Green Industry A Field with A Future

Green jobs, we're told, will save America.

Date: February 10, 2009
Source: SFGate (www.sfgate.com)

President Obama wants to create millions of jobs for people installing solar panels, brewing up biofuels or making homes more energy efficient. Those jobs, he hopes, will help lift the country out of recession and fight global warming at the same time. But what green jobs are available now? And how do you find them?

Here are some places to start.

Want a job installing solar panels? Several Bay Area community colleges and workforce development programs offer training. Green building techniques? Community colleges and labor union apprenticeship programs may help. Even if you have some construction experience, a little classroom training could increase your chances of landing a job.

"My rule of thumb is the people who take those classes and put those on a resume almost always get an interview," said Brian von Moos, director of business development for Borrego Solar, which has offices in Berkeley, Petaluma, San Francisco and San Jose.

And remember: Green companies have been hurt by the recession like everyone else. But there are jobs out there, said Timothy O'Connor, an attorney with the Environmental Defense Fund who wrote the Green Jobs Guidebook. To read the guidebook, which profiles more than 200 green jobs in California and lists training programs, go to www.edf.org/cagreenjobs.

"We've really been seeing tremendous growth in the green economy," O'Connor said, "and that translates into jobs that are available right now."

Green jobs in California

In 2007, California had roughly 105,000 green jobs, covering everything from engineers developing alternative fuels to people working in recycling plants.

Source: Next 10, Collaborative Economics

Faces of the green economy

Larry Galbert, 21, Oakland.

Job: Solar installer for Sungevity in Berkeley.

How he got the job: Took a 14-week training program at Asian Neighborhood Design, which provides construction training to the disadvantaged. A counselor at the program told him about openings at Sungevity.

What he likes about the job: "It's a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun for people who like to work with their hands."

Zach Serber, 34, Sausalito.

Job: Scientist developing next-generation biofuels at Amyris Biotechnologies in Emeryville.

How he got the job: One of the company founders knew him from Stanford University, where he was a research fellow, and lured him away from a planned career in academia.

What he likes about the job: "Here at Amyris, you can have that same academic stimulation and be certain that your work will make a difference in the world. It's easy to get motivated when the goals are so big."

Types of Jobs
Green jobs can be highly technical, requiring advanced degrees, or geared more toward manual labor. Here are a few listed in the Environmental Defense Fund's Green Jobs Guidebook.

Solar Residential
Installation Electrician:
Description: Responsible for hardwiring solar energy systems to the power grid.
Salary: $17 to $31 per hour.
Experience needed: Entry-level to midlevel, with electrician experience.
Education: Associate's degree, trade school or apprenticeship.

Residential Energy
Field Auditor
Description: Conduct home energy audits and recommend improvements to homeowners.
Salary: $12 to $14 per hour.
Experience needed: Entry to midlevel.
Education: Bachelor's degree preferred, with courses in environmental studies, energy management, auditing.

Wind Field
Service Technician
Description: Perform status checks on wind turbines and repair the problems.
Salary: $22 to $26 per hour.
Experience needed: Midlevel.
Education: Apprenticeship or trade school, with courses in metal work, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering.

Geothermal
Operations Engineer
Description: Collect and process information on geothermal field and plant performance, diagnose problems with geothermal wells.
Salary: $70,000 to $80,000 per year.
Experience needed: High level, with background in geothermal resource engineering or petroleum engineering.
Education: Bachelor's degree or higher in engineering, with courses in resource engineering, petroleum engineering, computer programming.
Source: Green Jobs Guidebook, Environmental Defense Fund

Training Programs

Oakland Green Jobs Corps
Provides training and internships in green construction, energy efficiency and solar panel installation.
(510) 208-7350 (The number for Cypress Mandela Training Center, one of the partners in the program.)

Solar Richmond
Provides solar installation training and internships with solar companies.
www.solarrichmond.org
(510) 621-1719

San Francisco

Electrical Apprenticeship
A cooperative effort of the National Electrical Contractors Association and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Provides electrician training and experience.
www.sfelectricaltraining.org
(415) 587-2500

Schools

DeAnza College
Introduction to photovoltaic solar course.
www.deanza.fhda.edu
(408) 864-5678

Diablo Valley College
Solar design and installation course.
www.dvc.edu
(925) 685-1230

College of Marin
Solar installation and integration course.
www.marin.edu
(415) 457-8811

San Jose City College
Solar installation course.
www.sjcc.edu
(408) 288-3708

Skyline College
Solar installation class.
www.skylinecollege.edu
(650) 738-4100

UC Berkeley
Degrees in energy and resources, environmental sciences, bioengineering.
www.berkeley.edu
(510) 642-6000

Stanford University
Degrees in bioengineering, civil and environmental engineering, energy resources engineering, materials science and engineering.
www.stanford.edu
(650) 723-2300

San Francisco State University
Degrees in environmental studies.
www.sfsu.edu
(415) 338-1111

University of San Francisco
Degrees in environmental science, environmental management.
www.usfca.edu
(415) 422-5555

Source: "Environmental Scan: Solar Industry" by California Community Colleges Centers of Excellence; Chronicle research