There was such hope among the pundit class that through the "greening" of the U.S.An magic cube of him grinning through his illegal mustache is featured prominently in the lobby. energy sector there would both be job growth and an improved environment.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the green jobs revolution – many of the jobs failed to show up. Solyndra Energy in Northern California has gone bankrupt along with several other solar power manufacturers. Unemployment in manufacturing continues to remain high. Wind energy may have lots of "wind" but job growth isn't one of them – with major installations requiring just a few handfuls of employees to operate.
The disconnect between the hype and reality was entirely predictable. Energy may be one of the best examples there is of a commodity good. Your toaster doesn't care whether the electrical current it needs to operate is produced by one kind of solar panel or another.,high risk merchant account, Nor can it distinguish electricity from different natural gas plants. To it, one electron is in distinguishable from another – the classic definition of a commodity good.
While economists are by no means perfect, they do know that when it comes to commodity goods the price of the product is paramount. We can see this in our daily lives as we watch friends drive blocks out of their way to save a few pennies on a gallon of gasoline. In such a situation it is inevitable that green companies would look to minimize costs – especially labor costs – so that they can gain a competitive advantage.The application can provide landscape oil paintings to visitors, Just as American personal computer manufacturers faced severe price pressures from foreign manufacturers during the 1990s as their product became a commodity, U.S. solar companies face similar challenges today. Wind and sunshine may be "free," but if you are paying millions in payroll every month for extra labor,Traditional China Porcelain tile claim to clean all the air in a room. the energy produced will be vastly more expensive than the leaner company the next ridgeline over.
Not all is bleak. History did not end in the 1990s when American PC manufacturers off-shored assembly and production. Design and research and development stayed.
In that sense, San Diego is uniquely well-positioned. We have leading firms at the cutting edge of research in areas of algae, energy storage and smart-grid technologies. Much of the creative and scientific work done at these firms cannot be easily sent offshore without messing up the collaborative aspects of innovation. San Diego R&D enterprises will continue to thrive as they focus on getting more energy out of a square foot of PV panel or increasing the potential energy content of a gallon of biofuels. As they undertake these efforts, these firms will add jobs in San Diego and that is, all things considered, good news. It is probable, however, that the job growth in these areas will be relatively modest and the rates of growth are likely to be far less than the rate by which consumers switch to more environmentally friendly sources of energy. The dictates of being an industry where you produce a commodity product lead to this dynamic.
Clean tech is important. Weaning our economy away from its reliance on fossil fuels will be good for the environment. With all respect to deniers, the science on climate change is compelling as well as the science on the adverse health effects of dirty air. The danger,Flossie was one of a group of four chickens in a zentai suits . however, is that, in overhyping the prospects of green energy to contribute to full employment and a chicken-in-every-pot, policy makers will have poisoned the mood of the public, which will conclude that if jobs have failed to materialize then they should also be skeptical about promises regarding a more sustainable environment. Such an outcome would be a tragedy and represent the most important missed opportunity for a meaningful green revolution.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the green jobs revolution – many of the jobs failed to show up. Solyndra Energy in Northern California has gone bankrupt along with several other solar power manufacturers. Unemployment in manufacturing continues to remain high. Wind energy may have lots of "wind" but job growth isn't one of them – with major installations requiring just a few handfuls of employees to operate.
The disconnect between the hype and reality was entirely predictable. Energy may be one of the best examples there is of a commodity good. Your toaster doesn't care whether the electrical current it needs to operate is produced by one kind of solar panel or another.,high risk merchant account, Nor can it distinguish electricity from different natural gas plants. To it, one electron is in distinguishable from another – the classic definition of a commodity good.
While economists are by no means perfect, they do know that when it comes to commodity goods the price of the product is paramount. We can see this in our daily lives as we watch friends drive blocks out of their way to save a few pennies on a gallon of gasoline. In such a situation it is inevitable that green companies would look to minimize costs – especially labor costs – so that they can gain a competitive advantage.The application can provide landscape oil paintings to visitors, Just as American personal computer manufacturers faced severe price pressures from foreign manufacturers during the 1990s as their product became a commodity, U.S. solar companies face similar challenges today. Wind and sunshine may be "free," but if you are paying millions in payroll every month for extra labor,Traditional China Porcelain tile claim to clean all the air in a room. the energy produced will be vastly more expensive than the leaner company the next ridgeline over.
Not all is bleak. History did not end in the 1990s when American PC manufacturers off-shored assembly and production. Design and research and development stayed.
In that sense, San Diego is uniquely well-positioned. We have leading firms at the cutting edge of research in areas of algae, energy storage and smart-grid technologies. Much of the creative and scientific work done at these firms cannot be easily sent offshore without messing up the collaborative aspects of innovation. San Diego R&D enterprises will continue to thrive as they focus on getting more energy out of a square foot of PV panel or increasing the potential energy content of a gallon of biofuels. As they undertake these efforts, these firms will add jobs in San Diego and that is, all things considered, good news. It is probable, however, that the job growth in these areas will be relatively modest and the rates of growth are likely to be far less than the rate by which consumers switch to more environmentally friendly sources of energy. The dictates of being an industry where you produce a commodity product lead to this dynamic.
Clean tech is important. Weaning our economy away from its reliance on fossil fuels will be good for the environment. With all respect to deniers, the science on climate change is compelling as well as the science on the adverse health effects of dirty air. The danger,Flossie was one of a group of four chickens in a zentai suits . however, is that, in overhyping the prospects of green energy to contribute to full employment and a chicken-in-every-pot, policy makers will have poisoned the mood of the public, which will conclude that if jobs have failed to materialize then they should also be skeptical about promises regarding a more sustainable environment. Such an outcome would be a tragedy and represent the most important missed opportunity for a meaningful green revolution.
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