Want a green job? Head to Colorado

Want a green job? Head to ColoradoThe clean energy economy in Colorado is booming.(By Melissa Hincha-Ownby via Mother Nature Network)Clean energy jobs are on

the rise. Between the availability of Recovery Act dollars and the Obama

Administration’s focus on a clean energy economy, jobsin the industry are

only going to continue to increase.Although the majority of the nation is

just really catching the clean energy momentum, Colorado has been riding

the green jobs wave for several years now. The state is home to the

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), solar firms, wind turbine

manufacturers, and others focused on clean energy technologies.NREL funding

has almost doubled under the Obama Administration. “The complex of labs in

the dun-colored foothills northeast of the city is growing. NREL is using

$66 million in stimulus money to erect a new building that will stand as

living proof that green design can be economical. With its solar panels and

ultra-efficient systems, the building could generate as much electricity as

it uses.” Source: SlateIn 2007, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter signed House

Bill 1281 which mandated the use of renewable energy by the state’s utility

companies. The legislation requires the state’s major utility companies to

provide 20% of their electricity through renewable energy by 2020 while

smaller electric providers will need to achieve a 10% renewable energy

rate. A recently published study from The Pew Charitable Trusts tracked

clean energy jobs over the past decade. Growth in the renewable energy

industry has greatly outpaced traditional jobs. In 2007, there were 1,778

clean businesses in Colorado that accounted for more than 17,000 jobs in

the state. Job growth in the clean energy industry was 18.2% between 1998

and 2007, a drastic difference from the 8.2% overall job growth seen during

the same time period.So, if you’re looking for a green job, moving to

Colorado might not be a bad idea.For the very latest in green jobs in Colorado, across the U.S. and globally

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