NEW ENERGY WILL GROW CALIF

Study: Clean energy will stimulate Calif. economy
Jason Dearen, June 10, 2009 (AP via San Jose Mercury News)

"A more aggressive use of clean energy would help California emerge from its multibillion dollar budget deficit by creating jobs and lowering energy costs, according to a University of California study…

"The study determined that moving half of California's electric power needs to renewable energy sources such as wind, solar or biomass would help create half-a-million jobs over the next 40 years."

click to enlarge

"David Roland-Holst, a UC Berkeley economics professor and the study's author, predicted aggressive state legislation meant to curb greenhouse gas emissions would create an enormous new clean energy market and spur innovation to better harness renewable resources…

"Roland-Holst said his study is the first to use a wide-ranging economic forecasting tool developed at UC Berkeley to study the potential effects of clean energy on the entire California economy."

click to enlarge

"The study looked at several different scenarios of renewable energy use in California over the next four decades…If the state were to continue with its current energy demand and reliance on fossil fuels, the study predicted, California would have to import more fuel, exposing the economy to less stable prices…On the other hand, using clean sources for half the state's electric power while increasing efficiency by 1.5 percent each year would create 500,000 new jobs with a $100 billion payroll…

"Roland-Holst said California's passage of AB32, also known as the Global Warming Solutions Act, has created the environment for a booming clean energy industry. The law seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state 30 percent by 2020…"