Green Jobs

You may not think about it while you’re checking your wall or uploading photos from your weekend bash, but it takes a lot of juice to keep Facebook up and running. The social networking site needs a lot of cloud-based computing power to keep more than active users occupied at work and sadly many of these machines are powered by coal based electricity. Greenpeace is upping their campaign against Facebook’s methods and have asked them to dump dirty electricity by Earth Day.

Obama wants to create jobs in the United States, and his administration strongly asserts that green jobs will follow the money. His logic makes sense from a small business and research perspective because without startup funds or sponsorships it’s difficult to gain traction on a new project. He’s far from gaining agreement in Congress though, with several Republicans openly disagreeing on his approach. They point to existing jobs in the oil and gas industries that are currently made possible by the existing subsidies.

It’s no secret that Michigan has been battered by the current economic downturn. Young people didn’t stick around after graduating, jobs left in droves, and a few titans of Detroit even had to ask the government for a bailout. The state is trying to reinvent itself with new leadership in Governor Rick Synder and an increased focus on new technology. Just this week a new plant opened in the state which will supply charging stations for Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf owners.

The current economic climate has smacked the state of Michigan around harder than any fight you’ve seen on an edition of the “Real Housewives” reality show. Manufacturers have left in droves, taking their jobs to countries with cheap labor or states with generous tax cuts. Ford is reversing the trend by investing a pile of money in manufacturing hybrid and electric cars in Michigan as well as starting a website to educate consumers on the technology.

GM hasn’t been shy in their wish to become a dominant force when it comes to hybrid and plug-in cars. Besides showing off the Volt, they’ve created financial relationships with companies like Bright Automotive that develop electric vans. Now GM’s investment arm has sunk $3.2m in Sakti3, a Michigan company that’s developing sold-state lithium-ion batteries that will extend the range of electric cars.

The recession continues to put many Americans in a difficult situation where demand for their specialized skills is mediocre at best. That hurts everybody because there’s less productivity which eventually translates into less spending and less demand for goods and services. Obama claims the solution to that problem is not only re-training people, but creating renewed demand for existing skills in the form of green jobs.

What kind of green jobs? One major example Obama cited was advanced battery manufacturing. Think of the batteries that power the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, or the Nissan LEAF. China is focused on being a major player in battery manufacturing too, so healthy competition between the two countries is sure to continue.

When a new coalition government took power last May, Prime Minister David Cameron made it clear that cuts were needed to control Britain’s budget. Traditional areas like police and emergency services have been trimmed and the entire UK Film Council was shut down. A decision to scrap a subsidy program to encourage the purchase of electric and “low-carbon” cars was saved with a little help from Nissan and Mitsubishi.

The subsidy program was created by the Labour government in 2009, and promised a 25% subsidy up to £5,000 (about $7,800) for people that purchase electric, plug-in hybrid or hydrogen fuel cell cars. It was thought that the plan could not only help the country hit their carbon targets, but also generate green jobs in the manufacturing sector.

Earlier this year Ford hinted that they were eager to invest money in Michigan by consolidating car and hybrid battery pack production in the state. According to a letter sent to employees at Ford’s Rawsonville Plant in Ypsilanti Township, a hybrid battery facility has finally been chosen.

Ford made their plans known during the 2010 Auto Show in Detroit but didn’t reveal any specific details outside of a possible $450 million investment. They were most likely waiting for word from the state government that was eager to bring skilled and green jobs to the state. Later that month, the Michigan Economic Growth Authority approved $188 million in tax breaks to help Ford set up hybrid battery pack operations.

President Obama's insistence, and for that matter persistence, to stick to his plan of reigniting the job market and stimulating the economy can certainly be admired by those finally back at work. Increased governmental intervention in unemployment, has perhaps, prevented an even more deflated job market than the 9.7% recently .

Although stabilizing, the unemployment percentage is still daunting and one question remains to be seen: Is President Obama's next step in his unemployment and stimulus plan finally going to turn the tides on the recession and unemployment?

As President Obama openly admits, the 9.7% unemployment is unacceptable. In Virginia on Friday he , "Far too many Americans remain out of work, far too many families are still struggling in these difficult economic times."

The UK is already the world leader in offshore wind power with 600 megawatts of wind capacity and an industry that employs five thousand people. A new partnership with Mitsubishi will add to their clout and has the potential to create thousands of green jobs.

Mitsubishi Power Systems Europe (MPSE) announced plans this week to invest £100m  in a new research and development facility for offshore wind power in Britain. The government made it clear to MPSE that they were dead serious about promoting corporate investment in green energy by kicking in a £30m grant to help them get started. The money comes from a fund dedicated to industrial innovation, job creation, and growth.