Letter from Silicon Valley: Now Hiring, Green Collar Jobs

What remains unchanged, however, is the primary argument made by opponents of bold legislation to reduce pollution and promote renewable energy—that it will harm the economy. In truth, the opposite is more likely to be true. A failure to fully embrace solar and other clean technologies could undermine the biggest opportunity for job growth that America possesses.

As the dollar plummets to all-time lows and new jobless claims rise, supporters of the status quo argue that now, when our economy appears vulnerable, is when we can least afford to tackle an issue like global warming and devote scarce resources to promoting clean energy. But a look across the Atlantic shows that our economic competitors are discovering otherwise.

A recent study by the German government found that 245,000 people were employed by the renewable energy industry in Germany in 2006, up 50% since 2004. Almost two-thirds of the green collar jobs created in the German renewable energy economy are the result of a single law—the German Renewable Energy Sources Act—which was instituted at a time when Germany's economy was weak. The majority of these workers are involved in designing, manufacturing and installing solar panels and wind turbines, using skills that are similar to those of American workers in industries like auto manufacturing that have cut jobs in recent years. Today, Germany's economy is vibrant. According to current market trends, the German renewable energy industry is expected to surpass the German auto industry in just ten years.

To critics who suggest the American economy is simply ill-suited to adapt to transformations this big, there is news to report. It is already starting to happen. This year, California is on track to install more solar power than it has in the last 25 years combined, and innovative new solar companies are opening up shop and hiring new workers at an unprecedented rate around the state. This rapid growth is the result of a state law passed last year to create the largest solar incentive program in the country. If a Republican governor and a Democratic legislature can come together to get the job done for the largest economy in the union, surely Congress and the White House can get it done for the nation.

David Hochschild is vice president at Solaria Corporation, a solar technology company in Silicon Valley. He also serves as a commissioner on the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.