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Forecast sunny for valley jobs in clean energy
by Christina Salerno, Modesto Bee
August 23, 2007

STOCKTON -- Solar panels, windmills and alternative fuels could bring thousands of job opportunities in the coming years to the sun-drenched Northern San Joaquin Valley.As the nation increasingly embraces renewable energy, new valley jobs could follow, representatives from those industries said Wednesday during an eco- nomic summit at the University of the Pacific in Stockton.

The region is poised to become a leader in clean energy technology, said Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton. He led the "2007 Economic Summit: Cultivating job growth through innovation, entrepreneurship and new energy technology." It was organized by Washington, D.C.-based Public Forum Institute.

With its agricultural backbone, highly-skilled commuter work force and proximity to vital transportation routes, including the Port of Stockton, "San Joaquin County is on the cusp of something important," McNerney said.

The county is already home to a few renewable energy outlets.

Akeena Solar is opening a branch office in Manteca today. It will employ about 10 people who design and install solar panels, said Executive Vice President Bill Scott, a panelist at the summit.

As demand for solar power has increased, the Los Gatos-based firm has grown rapidly, he said, from a small office with a handful of people to six offices statewide and a work force of 170.

"These are local jobs that can't be outsourced," Scott said. "It's like building the highways in the 1950; this will revolutionize energy."

California is the third-largest market for solar energy -- behind Germany and Japan -- and has the potential to provide hundreds of thousands of jobs as wind and solar energy sources are built in the coming decades, Scott said.

In the next 23 years, wind power could make up 20 percent of the energy used in the nation -- equivalent to the amount of nuclear power used today, said Jim Walker, chief executive officer of enXco. His Southern California-based company manages wind energy projects throughout the United States.

Walker estimated that more than 30,000 workers will be needed in California by 2030 to manufacture the blades, towers and turbines for windmills. Construction and customer service positions could add even more to the final job count, Walker said.

Alternative fuels also are a job-generator that can stimulate the economy and protect the environment, said Ryan Lamberg, co-founder of Community Fuels.

The firm opened a biodiesel production plant at the Port of Stockton, where it produces fuel from agricultural waste, such as grease from nut oils. Biodiesel is a clean-burning fuel that doesn't contain petroleum, but can be used with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend.

"It's white-collar and blue- collar coming together to make green-collar jobs," Lamberg said of the positions available at biodiesel plants.

While the summit focused largely on San Joaquin County, McNerney said during a break that Stanislaus County's economy could benefit from new en-ergy technology, especially solar because the county receives more sunshine than the northern part of the state.

"The solar industry is going to take off," said McNerney. Stanislaus County could leverage its agricultural resources into energy for ethanol and other biotechnology industries, he said.

The summit also addressed the importance of entrepreneurship, education and transportation in spurring a healthy economy. Nearly 20 panelists spoke on those issues in front of about 175 people.

"We have to tackle the bedroom community issue. That's a phenomenon that we have to deal with as a reality," said Stacey Mortensen, executive director of Altamont Commuter Express rail service. Mortensen discussed plans for the ACE train to make a connection to a Bay Area Rapid Transit station.

Other public transportation projects were addressed, including the need to increase the number of daily BART trips from 300,000 to half a million by 2025, said Dorothy Dugger, interim general manager of BART.

Better jobs need to be gener-ated in the Northern San Joaquin Valley to end the trail of commuters who drive over the hill each day, panelists said, and lagging education levels need to be improved to attract a variety of industries.

"One of the most important reasons a business will locate here is because of the quality of life and the quality of the education system," said Mark Plovnik, economic development director for UOP.

To comment, click on the link with this story at www.modbee.com. Bee staff writer Christina Salerno can be reached at csalerno@modbee.com or 238-4574.

Learn more about the 2007 Economic Summit: Cultivating Job Growth Through Innovation, Entrepreneurship and New Energy Technology.

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