Report Finds 63,000 Clean Energy Jobs for Northwest

"Carbon-Free Prosperity 2025," produced by research and publishing firm Clean Edge and research and advocacy organization Climate Solutions, concludes that five emerging clean-tech industry sectors offer the Pacific Northwest one of the best opportunities for sustained economic vitality and job growth.

The study provides a comprehensive look at emerging green industries that are projected to provide high-paying jobs and a vital new economic base for the region. It provides a grounded and realistic view of the region's potential role in an increasingly competitive global clean-tech industry. The report can be downloaded at www.cleanedge.com and www.climatesolutions.org.

The five clean-energy sectors are:

•Solar PV Manufacturing, which is projected to provide up to 22,560 new jobs in the region by 2025;

•Wind Power Development, expected to reach up to 6,000 new jobs;

•Green Building Design Services, creator of up to 16,834 new jobs;

•Sustainable Bioenergy, which could account for 10,419 new jobs; and

•Smart-Grid Technologies, an industry that could create up to 7,000 new jobs. The report provides an objective accounting of the region's assets and challenges and provides a 10-point action plan for Oregon and Washington that includes:

•Limiting and reducing global warming pollution by putting a price on carbon;

•Ramping up public investment in clean technology funds;

•Passing leading edge green building codes;

•Deploying clean energy workforce development strategies;

•Providing effective clean energy tax credits;

•Building a 21st century smart grid.

"Clean energy is increasingly identified as the sector with the largest growth potential in the U.S. economy and offers the best promise of meeting the twin challenges of economic and environmental decline," said Ron Pernick, Clean Edge co-founder and managing director and report co-author. "This report is a case study for how the Pacific Northwest region can seize a leadership role in the clean-tech economy."

Carbon-Free Prosperity 2025 lauds the Pacific Northwest for its green lifestyle, proactive policies, strong natural resource base, and abundant cheap electricity. It also urges action on cultivating more venture capital in the region, updating energy grid infrastructure, grooming managerial talent for growing clean-tech companies, and developing a comprehensive economic-development strategy for the region.

The study is based on interviews with more than 50 industry, financial, and policy experts in the Northwest, and leverages proprietary Clean Edge data on market sizing, employment figures, and other key market factors.