"From an article by George Leopold and video posted on EE Times:"
CUSTER, Wis. - With the U.S. economy still in the tank and the ranks of the unemployed still growing, many visitors to this year's Midwest Renewable Energy Association's Energy Fair came here looking for work or a career change.
Engineers and other professionals flocked to sessions on subjects like "green-collar careers" at the 20th annual event in this bucolic central Wisconsin community. Renewable energy experts stressed the job-creating potential of emerging solar, wind and other alternative energy sources.
Meanwhile, vendors, mindful of the still-high up front costs for renewable energy systems, emphasized what they claimed is the shrinking time needed to recoup the cost of investment in new energy systems.
Workshops were heavy on the nuts and bolts of renewable energy, ranging from how to become a certified installer to the latest building codes and tax exemptions for energy-efficent homes and retrofits. Much of the discussion here was driven by Obama administration plans to pour billions of dollars into renewable energy programs aimed specifically at creating green jobs.
Job seekers were told they should have an intergrated set of professional skills covering electrical, electronics and even plumbing. One expect, Jason La Fleur of the green energy education group Eco Achievers, estimated that 110,000 solar energy installers will be needed over the next year.
Solar installation tops a growing list of green jobs that La Fleur said includes "eco-preneurs," urban planners and sustainable systems managers. Engineers already possess many of the skills needed to fill these new jobs, he added.
For more hydrogen fuel cell news articles.
Share on Tumblr
A FUND TO SUPPORT GEOTHERMAL RESEARCH IN SCOTLAND HAS BEEN LAUNCHED.
Scotland's energy minister, Fergus Ewing, recently launched a Challenge Fund to support research designed to explore the country's geothermal energy capacity, as part of an effort to meet the energy requirements of local communities, reported Click Green.
THE GOAL IS TO LOWER CARBON EMISSIONS THROUGH COMMERCIALLY VIABLE AND SUSTAINABLE MEANS.
One of the chief purposes of the Challenge Fund is to encourage organizations to come together to benefit local communities by helping them reduce their carbon footprint and achieving this by developing solutions that are both sustainable and commercially viable for the long term.
It is estimated that heat accounts for more than half of the country's total energy use, according to the energy minister. Approximately lb2.6 billion is spent each year on heating both households and the commercial sector, he added.
The Director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, Dr. Richard Dixion, said that "Heating is our biggest source of climate emissions and geothermal energy can play a major part in replacing fossil-fuelled heating."
It May Be Possible For Scotland To Deploy Geothermal Energy On A Wide Scale.
Energy Minister Ewing stated that throughout the last few years, the geothermal resources that reside under Scotland have been better understood and appreciated. He explained that the country has already developed two successful small-scale housing projects that utilize water from disused mines, which provides heat for residents in the local communities of Lumphinnans, Fife and Glenalmond Street, Shettleston, where these projects have been developed.
Ewing said that he feels the time has come to use the experiences of the Fife and Shettleson housing projects and "take the first steps towards the development of a delivery model which reduces carbon emissions, is self-sustaining and is economically viable."
Dr. Dixion added that while it is already known that there is potential to deploy geothermal energy to an extensive degree in the country, the new funding will help to move good proposals forward and draw further investment. Dr. Dixion noted that "different techniques will have different impacts," but geothermal power is definitely worth investigating seriously and he thinks it is great that the Scottish Government seems committed to making it happen.
For more alternative energy news headlines today.
Geothermal Dynamism is the proverbial miserable cousin to wind and solar energy.Simply 10 GW of Geothermal Dynamism Brawn has been installed and the accretion rate is a muted 3-4% compared to the more than 50% CAGR seen for solar energy and reveal 30% for Yarn Dynamism.Geothermal Dynamism produces electricity at a evenhanded send the bill to in ancient locations and different Huge,Yarn does not experience from intermittency obscurity.Nonetheless a appear of obscurity dog geothermal energy development.Despite the consequences substantial trademark,Geothermal Dynamism faces a stretched unprocessed damage and unless something meaningful happens wish straighten out a storeroom renewable energy source.Canadian companies which are the leaders in consolidating the fragmented industry for instance Ram Dictate and Molten rock Dictate are earlier substantial obscurity.Even if Ram Dictate saw its CEO go,Molten rock is now looking at other renewable energy opportunities.
