed to read my howto blog (comment #18 in particular).
My apologies - and thanks for joining the PickensPlan.
Colorado can't be a great state without working collaboratively toward a sustainable economy. This will require investment in our work force and economic infrastructure.
Can the push for a greener energy sector be good for the state and Northern Colorado?
Many people think so, and they are calling job creation an important side effect of the move toward renewable power and increased energy efficiency.
In the United States, we lost 24 percent of our manufacturing jobs between 2000 and 2008, or almost 3.5 million. It also took a huge toll on Northern Colorado in those years, shedding roughly 3,397 jobs.
As times are changing, we have to change. NCEDC is working hard with our partners to bring back those higher-paying manufacturing jobs in the clean-energy sector. However, while doing so, we have a dilemma. If we don't have the skilled labor force, those companies cannot be successful.
Let's focus for a moment on the wind industry. The wind-power industry estimates it employs some 40,000 people in the U.S., with 20,000 of those jobs created in 2007 or growing 45 percent.
Wind farms are increasing, but the labor supply is not.
In 2007, wind farms installed almost 3,200 turbines, providing 5,200 megawatts, or enough electricity to power 1.5 million homes for a year. Officials see a large obstacle coming in the form of its own work force.
A highly specialized group of technicians that combines working knowledge of mechanics, hydraulics, computers and meteorology with the willingness to climb 200 feet in the air in all kinds of weather is badly needed.
And that creates an opportunity.
The American Wind Energy Association estimates the industry employed more than 20,000 last year. This doesn't include jobs making turbines and other equipment. They say future need is harder to quantify, given the uncertainties of the industry's growth. They project the need for at least 800 technicians to serve the turbines expected to be installed in 2008 alone.
So what is proactively being done in this region? Front Range Community College is creating technician certifications and two-year degrees that will offer opportunities to those who would find the $15- to $25-hour jobs a step up in their career paths.
These careers might be the first time a family has health benefits. In addition, the Northern Colorado Workforce Initiative spurred by NCEDC is gaining momentum.
This collaborative effort between primary employers, the educational system (K-12 and higher education) and organizations including the Larimer County Workforce Center, Chambers of Commerce, United Way and government are coming together in a common-sense, practical way to create training.
There are many sectors of our work force that would welcome new opportunities to help families thrive financially.
We have data showing a large underemployed population exists. Many identified have chosen to stay here for various reasons but live on less.
We are hearing of companies shutting their doors, thus creating a chilling effect on our economy.
For the past year, you've been hearing about the rising poverty statistics in the region - caused by these and many factors.
There is no wringing of hands in Larimer County. We are looking for and working on sustainable solutions for re-skilling opportunities for our people. Progress in clean energy is being made.
* Claim: Barack Obama says his energy policies would create 5 million new "green-collar" jobs in the economy.
* Rocky Truth Patrol says:
* This is shaky only because it's an economic estimate based on a job category that no one officially tracks - at least not yet. And depending on which economic models are used to make these estimates, Obama's forecast of 5 million green-collar jobs might actually be too low, some experts think!
Obama says his administration would invest $150 billion over 10 years in a "clean energy economy" and "help the private sector create 5 million new green jobs."
Obama takes his figures from two recent studies. The University of California at Berkeley said energy efficiency alone could create 5 million jobs nationwide in the next decade. Note that this study counts jobs created directly in this field, but also indirect jobs created by the demands of the new workers and "induced" jobs created by overall growth in the economy.
The University of Tennessee recently estimated that 5.1 million new jobs could be created by 2025 if the nation got a quarter of its energy from renewable sources. That job number also includes indirect jobs.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the nation should expect 15.6 million new jobs in the decade between 2006 and 2016. Adding 5 million "green" jobs would represent just a 3 percent boost in the total employment, which hovers at about 150 million.
The Apollo Alliance, a nonpartisan organization of business, labor, environmental and community leaders, has said they wouldn't count indirect jobs, as do the studies on which Obama relies. However, spokesman Keith Schneider said the alliance actually believes, based on analysis of these studies and others, that the 5 million figure might be too low.
"It's going to be more than that," Schneider said. "The demand for this sector of the economy way outpaces the capacity."
For example, Schneider said, wind energy - a big issue for Coloradans - is facing a capacity crunch because there is currently a three-year backlog for the plate steel needed to make the wind turbine blades. The industry needs people to make the steel, then the blades, then install them, then maintain them, he said. But federal policies - including a tax credit that has expired before and is about to expire again - have made business bumpy, he said.
"The Apollo Alliance's research on the jobs question shows us clearly that if the United States pursues a new national economic development strategy to replace fossil fuels with clean sources of energy and the tools to use them, the economy will generate 5 million new jobs, and likely much more than that," Schneider said.
Rick I wanted to try and find out what is the activity level of groups within Denver and the state of Colorado who would like to bring the Pickens message in a big and well formulated way the DNC, please join our group which is organizing a well articulated message and push for demonstrations at the convention.
http://www.push.pickensplan.com/group/goingtothednc
Robert
I am looking for micro wind companies with a track record ( not easy to find ) that I can invest in, any leads would be greatly appreciated.
I have found one in N. Dakota
Promana ticker PSLU did a reverse stock split and its assets were taken over via a merger by Crownbutte Wind Power on July 31st 2008, Crownbutte board replaced Promana board July 31st 2008
Crownbutte completed a private placement Aug 1st 2008 to build, own
and operate an approved 200 megawatt wind project with 134 turbines in
southwestern North Dakota estimated cost to build $30,000,000.
Project value upon completion and before tax credits is $50,000,000.
CBWP has been consulting for and building wind power farms in North
Dakota since 1999.
Crownbutte Wind Power
111 5th Ave NE
Mandan, ND 58554
www.crownbutte.com
Stock in new entity is available next few days ticker CBWP .
'Green-collar' jobs a growth area, U.S. group says
Companies are stepping up their environmental initiatives, and that may mean a boom in "green-collar" jobs.
A recent forecast by the American Solar Energy Society found that renewable energy and energy-efficient industries were responsible for the creation of nearly 8.5 million jobs in 2006, and by 2030 that number is expected to reach 40 million.
Colleges and universities are taking notice, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., a job placement consulting group.
Many have introduced specialized degree programs in eco-commerce, environmental accounting, green and social marketing, and ecological economics.
"The demand for 'green-collar' jobs is really exploding, especially as the cost of energy continues to climb," said John Challenger, the group's chief executive. "Students need to start thinking about developing skills that will give them an edge for these types of careers that did not even exist until recently."
Popular jobs include urban planners, forestry professionals and environmental lawyers, Challenger said. There is also a growing demand for architects and engineers with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit.