| |
|
 |
Issues The unemployment rate
in the US is the highest it’s been in 25 years.1
More than thirteen million people in the United States are
without jobs, and that number increases every day.2
So how can we stimulate our struggling economy?
President Obama believes green
jobs could be the solution. In his recently signed stimulus
bill, the president assigned $500 million dollars to green
job training and $20 billion to creating a greener economy.3
So what are green jobs, and how can they help us? According
to Vice President Biden: |
"[Green
jobs] provide products and services that use renewable
energy resources, reduce pollution, and conserve energy
and natural resources.... According to the Council of
Economic Advisers, green jobs pay 10 to 20 percent more
than other jobs. "4 |
 |
| |
 |
|
|
| |
|
 |
| |
 |
Opportunities Smart
grid technologies will directly aid the improvement of energy efficiency,
oil independence, and renewable energy within the U.S., effectively
making any job related to the deployment of smart grid a “green”
job.
Government investments of $16 billion or more in smart grid incentives
could result in the creation of up to 280,000 new jobs, with 150,000
being created in the first year alone, according to a KEMA report
compiled for the GridWise Alliance.5 This number doesn’t
include the industries outside of the utility sector that would
flourish because of smart grid, including:
Smart grid technologies would
have a ripple effect, stimulating broad job creation and economic
growth.
|
|
|
