10/17/08 Carbon Free Prosperity

Carbon Free Prosperity. I'm Greg Martin as Line On Agriculture presents the Harvest Clean Energy Report. In the days, months and years ahead it will become increasingly important for us to take advantage of all the renewable energy technologies available to us. But it is pretty much uncharted territory. Rhys Roth, Director of Strategic Innovation with Climate Solutions says a new study is getting its fingers around the future of energy opportunites. ROTH: We are releasing a new study called Carbon Free Prosperity and it looks at the clean technology sector and the opportunity to create tens of thousands of jobs in Oregon and Washington in clean-tech and clean-tech is one of the very fastest growing sectors globally. So this study really tried to zero in on where the opportunities for leadership are for Oregon and Washington. Where can we get a real foothold and grow jobs within the broad category of clean-tech? Roth says the study identified a number of areas where jobs could be developed. ROTH: It identified clean energy sectors that are the best opportunities for Oregon and Washington to build a leadership position and found that we could create 40-thousand jobs in a medium growth scenario and 63-thousand jobs in a high growth scenario in five categories. Solar PV manufacturing, wind power development, green building design services, sustainable bio-energy and smart grid technologies. A number of local colleges and high schools have been developing programs designed at bringing young minds into the future of renewable energy technologies. ROTH: What we're talking about here in clean technology really boils down to energy and buildings and transportation systems and that is real productivity. That response to vital needs of people and companies and societies everywhere so this is a solid sector to develop in economic development in and the Northwest can really add value by developing expertise in building cleaner, more efficiently better energy, transportation and building systems and that's where the universities really can add value in terms of helping us to develop world class intellectual capital that then we can move into the field, deploy in the northwest and build companies that then can compete nationwide and globally. You can review the study at climatesolutions.org. And for additional information on clean energy, visit harvestcleanenergy.org. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network. www.climatesolutions.org www.harvestcleanenergy.org