Green Options » wind energy industry

Wind Energy Industry Brings Badly Needed Jobs to Detroit

Timothy B. Hurst — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 20:45:28 +0000

Wind turbine manufacturer Global Wind Systems announced today that it will be hiring 250 new employees to work in the company’s new wind turbine assembly plant in Novi, Michigan, thirty miles west of Detroit. The news brings a ray of hope for a regional economy struggle under the weight of a sinking auto industry.

In December, Global Wind Systems received $7.3 million in tax credits from the Michigan Economic Growth Authority in December to create 256 direct jobs over six years. Founder and CEO of Global Wind Systems, Chris Long told the Detroit News that he hopes to almost double that number of jobs in just two years.

Michigan Gov. Granholm Signs Bill for Green Collar Job Training (sort of)

Timothy B. Hurst — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:12:03 +0000

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm has signed two bills to expand job training opportunities in high-demand fields for Michigan workers. The bills allow the state’s community colleges to tailor job training to meet the needs of employers in their regions.

The jobs produced by the new training programs will not necessarily “green collar,” because they will vary depending on local market needs. But the emphasis Gov. Granholm has been putting on building the state’s clean energy manufacturing sector, for example, is creating new jobs in the state’s budding wind turbine manufacturing industry that require specific types of knowledge, skills, and abilities.

>>More on green collar jobs at RG&B

“We must do everything we can to help our citizens get the training they need for good-paying jobs in this challenging global economy,” Granholm said. “These bills are another part of our plan to ensure that we have a strong workforce that can compete and win in the 21st century.”

$700 Billion Bailout Includes Tax Credits For Renewable Energy Industries

Reenita Malhotra — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 23:18:40 +0000

Given the hue and cry that has been unleashed in America with regard to the bailout, there is finally good news for the renewable energy industry. The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, passed by the House of Representatives with a vote of 263 to 171, and signed into law by President George Bush immediately afterwards, extends investment and production tax credits for the wind and solar industries. The extensions will be partly paid for by a change in the tax code for the oil and gas industry.

>>More on renewable energy tax credits in Congress