Mayor goes after green energy jobs

http://www.northernlife.ca/News/LocalNews/2008/03-18-08-green-jobstop.asp?NLStory=03-18-08-green-jobstop
Date Published | Mar. 18, 2008
BY BILL BRADLEY
There’s a lot of buzz around green energy and how to cash in on green jobs, said Mayor John Rodriguez from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Friday.The mayor and his assistant, Ian Wood, formerly with the city’s Growth and Development department, had just finished participating in the first ever Good Jobs Green Jobs conference. It was organized by the United Steelworkers union and a major American environmental group, the Sierra Club.“Here, the talk is all about how oil has gone to $110 a barrel and what can be done to be less dependent on it,” said Rodriguez.He spoke to 750 delegates Thursday at 4 pm, just prior to a keynote speech by Leo Gerrard, international president, United Steelworkers Union.Rodriguez, the only speaker representing Canada, spoke about Greater Sudbury’s success in restoring its landscape and making the city more attractive for business and residents. He also highlighted the Cambrian College Sustainable Energy Centre where students train for green energy careers.Major alternative energy corporations were present including BP Alternative Energy and Gamesa, a Spanish firm which is the second largest wind turbine manufacturing company in the world.Rodriguez said he heard that cities and regions in the United States are aggressively competing for companies like these to set up up green manufacturing plants.“The jobs will be in making the wind turbines, the solar panels and electric cars. That’s what cities are focusing on. We need to do the same in Ontario or lose out.”The mayor said he is already active in finding green jobs.Rodriguez said officials from Pod Generating Group, a developer of utility-scale photovoltaic power in Sault Ste. Marie, had visited the city to look for potential generating sites here. In addition to their proposed two 10 MW sites underway in the Sault, recently the company received four new contracts with the Ontario Power Authority for another four 10 MW solar projects. In total $300 million will be invested in the Sault. The farms will power 21,000 Sault homes, said a city release.“In the Sault they are building solar farms on farmland. I want them to develop on more marginal land here so our officials are showing them sites. But I want companies to come here and build the panels too. That is where the most jobs are,” said Rodriguez.Rodriguez said at the conference he noticed a high degree of co-operation between green business, labour unions, colleges and universities, municipalities and state governments.“They are quite advanced in this co-operation. Unions, for example, are asking for help from state governments for retraining laid-off workers in the installation of green energy systems. Municipalities are changing over their fleets to hybrids and even the new plug-in hybrids. You just plug them in and they recharge.”Rodriguez said he was so impressed he was considering cutting edge plug-in hybrid vehicle technology for this city’s fledgling hybrid fleet.“We should figure out how to retrofit our vehicles to the latest technology and then market that expertise,” he said.Rodriguez said he will be forwarding his contacts to city staff for follow-up.
Green business courted by cities
Mayor Rodriguez is showing interest in relocating green manufacturers here, like one Toronto company, ZENN Motors, makers of an electric car.It was featured on the CBC TV national news last week. ZENN officials told Northern Life they receive a phone call every day from cities or regions across North America trying to lure them there. ZENN stands for Zero Emissions No Noise.The company’s product is meeting barriers from the federal government because the vehicle is not fast enough (40 km per hour), despite it being sold in most American states. Only BC is within months of certifying the car for ordinary traffic. Manitoba and PEI are showing interest, said Catharine Scrigeour, public affairs, ZENN Motor company Friday.However, new ultra capacitor technology from partner EEStor will allow ZENN to sell an electric vehicle that can travel 120 km per hour at comparable range to normal cars, said Scrigeour.“ZENN is receiving the new technology from our partnership with EEStor by late 2008 and I expect it will be tested through 2009. If all goes well our vehicle can go toe-to-toe with internal combustion vehicles at a much cheaper price. fordability is as important to us as being green,” said Scrigeour. Currently, ZENN vehicles range from $10,000 to $15,000 in price and can be plugged in at night to recharge.

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