2025, EMISSIONS FREE AND THRIVING – REPORT

Clean Edge is out with an exciting new study on the potential for New Energy development in the Pacific Northwest.

The Pacific Northwest is already developing wind, including a plan for one of the biggest wind installations in the world. It is also planning both the biggest crystalline photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing facility in the U.S. and the world’s first silicon feedstock production facility for only solar energy products. Finally, the biggest global manufacturer of advanced meter reading (AMR) devices is located in the region.

According to Clean Edge, these only suggest what the region could do.

An excerpt from the Clean Edge paper: “We stand at a unique crossroads in history: the transition from polluting, resource constrained, fossil-based energy systems to those built on sustainable, renewable, resource-efficient systems. This historic and unprecedented shift, which is occurring within the electric utility market, the transportation sector, and the built environment, offers the promise of greatly reducing the Pacific Northwest’s collective impact on the planet while helping to ensure the livelihoods and well-being of future generations. In a time of deep national economic uncertainty, it also offers one of the greatest opportunities for wealth- and job-creation in more than a generation.”

This is yet another in a growing list of such studies, indicating what can happen in the U.S. with a whole-hearted commitment to building the energy of tomorrow instead of clinging fearfully to the energy of yesterday.

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Carbon free Prosperity 2025; How the Northwest Can Create Green Jobs, Deliver Energy Security, And Thrive in the Global Clean-Tech Marketplace
October 7, 2008 (Clean Edge)

WHO
Clean Edge; Climate Solutions; Report authors (Ron Pernick, Clint Wilder, Dexter Gauntlett)

WHAT
Carbon-Free Prosperity 2025 assesses the role five New Energy sectors can play in the future of the Pacific Northwest.

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WHEN
The study offers statistics on the 5 New Energy sectors in 2008 and how they are capable of developing in the region through 2025.

WHERE
The study looks at Oregon and Washington in the Pacific Northwest.

WHY
- The report is “produced” by Clean Edge in partnership with Climate Solutions.
It offers a a 10-point action plan for private and public investment and leadership to create and capitalize on the 5 emerging green industries’ potential to provide high-paying jobs and a new economic base for the region:
- The report’s intended audience: Policy-makers, investors, clean-tech entrepreneurs.
- The 5 emerging sectors (with job projections):
(1) Solar PV Manufacturing (22,560 new jobs by 2025);
(2) Wind Power Development (up to 6,000 new jobs);
(3) Green Building Design Services (up to 16,834 new jobs);
(4) Sustainable Bioenergy (10,419 new jobs);
(5) Smart-Grid Technologies (up to 7,000 new jobs).
- According to the study, the Pacific Northwest can get ~75% of its electricity from “non-nuclear carbon free” sources.
- The study is based on interviews with 50+ industry, financial, and policy experts in the Northwest, and on proprietary Clean Edge data (market sizing, employment figures, and other key market factors).

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QUOTES
- Maria Cantwell, U.S. Senator, Washington state: "This roadmap will help Washington and the Northwest cement its leadership in the clean technology revolution, creating tens of thousands of new family-supporting jobs here at home, as well as new export markets for goods, services and technologies that will benefit the rest of the world.."
- David Chen, Managing Director, Equilibrium Capital Group and Chair, Oregon Innovation Council: "[The report’s] 10-Point Action Plan provides a “To Do” list for policymakers and business leaders."
- Michael Butler, Chairman/CEO, Cascadia Capital, LLC: "[The report] is a critical new report that should provide investors, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and others with insight into the best opportunities for the Pacific Northwest to play a powerful leadership role in the New Energy Economy."
From the report: “…Oregon and Washington can create green jobs, deliver energy security, and thrive in the global clean-tech marketplace. In a fiercely competitive environment, the Northwest is already leading in a number of critical and emerging clean-energy segments…”