NREL Presentation Green Talent and Economic Development June 23, 2009
Metro Denver EDC Regional Economic Development Umbrella organization covering 9 county region Driven by a Code of Ethics Research Based Industry Cluster Driven Strategy Energy Aerospace IT Bioscience Aviation
Metro Denver EDC Economic development efforts focus on industries in which the community has clear competitive advantages. Energy Balanced Energy Economy National Labs: NREL, NOAA, NIST Research Universities 1,100 renewable energy companies that directly employ over 15,000 workers
Metro Denver WIRED #1: The Metro Denver WIRED Initiative Funded by a $15 million, 4 year grant from US DOL Four targeted industry sectors Regional: 9 counties along Colorado s front range Relies on strong partnerships among industry, education, workforce and economic development.
Metro Denver WIRED Community Goals: Develop a home-grown skilled workforce for the fastest-growing industries so our regional companies can remain competitive in the global economy. Be one of the best regions in the country in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. Provide an entrepreneurial climate for business creation and expansion for companies in targeted industries.
Metro Denver WIRED Initiative Community Goals: Become the region where the minimum acceptable educational standard for all becomes a post-secondary certificate or an Associates Degree. Create a regional system that seamlessly integrates workforce, education, and economic development programs to meet the needs of individuals and businesses.
Colorado Energy Coalition #2: The Colorado Energy Coalition Focused on all sectors within the energy industry fossil fuels, renewable resources, energy efficiency, and conservation. Geographic Concentration regional and statewide concentration of interconnected companies and institutions Relies on partnerships among industry, education, economic development, workforce development, finance, law, and government,
Colorado Energy Coalition Community Goals Strengthen Colorado s competitive position in the national and global energy Make the most of fossil resources while supporting long-term transition to renewable resources Support creation and expansion of renewable energy companies and jobs Creation of 6 subcommittees, one of which is the Sustainability Committee. Focus on Climate and Prosperity
Climate and Prosperity Project In 2008, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Global Urban Development selected Denver to be the vanguard of a new national initiative, the Climate Prosperity Project, and designated Denver as one of seven pilot regions. The project promotes the view that protecting the environment need not come at the expense of economic growth or living standards. The climate crisis is an opportunity to build new industry clusters, create whole new classes of jobs, and grow the economy, while at the same time enhancing our quality of life and solving the world s most pressing problem, climate change.
Climate and Prosperity A thriving, diverse, clean tech cluster supported by entrepreneurs and venture capitalists who see very large, global markets for new technology products Major corporations diversifying their business to serve the clean and green markets, and companies such as Vestas, Abound Solar and Ascent Solar that are introducing world changing clean tech products and hiring thousands of jobs Research programs at National Renewable Energy Laboratory, CSU, CSM, and University of Colorado.
Climate and Prosperity Utilities such as Xcel Energy that are leading the way in Wind Power a creating the first Smart Grid City in Boulder Local government agencies that are developing innovative policies to promote economic growth, reducing their energy consumption, offering incentives to introduce energy efficiency practices, and encouraging public transit and the use of FasTracks K-12, Community colleges, universities and workforce development programs that are already helping people prepare for a full range of clean and green jobs, from solar panel and smart meter installers to scientists and engineers
Greening of Regional Cluster Supply Chains Aerospace Aviation Bioscience Energy Financial Services Information Technology Beverage Production Broadcast & Telecom Financing Innovation Support innovations that bring technologies to market, optimize business operations and create workforce opportunities Green Opportunities Research & Development Tech Transfer Commercialization Venture Capital Traditional financing Clean Tech Cluster Capitalize on metro Denver s strong position as a center for the emerging clean tech industry Size Today: Renewable energy companies; 1000+ firms related to clean tech Employment: 13,940 jobs, 6th largest nationally Diversity and Depth: wind and solar to advanced materials and storage and sequestration Research Infrastructure Assets: Leveraging NREL, university collaborations and 28,000 employee regional energy cluster 8
9 Preparation K-12 Readiness STEM Career Academies Energy: Red Rocks Early College Math Science & Creativity Academy Denver School of Science and Technology Advancement Occupational & Professional Community Colleges (WIRED funded) Front Range: Energy Boost Red Rocks: Solar energy AA and certification Solar & Wind Apprenticeship Center Transformation Retraining & Adaptation Metro Denver Wired Initiative Pipeline for high-tech-high industries icast: Trains unemployed for careers in energy efficiency and solar installation Green Talent Education Skills Development Career Paths
Green Talent Climate change is creating jobs at all levels. Established occupations like electricians and facilities maintenance engineers need to up- date their skills Demand is strong for architects, engineers, and builders that know how to use environmentally sustainable building materials, construct living roofs, and incorporate renewable energy technology. Our electrical grid needs updating, the utilities want to install smart meters and there is almost unlimited work ahead to retrofit existing buildings to be more energy efficient.
Green Talent Employers prefer applicants with a two-year associate degree in an area specific to the solar industry rather than a more general four-year bachelor s degree. With the development training programs we can create opportunities for people to develop skills that transfer into many different industries and withstand the economic cycles Clean and green jobs are jobs of place, i.e., jobs that cannot be done by low-cost operations in other parts of the world. They are jobs that support the local workforce, attract new wealth into the community, and recycle more money within the community.
Green Talent Protecting the climate attracts Green Talent. Today s young, talented workers want to settle in sustainable communities and they want to make a difference in the world.