Using green energy could create jobs, report says

The state could generate thousands of new jobs by developing an economy oriented toward green energy, according to Utah Clean Energy, a nonprofit advocacy group.

Utah Clean Energy on Thursday gave a briefing on a report about green energy to policymakers and architects gathered at the Utah State Building Auditorium on Utah's Capitol Hill. The full report, titled "Building the Clean Energy Economy: A Study on Jobs and Economic Development of Clean Energy in Utah," is scheduled to be released March 9.

After the briefing, Utah Clean Energy senior policy associate and study co-author Kelly Knutsen told the Deseret News that the state could create about 7,000 jobs each year by developing projects aimed at producing renewable energy, such as wind, solar and geothermal.

Development of new green-energy projects would mean thousands of jobs for people in fields ranging from service to technical sectors, Knutsen said. The energy projects also would help the state move closer to Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s goal of reaching a 20 percent increase in energy efficiency by 2015 and achieving 20 percent renewable electricity generation by 2025.

The Utah Clean Energy study analyzed the net economic impacts of investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy in Utah and the potential for the creation of "clean-energy jobs."

"If you bring in a project, you have a number of construction jobs that go along with that project, and if you keep putting in more and more projects, then there are even more jobs," Knutsen said.

People working on a project live in the community, and they are going to need services, including health care, grocery stores and accounting, he said.

"Those are 'induced effects,' " Knutsen said. "You have one central piece, but now you have a whole economy based around it."

By developing its green economy, Utah can position itself well for a prosperous future, he said.

"This is an opportunity that we have for the state of being able to expand from what we're currently using for traditional energy resources and really develop a fair amount more of energy efficiency and also renewable energy right here in the state," he said.

The report's executive summary said that new investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy in the state would result in $310 million in new net earnings annually.

State energy advisor Dianne Nielson said the information in the report could serve as a blueprint for Utah residents and businesses to improve energy use and efficiency.

"As we move forward, we put together numbers of jobs created and the economic benefit in terms of savings and payback from investments," Nielson said.

The executive director of Utah Clean Energy, Sarah Wright, said that study does not include policy recommendations. Instead, the report makes suggestions and illustrates what opportunities are available to the state if it chooses to pursue development of a clean-energy economy.

The study does not suggest shutting down all of the state's current fossil-fuel plants, but it recommends that in the future, the state could look at diversifying with energy efficiency and renewables.

"We think it sends a clear signal that this is a direction that Utah can explore to go forward," Wright said. "Not only does our scenario create jobs, but it also mitigates risk associated with volatile fuel costs."

E-MAIL: jlee@desnews.com