No Job Market? You're apparently looking in the wrong place...

From Cooler Planet, this article about the Top 9 Solar Jobs for 2010:

If you are thinking about a career change this year, the future of the solar can be your shining star. Those having knowledge and experience in any area of solar energy can easily reconstruct their resume and expand their options for employment in this growing field.


We are at the forefront of a booming industry and with the solar energy transition projected to create around 350,000 new jobs by the end of this year, the biggest problem has been finding workers to meet the increasing demand.


Those who do gather the information and experience they need to take advantage of this burgeoning industry will be well-paid and highly regarded. This solar energy revolution could be America’s best hope for the future of our labor force. Let’s take a look at some of the top jobs in the solar energy industry.


1. Urban Planner: Careers in this field are in huge demand. The skill set of urban planners who conduct contingency planning are badly needed in our pursuit to reduce our carbon footprint. Positions in Urban Planning are expected to rise by over 15% over the next 5+ years.


2. Solar Operations Engineer: Engineers in this position are faced with the task of designing new solar systems, then supervising and inspecting the structures during construction, which makes them the architects of the entire facility operation. They are also involved in monitoring and testing the correlation between old and new solar energy facilities.


3. Environmental Engineer: This position has some pretty big shoes to fill. The objective of these engineers is to prevent further deterioration of our planet by limiting soil erosion, global warming, acid rain and ozone depletion. The next 7 or so years should show employment opportunities in this field rise by as much as 25%.


4. Solar Lab Technician: Companies are seeking technicians with design, production, installation and testing skills involved with solar-energy technologies. With the increase of homes and commercial buildings investing in solar energy, so increases the need to find skilled professionals with the knowledge to get the job done.


5. Solar Power Installer: This is a relatively high-paying position within the solar energy spectrum of jobs and the opportunities abound. If you have a background in construction, you may want to look into some of these positions to install solar-thermal water heaters and solar panels on rooftops.


6. Wind Turbine Fabricator: Because wind is the leading source of alternate energy, these wind turbines are in higher demand than ever. And because they are garnering considerable financial support and tax rebates, wind farms are appearing everywhere. These jobs offer a great opportunity.


7. Energy Efficiency Builder: Our existing buildings are one of the greatest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, making them energy “guzzlers”. If you’re a skilled engineer, architect or retrofitter, your skills are in high demand to not only convert existing structures but also new buildings that are energy efficient.


8. Sustainability Systems Developer: In order to design, build and maintain the network required to support solar energy sources such as smart energy grids and wind farms, software developers and engineers are in high demand. This is a particularly golden opportunity for those with experience in web 2.0 applications and open source programming.


9. Solar Hot Water Installer: With a surge in the number of homeowners and business owners purchasing solar heating systems, the demand for professionals in this area is escalating with it, in both residential and commercial buildings. As the technological advances in this area escalate, so does the number of people required to fill these positions.

Looking for training?  http://www.snrysolar.com/.

Education is the missing puzzle piece in the growth of solar.  We need more qualified installers to grow a competitive market.  We need a competitive market to increase customer interest.  We need good instructors willing to step up and help Renew the Nation through solar. 

Are you willing to step up?

Green Trends in North Florida

I had the honor of presenting to Jacksonville's Meninak Club on Monday, February 1st, on the state of the 'green' union.  The topic was Green Trends in North Florida and the response was really satisfying.  The members asked great questions that revealed interest and critique.  Those are the best kinds of questions.
Included here are some insights that were shared during the presentation and some facts that are relevant to where we are in North Florida. 

First, did you know that we have (as of today) 623 LEED Accredited Professionals in Jacksonville alone?  This time last year, we were at about 160. 

We have 20 LEED Certified projects, including 5 affordable houses and 2 City of Jacksonville buildings that achieved GOLD.  Wow.  (and Go, City of Jax!)  This time last year, we had about 6 total.

Time did not permit sharing the following quotes, but I think it's important to point out that the perception in the area is still a bit conflicted.  When asked how green building would affect individual organizations, the responses were all over the chart. 

From an engineer:  "That segment [green building] of our revenue has continued to grow very steadily over the last several years and we aren't seeing any change in that.  So this is not new to us.  We expect it will continue to be an increasing percentage of our business over the next year.  However, with 'green building' submarkets, we are seeing a significant increase in energy and performance work and commissioning, which we think is reflective of tightening operational budgets and Owner's desires to spend less money on operations and utilities"

From a design professional:  "We are currently working on a LEED registered project and we hope that in 2010 more business owners will look to sustainable design when considering building or renovating space.  Our firm has always been focused on sustainable design practices so our goal is to educate clients about sustainability and introduce them to the concept of sustainable design."

