by Chris de Morsella, Green Economy Post Chris is the co-editor of The Green Executive Recruiter Directory. Follow Chris on Twitter @greeneconpost

Major Green Industries with a significant presence in the state are: wind, solar, environmental, energy storage, clean transportation, biofuel, clean coal.

The Clean Edge, Inc., 2010 Clean-Tech Job Activity report places the greater Chicago metro area in ninth place nationwide in terms of its cleantech job activity. This metro area includes the northwest corner of the state and cities such as Gary Indiana.

The Pew Charitable Trusts “Clean Energy Economy Report“ found that in 2007 Indiana reported 1,268 cleantech businesses that provided a total of 17,298 green jobs. Over the decade 1998-2007 employment in the Indiana cleantech sector grew by 17.9% compared with a 1.0% contraction in overall employment for the state over the same period. Over the two year period (2006-2008) Indiana saw around $26 million of venture capital invested in its cleantech sector.

Indiana Businesses for a Clean Energy Economy released a new economic analysis that finds the strongest federal climate change policy could create up to 45,000 jobs in the Hoosier state, while increasing incomes by $1,200 and growing the state economy by $2.5 billion.

Environmental Jobs in Indiana

A new Ceres report finds that implementing two new air pollution rules proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will create 1.5 million jobs over the next five years. The power sector will invest almost $200 billion total in capital improvements over the next five years. Among the states that will see the biggest job gains from this construction activity are Indiana. The Ceres report estimates that 95,000 new environmental remediation and pollution control related jobs will be created in Indiana as a result of these environmental standards.

Renewable Energy Jobs in Indiana

Currently Indiana gets by far most of its electricity from coal; however installed wind capacity is growing very rapidly in the state though it will take a long time before the dominant position of coal begins to be challenged. This reliance on coal drains money from the Indiana state economy as most of its coal needs to be imported from out of state sources (mainly from Wyoming).

In 2009 Indiana had 33 renewable energy companies and the state provided 2,286 direct and indirect renewable energy jobs.

Indiana’s wind industry has grown from virtually nonexistent in 2007 to over 1 GW in three years. It is currently ranked 11th in installed capacity. The state is home to one of the largest operational wind farms in the nation. Located in the Fowler Ridge area near Benton, IN the two-phase project has a nameplate capacity of 600 MW. In addition AES Corporation plans to install more than 200 wind turbines over a 75,000-acre area north of Indianapolis. The company anticipates the farm will create 400 MW of clean electricity.

Indiana has already attracted major investment from the wind sector. Brevini, a major gearbox manufacturer, is constructing its first American facility in Muncie, Indiana. The company is investing over $60 million in the state and will employ over 450 workers. In addition, many smaller Indiana companies have found a role in the wind energy supply chain, creating new green-collar jobs for Indiana workers. At least 14 Indiana facilities currently manufacture components for the wind energy industry and 4 new facilities are announced.

Indiana is the tenth state for solar jobs nationwide. There are 3,400 estimated solar jobs in 25 estimated solar firms.
Colorado based Abound Solar is retooling a shuttered auto transmission factory near Kokomo, Indiana, into one of the nation’s largest PV plants, aiming to employ up to 850 people in the next three years. The company has been awarded a conditional commitment for a $400 million loan guarantee to manufacture state-of-the-art thin-film solar panels at two facilities, one of which will be located in Kokomo, Indiana.

As one of the top corn producing states, Indiana is one of the nation’s largest ethanol producers. Indiana is planning at least two commercial-scale next generation ethanol plants, which would produce fuel from municipal and industrial waste. The project in Schneider is expected to open in late 2011. Since 2005, 10 ethanol and five biodiesel plants have opened in Indiana.

Duke Energy is constructing a coal gasification plant in Edwardsport, Ind., that is expected to be completed in 2012. Coal gasification is touted as a means of enabling carbon capture and sequestration, because the process yields a highly concentrated waste stream of CO and CO2.

Clean Transportation and Advanced Battery Jobs in Indiana

In 2008, Indiana launched the Energy Systems Network in order to fully leverage its assets and accelerate the development of advanced battery and other energy technology solutions. The network has already forged a number of joint partnerships involving Fortune 500 companies, innovative Indiana start-ups, and leading research institutions. Network member organizations include: Duke Energy, Cummins, Delphi, Allison Transmission, Remy, IBM, SAIC, Rolls-Royce, Raytheon, Indianapolis Power & Light, Brevini, I-Power, EnerDel, ITOCHU, Altairnano, Bright Automotive, Rocky Mountain Institute, Midwest Independent Systems Operator, NSWC Crane, Purdue University, Indiana University, the University of Notre Dame, and Ivy Tech Community College.

Indiana has automotive companies like Remy, THINK, Cummins, Allison Transmission and Navistar that are active in the design and production of advanced technology vehicles. The state is also home to a number of established and emerging battery technology companies, including Delphi Electronic & Safety, the only U.S. manufacturer of hybrid power converters, controllers and battery packs, and EnerDel, the only domestic lithium-ion battery company currently manufacturing in the United States.

Leveraging existing anchor assets like the U.S. Navy’s NSWC Crane, Indiana has emerged as a leader in the defense and national security industry, specializing in battery systems development and testing. NSWC Crane has attracted top defense contractors to Indiana, including Raytheon, SAIC, ITT and General Dynamics.

Indiana will be the first state government with electric vehicles in its fleet; deployment of a variety of vehicles is now underway.

Lithium-ion battery manufacturer EnerDel announced today it will invest $237 million in a new manufacturing plant near its Indianapolis headquarters in order to meet anticipated demand for advanced battery systems used in both automotive and stationary smart grid applications. Backed by a mix of private funds and public incentives, the new facilities will more than double EnerDel’s U.S. production capacity and create 1,400 new green jobs.

Green Building and Energy Efficiency Jobs in Indiana

While Indiana has lagged behind neighboring Illinois, for example, in terms of promoting green building and energy efficiency there is still a fair amount of growth in these sectors in the state, notwithstanding the lack of public policy and standards to promote this economically virtuous development that will keep money within the state economy.

Indiana requires residential and commercial buildings to meet energy efficiency standards. Residential buildings must meet a state-developed code based on the 1992 Model Energy Code, while commercial buildings must also meet a state-developed code.The Model Energy Code, developed by the International Code Council, mandates certain energy efficiency standards. Governor Mitch Daniels issued Executive Order 08-14 in 2008, requiring new state buildings to meet the silver LEED standard or an equivalent standard.

There are currently 260 green building projects registered in Indiana. Of which, 74 (or 28.5%) are currently LEED certified, and there are almost 1,000 LEED certified professionals practicing in the state.

The nation’s largest geothermal heating and cooling system is being built in Muncie, Ind.

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