Recently in Energy Category

Electricians Must Prepare for Tightening Standards
With so many green building and renewable energy opportunities on the horizon, electrical and energy contractors need to make sure they're ready to win jobs. To get started, they must gain the skills and knowledge to take on green projects. Both the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) offer education programs for green electrical work. And standards organizations such as ANSI, ASHRAE, IESNA  also offer informtion and training opportunities.

The electrical grid is where green building and green construction are really at.

Houston Neal explores how electricity offers job opportunities at The Software Advice Construction Blog.  Neal says "electrical contractors" will transition to "energy contractors" to support the green construction market, and that the profession will grow tremendously.  A study by the American Solar Energy Society projects renewable energy jobs for electricians to grow approximately 900% by 2030, just in the state of Colorado.

In the next ten to twenty years, "electrical contractor" will no longer be a suitable job title for electricians. They will transition into "energy contractors" to support the fast-growing green construction market.

CFOs looking toward 2010 anticipate positive increases in a number of areas. Key areas of expected increases include:

• Net earnings expected to rise by 22 percent (more than double anticipated Q3 mean increase of 11%)
• Revenue anticipated to grow by 10 percent
• Capital spending expected to grow by 8.9% (compared with an increase of 1.1% in Q3)
• Technology spending anticipated to increase by 6.1 percent
• Inventory anticipated to increase by 2.5 percent (compared with Q3, where CFOs predicted reductions of -1.9%)
• Hiring expected to grow by 2.9 percent (up from 1.7% in Q3)
• Price of products expected to grow by 1.13 percent (up from the Q3 projected increase of 0.7%)

When CFOs were asked this quarter to identify areas for increases in 2010, marketing and advertising and business acquisitions were also top of mind, with 39 percent of CFOs planning to increase marketing and advertising and 33 percent of CFOs planning increases in business acquisitions. In addition, while 37 percent of CFOs reported they will cutback on executive perks, a small number of respondents remain (4%) who plan to increase executive perks in the coming year.

Efficiency is the New Norm

"The return to a place where CFOs are anticipating increased earnings and revenue provides encouragement that those companies that have endured the downturn are ready to come back strong," said Marie Hollein, CEO and President, Financial Executives International. "As far as the new normal is concerned, efficiency is the name of the game."

When asked what their organizations would continue to do as they begin to emerge from the recession, nearly nine out of ten CFOs reported that they would continue process efficiencies put into place during the downturn.

Two-thirds (66%) said they will continue technological efficiencies, and one-third (34%) plan to continue the restructuring of their business.

CFOs Taking Steps to Be "Greener" but Debate Continues Over Regulation

As the global conversation on sustainability heats up, this quarter's survey examined what steps companies are taking to become more environmentally responsible, and why they may be taking them.

The most frequent "green" action among respondents' companies is

• reducing energy consumption in company facilities (48%).
  

This was followed by

• reducing waste in production and packaging (30%)
  

promoting incentives and initiatives encouraging customers to be "greener" (21%).

Least popular initiatives were reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from factories and plants (6%), and supporting legislation on environmental issues (7%).

Support of Environmental Legislation is Split

While few are actively supporting legislation on environmental issues, sentiment toward governmental regulation of environmental responsibility is split among CFOs.

49% believe regulation a bad response,

37% support government incentives to spur innovation,

14 percent support limits on emissions,

9 percent support cap and trade and other financial incentives.

• clean energy,
• energy efficiency,
• environmentally friendly production,
• conservation and pollution mitigation,
• training and support

Pew's research indicates a strong start for a new economy still very much in its infancy. To put our clean energy economy numbers in perspective, consider the following.

Research by The Pew Charitable Trusts shows that despite a lack of sustained policy attention and investment, the emerging clean energy economy has grown considerably-- extending to all 50 states, engaging a wide variety of workers and generating new industries.

Between 1998 and 2007, its jobs grew at a faster rate than overall jobs. Like all other sectors, the clean energy economy has been hit by the recession, but investments in clean technology have fared far better in the past year than venture capital overall. 

Biotechnology, which has developed applications for agriculture, consumer products, the environment and health care and has been the focus of significant public policy and government and private investment, employed fewer than 200,000 workers, or about a tenth of a percent of total U.S. jobs in 2007, according to a 2008 Ernst & Young report. And the well-established traditional energy sector--including utilities, coal mining and oil and gas extraction, industries that have received significant government investment--comprised about 1.27 million workers in 2007, or about 1 percent of total employment.

Gov. Ritter said, "By equipping military veterans with new training and new skills today, we are adding a vital new dimension to the workforce of tomorrow. Thanks to programs like Veterans Green Jobs, we are creating a new energy future for America and positioning Colorado for a strong economic recovery and a sustainable future."

The 15 graduates of the HEAT program represent all branches of the military and all regions of the country. They have successfully completed a rigorous eight-week training program to gain skills in environmental studies, energy efficiency and conservation and weatherization.

The Veterans Green Jobs Academy also helps veterans retool for meaningful green careers in land conservation and restoration, green building and retrofitting, disaster preparedness and response, and urban forestry. The Academy is a unique hybrid of classroom and on-the-job training designed to move the experienced, disciplined military veteran through their transition from duty overseas to meaningful work and future careers serving America here at home.

