Jackie Roberts likes what she sees happening in Denver cleantech in her Mar. 18 post for the Environmental Defense Fund's
Energy Exchange blog.
Excerpt:
The Denver-metro area, where our report focuses, has become a particularly popular place for
cleantech startups and more mature companies. In 2011, the region had about 1,500 companies and 18,000 employees in the cleantech industry, a 35% increase in direct employment growth from 2006. In terms of the entire Colorado workforce, cleantech employees account for 1%. But that's twice the national average and generates more than a billion dollars in annual wages.
Similar to that of Ohio, Colorado's success wasn't accidental. It was the
first state to initiate a Renewable Portfolio Standard by ballot initiative, or RPS, which requires utilities to produce a minimum percentage of its generation from renewable energy. A 10% RPS was enacted in 2004. In 2007 it increased to 20% by 2020. The state also passed rules on net metering and interconnections that incentivized individuals and businesses to install renewable, distributed generation. All of these measures have helped spark demand.
Read the rest
here.
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