Report: Clean Energy Is Where Nevada Jobs Are Growing Fastest
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June 11, 2009
Las Vegas, NV – If you're job-hunting in Nevada, a new report indicates you might increase your chances of success by searching in the clean energy sector. It says clean energy jobs are growing at a faster pace than those in the overall economy.
The new report, for The Pew Charitable Trusts, finds more than 3600 Nevadans already working in clean energy jobs. One such employer is Power Efficiency Corporation, where Derek Coelho says the Las Vegas-based company offers systems that make moving walkways and escalators run more efficiently.
"We're constantly monitoring the load and adjusting the power to handle that load. If you have one or two people on the escalator, as opposed to a person on every step, we would consider that lightly loaded — and we're saving energy at that point in time."
Coelho says their devices can produce energy savings of up to 40 percent. The company employs 20 people, but he expects that number to grow as it expands.
Nevada saw major job growth during the study period (1998 – 2007), but jobs in the clean energy sector grew even faster, according to Kil Huh, project director for The Pew Center on the States.
"The state's aggressive programs to encourage businesses, homes and schools, and public buildings to use solar power is one reason that the growth might continue."
Huh says the clean energy jobs they tabulated in Nevada cover a wide range of career fields, from engineers and plumbers to machine setters and marketing consultants; similarly, pay also varies quite a bit, from $21,000 to more than $100,000 a year.
The full report, "The Clean Energy Economy: Repowering Jobs, Businesses and Investments Across America," contains information by state. It's online at www.pewtrusts.org.