Michigan’s Tax Credits Lure 4 Advanced Battery Makers Bringing 6,700 Jobs. While Michigan struggles with the highest unemployment rate in the nation, it’s governor has been putting in a foundation for next generation technology that is beginning to draw green businesses and the promise of thousands of new jobs.  Last week, the state announced that a set of new tax breaks totaling $543.5 million had lured four manufacturers of hybrid and electric car batteries.  The four companies will invest $1.7 billion and create nearly 6,700 jobs in Michigan; the state will also help them seek some of the $2 billion in federal stimulus money that has been set aside for advanced battery research.   Read more about green jobs in Michigan.

Mayor Diaz Unveils Energy Smart Miami Program. Miami Mayor Manny Diaz recently unveiled the $200 million Energy Smart Miami program. Done in conjunction with Florida Power & Light, GE, Cisco Systems, and Silver Spring Networks, the program will install wireless smart meters and a smart electric grid, expand solar power at local universities and schools and expand use of plug-in electric hybrid vehicles. Not to mention create 800-1000 new jobs. Read more about green jobs in Miami.

Walmart  to Place Solar Panels on Their Commercial Rooftop Which will Create About 130 Green Jobs in California. Wal-Mart recently announced they’re going to double their use of solar panel on its own facilities. And that could be the way to do it for more commercial players in California, according to its Governor. Within 18 months, Wal-Mart wants to expand their sustainable energy efforts by adding solar panels on 10 to 20 Wal-Mart facilities in California. That will be in addition to the 18 solar arrays that are currently installed with excisting facilities. The supplier of the new solar panels for Wal-Mart is BP Solar. The solar panel installation will create about 130 jobs.   After the panels have been installed, Wal-Mart is going to consider expanding the technology to additional sites. Read more about green jobs in California.

Vision Energy’s $1 Billion Wind Bet in Illinois will Create 290 Jobs. Vision Energy’s $1 Billion Wind Bet in IllinoisVision Energy, a Cincinnati-based developer of clean energy projects that has built two large wind firms in north central Illinois (see pix left) and in Indiana. The company has proposed a 33,000-acre, $1 billion wind farm encompassing parts of four Illinois counties. The K4 project, according to Vision Energy President Turner Hunt, will build and operate over 300 wind turbines and employ as many as 250 construction and 40 full-time operations and maintenance workers.  Read more about green jobs in Illinois.

Many Private-Sector Companies Not Hiring Green Jobs Yet in Madison There are green jobs in Madison, but there’s just not too many of them — not yet, anyway. One thing people should consider when looking for a so-called “green-collar job” is that it includes a lot of things, WISC-TV reported.

“They are human resources jobs, marketing jobs, entry-level program assistants jobs,” said Mary Schlaefer, with the Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corp. “Green jobs span a broad spectrum.”

Madison-based WECC hired about 40 workers last year, in a variety of positions. Currently, the company lists everything from IT jobs, to program managers overseeing the implementation of energy-efficient weatherization projects. In the hard-hit construction fields, some say that green jobs are starting to kick in at just the right time. In Madison, more and more large-scale and commercial and institutional construction projects are being built using only the most-advanced eco-friendly methods. Iron workers, building the skeleton of the Institutes of Discovery on University Avenue, might not realize it, but they’re working “green jobs.” The $150 million structure is expected to qualify as a silver LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) facility.  Read more about green jobs in Madison.

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Author: Tracey de Morsella (323 Articles)

Tracey de Morsella started her career working as an editor for US Technology Magazine. She used that experience to launch Delaware Valley Network, a publication for professionals in the Greater Philadelphia area. Years later, she used the contacts and resources she acquired to work in executive search specializing in technical and diversity recruitment. She has conducted recruitment training seminars for Wachovia Bank, the Department of Interior and the US Postal Service. During this time, she also created a diversity portal called The Multicultural Advantage and published the Diversity Recruitment Advertising Toolkit, a directory of recruiting resources for human resources professionals. Her career and recruitment articles have appeared in numerous publications and web portals including Woman Engineer Magazine, Monster.com, About.com Job Search Channel, Workplace Diversity Magazine, Society for Human Resource Management web site, NSBE Engineering Magazine, HR.com, and Human Resource Consultants Association Newsletter. Her work with technology professionals drew her to pursuing training and work in web development, which led to a stint at Merrill Lynch as an Intranet Manager. In March, she decided to combine her technical and career management expertise with her passion for the environment, and with her husband, launched The Green Economy Post, a blog providing green career information and covering the impact of the environment, sustainable building, cleantech and renewable energy on the US economy. Her sustainability articles have appeared on Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operation, Chem.Info,FastCompany and CleanTechies.