perspective
New administration must pursue low-carbon
solutions and green-collar jobs.
SOLAR TODAY
Leading the Renewable energy Revolution
soLaRToday.oRg
The Best Economic Stimulus Plan
By BRAD COLLINS
At this writing,
details of the
new administration’s economic
stimulus package
trickle out, uncorroborated. We need to offer
clear direction to our
federal public servants.
Two criteria trump all
others in evaluating
stimulus proposals.
First, expenditures
must move us from
high-carbon solutions
to low-carbon solu-
tions. Second, they must promote green-collar employment. Anything else must go to
the back of the line. It’s a matter of economic
and national security, combined with respect
for the future of our planet.
ASES has spent a lot of time researching
these areas and has published data demonstrating the potential for reducing atmospheric carbon through the broad application of energy
efficiency and renewable energy technology
(see ases.org/climatechange). Likewise we
have defined, estimated, and forecast the renewable energy/energy-efficiency industry for
the nation and for Ohio, New York and Colorado (see ases.org/greenjobs2008). These
economic development studies show that creating green jobs can be the economic driver for
the 21st century. Efficiency and conservation
opportunities are omnipresent. Harvestable
renewable energy resources exist in every congressional district in the country.
Low-carbon energy holds the key to tackling climate change. It produces technological leadership and the kind of export-driven
economy that builds new jobs. Data show that
the best path forward for America’s economy
is the broad deployment of renewable energy
and energy efficiency. ASES has been voicing
this mantra for 55 years.
We need to be clear about this. By including
carbon content in our criteria, we advance the
Brad Collins is the
executive director
of the American
Solar Energy
Society ( ases.org).
longstanding argument that externalities must
be included in the cost of energy. Efficiency
saves money. The kilowatt-hour not needed is
the best investment of all.
Since 1981, we have been offered a litany
of supply-side solutions to our energy challenges — drill more, pump more, buy more,
burn more. Those days are over. Let’s now
buy less and burn less. Energy efficiency is the
low-hanging fruit in our move to a sustainable
energy economy. Let us stimulate the rapid
deployment of efficiency measures in buildings, transportation and industrial processes.
The payback for these projects is quick, and so
they should go to the head of the line. Energy
efficiency passes our dual-criteria test.
Let us also promote green-collar jobs.
These are jobs in the photovoltaic, wind, solar
thermal, hydroelectric power, geothermal, biomass and fuel cell/hydrogen industries. Green-collar employees also work in the recycling,
reuse and remanufacturing sector. They build
and install household appliances and HVAC
systems. They do construction, automobile
manufacturing and transportation jobs. They
work in any industry where part of the production qualifies as energy efficient. The green-collar world includes folks working on behalf
of RE/EE activities in federal, state and local
government, universities, nonprofits, trade and
professional associations, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), foundations, consul-tancies and investment companies.
Our most recent green jobs study shows
that the RE/EE sector is larger than Exxon
Mobil, GM and Wal-Mart combined. In 2007,
this American industry produced $1.045
trillion in revenue and employed more than
9 million workers directly and indirectly. It
paid more than $165 billion in federal, state
and local taxes. If we prioritize investment in
RE/EE, by 2030 the industry could export RE
technology worldwide. It could provide $4.3
trillion in annual revenues and employ more
than 37 million workers. That would be 17 percent of the U.S. workforce in good-paying local
jobs that cannot be sent offshore. ST
Brad Collins: Executive Director/Publisher
publisher@solartoday.org
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