From a university facilities professional:  "We believe building green to be more costly and more time consuming per unit than previous non green building activity.  So, new green buildings for us will simply consume more budget and more time than we are used to - it will be an adjustment"

Interestingly, the University quoted does not have any certified buildings to date, but they are highly receptive to learning more about how to incorporate sustainability on their campus projects while keeping within the budget and schedule.  The experience of my colleagues in the area (and myself) is that the costs and schedule can (and should) be controlled when the team has the following:  passion, education, and experience.  This is true of any project, both institutional and otherwise.  I was thrilled to have such an 'unvarnished truth' response from the university.  Those are door openeners, not closers.

Upcoming trends were also covered, many of which are nation-wide, some of which may be regionally-specific.  Here's my take:

• We will see a departure from using the phrase "green" and hearing more about "high performance" projects.  With more owners seeking out cost-saving strategies, the idea of high performance seems far more palatable.  And, with a savvy design and construction team, green strategies always find their place.

• With stimulus dollars making their way through the pipeline, more green jobs will present themselves.  The solar energy market needs boots on roofs.  Consultants that have expertise in sustainability are opening their own businesses and making a profit where larger, less-movable companies are still stuck doing business the same old way. Vendors and suppliers are setting their sights on R&D that will provide greener solutions and energy savings. 

• Retrofits and renovations are what's happening where new construction has stalled.  Anyone in construction already knows this is happening.  Weatherization programs funded by the government are getting homeowners talking about this, too.

• Renewable energy will become more mainstream as education, supply and cost align.  There still seems to be a disconnect between these three components which is halting the mainstream buying public from stepping into the renewable energy world.  Most people understand that solar thermal hot water heaters are a 'no-brainer', but why doesn't everyone have one?  As the level of understanding tightens up with costs (and the availability of qualified contractors to install.  Read:  green jobs) I expect there will be more renewable energy in the 'burbs.

• Consumers will drive supply and consequently drive decreased costs.  Duh.  I know.  Supply and Demand.  But, as consumers are asking for more recycled products or energy saving strategies, more suppliers are scrambling to meet their needs and want to be the most competitive with pricing.

• Social Responsibility Planning will become the next step beyong green building.  Once your building is green, what do you do with your supply chain, your philanthropy efforts and procurement?  Many firms are writing their CSR programs, especially small businesss which are best positioned to make some significant impact on a national scale.  It's great that the Fortune 5's are measuring their impact, but what would happen it the massive number of small businesses do the same? 

Lastly, how can we improve the quality of our environment TODAY  Instead of listing a bunch of things you can do that everyone seems to already know about (like CFLs, aerated faucets, and rain barrels), we discussed bigger-picture concepts:

• Remember that all decisions should be based on Triple Bottom Line decision-making that address People, Profit, Planet solutions.

• Voice your concerns and then seek out information.  You read an article about solar energy not being the solution?  A neighbor wants PV panels on their house but the HOA said 'no'?  Find someone that can help with information and knowledge.  There are so many organizations that make it their business to help you (like USGBC, Sierra Club, NRDC, Green Team)...  seek them out and get your questions answered.

• Write down your goals and create the benchmark for success.  You know that goals aren't real until they hit paper.  So, sit down with your team at the office, or your team at home, and create your plan for social responsibility.  Make it real and follow it throughout the year.  A year from now, you can celebrate your successes and plan for the next year's goals. 

• Lastly, and in my opinion, most importantly, start with "THE ONE THING".  It takes a while to establish a habit and the best way to do so is with one step.  Choose one sustainable practice and commit to it.  Do it diligently.  Say no to water bottles.  Bring reusable bags to the store every time.  Choose the ONE THING and make it a habit. 

Thanks again to our friends at Meninak for inviting the green building perspective and for all the tremendous work they do in our region.  I hope my action items were well-received as this is a group of 'action' people.  They will make things happen! 

Speaking of which, have you started your "ONE THING" yet?  Get to it!

Solar in your Pocket

What a neat concept:

The Solio is a universal charger for iPods, cell phones, MP3 players, PDA's, GPS units, game players, and digital camera. The beauty of this product? It's a completely hybird charger! Leave the Solio in the sun for 10-12 hours or plug it in for 4 hours and you have enough power to keep you going. You can also store the energy in your Solio for more than a year.

After reading reviews on both Amazon and Treehugger, it seems to be a wonderful piece of kit for those that hike, camp, or generally spend time outdoors. Also, for those of us that are trying to plug things in LESS, this is a great solution. The Solio comes with a multitude of adaptors for phones, cameras, PDA's, etc, a window suction cup to hang during daylight hours, and both 12-volt adaptors and a global charger for international road warriors.

As with any item reliant on the sun, the gadget has limitations, but makes up for it with a plug-in option for those occasions when solar simply isn't feasible. Also, with a price tag between $80-$100, it's not out of the realm of feasability for the average Joe.

If anyone out there has used a Solio (or similar product), please be sure to share with us your experiences!