"Veterans Green Jobs is working to mobilize a highly-skilled population to lead the revival of a national service ethic to address our most pressing problems," said Brett KenCairn. "That includes setting a standard so that green jobs in this country offer a true living wage, job security, and the knowledge that one's work in green industries is leading to energy independence, ecological restoration, community renewal and economic prosperity for all Americans."

With a wide consortium of partners, Veterans Green Jobs (http://veteransgreenjobs.org ) developed the curriculum to provide veterans interested in green careers with the opportunity to gain general environmental education, college credits and a nationally recognized home energy auditing and weatherization certifications.

This intensive training and rapid deployment model was designed to meet the growing consumer demand for experts to help lower residential energy consumption as well as the goals set by the Obama administration to conduct stimulus-funded energy surveys and audits on low-income homes.

Supported by a diverse array of individuals and organizations, including the Wal-Mart Foundation, Veterans Green Jobs is working to expand its Academy training programs into 5-10 additional states in 2009, and hopes to be in all 50 states as soon as possible in order to increase access to training and resources for veterans nationwide.

About Veterans Green Jobs

Veterans Green Jobs (http://veteransgreenjobs.org) is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization pioneering an unprecedented national initiative that offers concrete solutions for three of the most urgent issues of our time: rebuilding a sustainable green economy; reversing deteriorating environmental conditions and mitigating climate change threats; and reengaging our nation's nearly 2 million military veterans in need of meaningful new careers. The Veterans Green Jobs Academy™ provides job training and placement opportunities for military veterans in emerging green industries, and connects veterans with a wide range of complimentary resources to assist with re-establishing themselves in civilian communities and careers.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, if the North American grid were just 5% more efficient, the energy savings would equate to eliminating the fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from 53 million cars.

Support of the Smart Grid Maturity Model by DoE enables it to be accessible to all stakeholders of the electric power industry.

IBM and a group of leading utilities--the Global Intelligent Utility Network Coalition--have handed-over stewardship of their Smart Grid Maturity Model to the Carnegie Mellon® Software Engineering Institute (SEI). As progressive utilities around the globe modernize power grids with digital technology, executives want to know that making the grid smarter is the right thing to do and they want to know how to do it.

The electric grid is the largest and most complex machine in the world and in places it is now critically overburdened. Impacts of climate change, available technology, and the current economic crisis represent the final tipping point for a much needed overhaul.

The Smart Grid Maturity Model will serve as a strategic framework for utilities, vendors, regulators, and consumers that have a role in smart grid transformation--from technological to regulatory to organizational.

The Smart Grid Maturity Model

The Smart Grid Maturity Model provides utilities with a roadmap of activities, investments, and best practices for transformation to the smart grid and guidance in related technological, regulatory, and organizational issues.

The Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon (SEI) is now the steward of the Smart Grid Maturity Model. The model was developed by IBM, and its ownership has been transferred to the SEI for its ongoing development and dissemination.

In addition to the SEI activities, the World Energy Council (WEC) will be a channel for global dissemination, participation and adoption of the model using its worldwide network of member committees.

The Smart Grid

The smart grid is the use of digital technology to modernize the power grid. It employs innovative products and services combined with intelligent monitoring, control, communication, and self-healing technologies to do the following:

• Facilitate the connection and operation of generators of all sizes and technologies
• Allow consumers to play a part in optimizing the operation of the system
• Provide consumers with greater information and supply choices
• Significantly reduce the environmental impact of the electricity supply system
• Deliver enhanced levels of reliability and security of supply

More than meters and mobility, the smart grid represents a whole new framework for improved management of electric generation, transmission, and distribution.

During 2009, a specially assembled team of experts will be planning the best ways to maintain and improve the maturity model on behalf of its user community. 

To stimulate, guide, and support efforts and investments in smart grids, the SEI will assume primary responsibility for the ongoing governance, growth and evolution of the model. In order to support widespread adoption and use, the SEI will ensure availability of the model and supporting materials and services for the user community; maintain consistency of its application, validity, and results; and analyze and provide feedback on its use, value and impact for stakeholders.

Tom Standish, group president of Regulated Operations, CenterPoint Energy, encourages every utility to participate in the Smart Grid Maturity Model survey. "It provides insights into where you are on your smart grid journey and what milestone objectives to set to achieve the benefits of smart grid - for both customers and business," said Standish.

IBM initially led the development of the model in collaboration with the Global Intelligent Utility Network Coalition and with support from American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC). More than 40 utilities worldwide have participated in the model to date, representing 100 million customers of utilities across the globe. A key function of the Smart Grid Maturity Model tool is to gauge advancements made in Smart Grids and show returns on investments. This function allows it to be well positioned to have a role in procedures being implemented in support of the US efforts to modernize the power grid. The model offers observable indicators to measure progress, and helps facilitate the development and execution of smart grid programs.

A web page at SEI will be updated frequently to keep you up to date and let you know how you can participate. 

An online webinar is available about the Smart Grid:  http://www.sei.cmu.edu/collaborating/spins/033009webinar.html

The list is divided into four parts.

• Part 1: Silicon wafer technology (c-Si), solar installers, solar financiers, solar balance of plan (BoS), solar monitoring, manufacturing tools, and software
• Part 2: Concentrated Photovoltaics
• Part 3: Next Generation Photovoltaics
• Part 4: Thin Film