State Policy Key in Green Tech Job Growth
Posted May 14th, 2014
Individual state policies that encourage green tech and clean energy market development are key to green job growth. In fact, they seem to have more impact than policies generated from the federal government, which seems to be trapped in a severe case of “policy paralysis”.
For example, New Jersey is the second most solar-powered state in the United States, even though it has far less sunshine (on average) per year. Ohio (and Michigan) are both considered developing solar and wind states.
When states invest in the polices to promote clean energy and green technology, they are not only meeting emerging industry demand and drawing investment dollars to their state, but they are creating jobs.
For example…
- Hawaii passed legislation to finance a renewable energy loan fund that can be sued to provide affordable financing for both private and public property owners to invest in solar panels and other clean energy solutions. This created jobs for installers across the state.
- Massachusetts established Massachusetts Clean Energy to invest in “early stage clean energy companies” as well as key renewable energy projects. This brought companies into the state, which then hired Massachusetts residents.
- Oregon, California, Washington, and British Columbia (Canada) established the West Coast Infrastructure Exchange to invest in a variety of infrastructure projects – especially (and not surprisingly) interstate projects. This created jobs for construction crews.
These policies are necessary to create new markets for green technology, but the right green tech (or clean energy) jobs have to be created for the right community. They have to fit in with the demographics and location of the communities being impacted. No matter the legislation being created and passed, if good jobs – accessible to people who can be trained and who need them – are not created, then the value of the policy has been reduced.
However, on the other side, a state’s policies can make or break the green job market. As Ohio and New Jersey have shown, without the backing of the state government, neither state would be considered a leader in their respective “green arenas”.
For help with your green tech job search, remember Bayside Solutions. We have the knowledge and the expertise you need to help you connect with the best Bay Area employers. If you are looking for green tech employment in the Bay Area, contact our team today.
