Business Leader News

Clean tech, renewable energy to benefit from regional grants

"With this grant approval by the Department of Commerce, we are on our way to establishing the Peninsula region as a leader in renewable energy programs for this part of the country, said Kent Myers, City Manager of Port Angeles, a public partner in the Clallam County Economic Development Council.

SoloPower thin-film solar plant promises new jobs for Wilsonville, OR

By year's end, the company said, 170 workers will be making thin-film photovoltaic products in a Wilsonville plant that's ultimately expected to employ 500.

Oregon must create a market of early adopters

One reason we created the New Energy Cities program at Climate Solutions was to elevate the conversation and focus on a small number of city and utility partnerships that are serious about the degree of innovation needed to create a clean, efficient energy system at the local level.

World's biggest wind farm one step closer to bringing jobs to Eastern Oregon

The Caithness Shepherds Flat project will be sited in Eastern Oregon and bring hundreds of new construction jobs to the area.

Looking forward from Cancun

Climate Solutions board member James Dailey attended the United Nations climate conference in Cancun. He says he’s optimistic because he’s seen how business is bringing serious resources to the climate change table.

Seattle project awarded federal energy grant

The Bullitt Foundation's Cascadia Center for Sustainable Design and Construction is one of 24 recipients of a U.S. Department of Energy technical assistance grant to dramatically reduce the energy used in commercial buildings

Boosting jobs in Montana's wind energy sector

Montana’s senior U.S. Senator Max Baucus announced today a partnership between the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center and a national clean energy alliance to boost jobs in Montana’s wind energy sector.

Sun shines on jobs in solar

Job growth may be in the dumps for most businesses, but in the solar arena, the sun is shining, according to a report released this morning.

Washington's wind power windfall

An astonishing wind energy boom has transformed the east end of the Columbia Gorge.

Vehicle charger project expands

Oregon will use federal stimulus dollars to place eight stations between Eugene and California.

Oregon should adopt clean energy as a business growth strategy

Lisa Adatto, Oregon director of Climate Solutions, says the state needs reliable, long-term incentives to encourage investments clean energy.

Oregon BEST invests in university research facilities for solar energy and green building

"By helping Oregon businesses access our shared-user network of university research expertise and lab equipment, firms can more quickly commercialize new products and services, which leads to new jobs and addresses some of the world’s energy and environmental challenges," said David Kenney, Oregon BEST director, in a news release.

Spinning staw into energy

Oregon grass-seed growers hope to start spinning their ocean of post-harvest straw into gold. The state business energy tax credit will help.

Montana DEQ awards $1 million in alternative energy development grants

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has awarded $1 million in grants to four entities for projects that will further the development and marketability of renewable energy technologies in the state. The grants are funded with federal Recovery dollars.

Winds Of change for Portland

Mayor Sam Adams announced last week that city taxpayers would give an $8.1 million interest-free loan to Gerding Edlen Development so the Portland company could build new North American headquarters in the Pearl for Vestas.

Mckinstry innovation center cozies into position as cleantech ‘accelerator’

Perched atop two floors of parking on the McKinstry campus, the Seattle-based consulting, construction, and energy firm has built the first real space of its kind dedicated entirely to fostering the local cleantech industry

EnerG2 gets started on Albany energy storage materials plant

Climate Solutions congratulates EnerG2, who broke ground on Tuesday on its stimulus-funded energy storage materials production facility in Albany, promising 35 new jobs when the plant opens in October 2011.

Seattle takes the high road with retrofit program

The Seattle City Council adopted the "Community High Road Agreement for Residential Retrofit Projects," which will lead to the creation of thousands of high-quality, family-supporting jobs for qualified, historically underrepresented contractors and workers in the clean-energy economy.

Study: Northwest poised to lead clean-energy transition

A study released Wednesday indicates that the Northwest is uniquely positioned to make a relatively painless transition to clean-energy sources, retiring all coal and nuclear power generation in the region by 2040.

Building the Biocarbon Economy: How the Northwest Can Lead

Climate Solutions announces the release of Building the Biocarbon Economy: How the Northwest Can Lead, a new briefing series that details how forests, farms, cities and businesses can mobilize biological carbon resources to stabilize the climate.