Putting America Back to Work, One Solar Panel at a Time

It’s no secret that the US, like many other countries right now, is in desperate need of new jobs for the unemployed. The President is acutely aware of this, and enacting legislation that will create jobs for millions of Americans is one of the primary missions of the current administration.

President Obama’s energy plan calls for a $150 billion investment in clean technologies over 10 years, aggressive targets for greenhouse emission reductions, and programs to promote energy efficiency, low-carbon bio-fuels, and renewable energies.

The state of California has been at the forefront of the clean tech movement from the very beginning. Of the $3.95 billion in US venture capital received in 2007 by companies producing eco-friendly products and services, California garnered $1.79 billion. And most of those investments were directed toward companies in Silicon Valley, where the excitement and innovation around solar, wind, and hydro power is reminiscent of the early years of the technology industry.

California―and Silicon Valley in particular―has become a leader in clean tech because of the State’s longstanding support for alternative energy. Clean tech growth and the new jobs created by this revolution are at risk if legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is repealed. Historically, environmental protection and economic growth go hand in hand, and studies have shown that energy efficiency measures and renewable energy standards would help to create the jobs that will contribute significantly to California’s economic recovery.

Lowering or removing the renewable energy standards will significantly slow demand for clean tech products and services, diminish the resources of alternative energy innovators, and reduce the growth of the companies at the forefront of the industry. And that means fewer jobs created in a state that desperately needs to put its people back to work.

Now where’s the sense in that?