Obama Energy Plan and 5 Business Opportunities It
Supports
In his inauguration speech, President-Elect Obama said we need an economy
that addresses the “new energy to harness and new jobs to be created.”� But
what are some of the opportunities to watch for? Check out his plan below,
and then lets discuss some of the areas that should see increased
opportunity.
Watch the Obama Energy Plan here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6R0et_IZ7w
Obama's proposals are ambitious, and could lead to millions of new green
jobs
The Obama Plan Says: Help create five million new jobs by strategically
investing $150 billion over the next ten years to catalyze private efforts
to build a clean energy future.
Where are the green job opportunities: $15 billion dollars a year to support
clean energy will be a boon for renewable energy companies. Solar, wind, and
geothermal will all benefit from increased financing. In solar look for
opportunities in thin-film companies like Nano Solar and Mia Sole, in
traditional solar companies like Suntech, Sharp, Sun Power, and large
utility scale solar plants developed by companies like E-Solar and Ausra.
Jobs in wind development include developers of wind farms as well as the
companies that are producing the equipment. US companies like GE and
European manufacturers including Vestas and Gamesa are all ramping up
operations in the US to produce and sell more turbines.
The Obama Plan Says: Put 1 million Plug-In Hybrid cars — cars that can get
up to 150 miles per gallon — on the road by 2015, cars that we will work to
make sure are built here in America
Where are the green job opportunities: The biggest buzz around Hybrid are
batteries, and companies like A123Systems
have raised a lot of money from the venture community. There are also
innovative companies building new car's like Tesla and new ways to think
about transportation like Better Place
The Obama Plan Says: Ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes from
renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025. Implement an
economy”�wide cap”�and”�trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80
percent by 2050
Where are the green job opportunities: Right now there are already voluntary
markets for carbon trading in the US. With a national cap and trade system,
billions of dollars will be flowing between power plants, investors, and the
government. This means if you are on wall street and looking for a job, this
could be a booming area. In London finance companies ranging from Goldman
Sachs to Climate Change Capital have built practices around Kyoto.
States like New Jersey already have burgeoning Renewable Energy Credit
markets, these will only grow if we get a national renewable portfolio
standard.
The Obama Plan Says: Develop and Deploy Clean Coal Technology
Where are the green job opportunities:This goes hand in hand with Carbon
Markets. By pricing carbon, the economics of clean coal technology and
carbon capture will improve dramatically. The government will be spending
money on new carbon-capture projects. Clean coal companies like Coal Tek are
exploring ways to make the source of 50% of our electricity cleaner.
The Obama Plan Says: Encourage Energy Efficiency and Conservation, Reduce
Demand 15% by 2020
Where are the green job opportunities: Energy efficiency is the cheapest and
easiest way to reduce our carbon footprint. Some opportunities are very
local and hands on, like Energy Service Companies that manage buildings
electricity usage through the use of energy efficient lighting, mechanical
and other techniques. Others are more technologically intensive like demand
response companies that will work with utilities to manage customer power
use through the grid.
Once building takes off again, green building and energy efficient building
and techniques will have a giant impact on the economy. From LED lightbulbs
to high efficiency appliances, companies throughout the green building value
chain will innovate with a focus on energy efficiency.
Readers: This is just the tip of the iceberg, let us know what green job
opportunities you are excited about in the coming years
About the author: Craig Isakow has a passion for politics and worked on John
Kerry's 2004 election as an Advance Man, and made a few appearances on the
trail in 2008. He is the founder of green building materials directory
ConstructiveBuilding.com.
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