With the fifth-highest “green” employment in the country, Ohio has become a leader in the renewable energy industry.
There were 8,080 more green goods and services jobs in Ohio in 2011 than there were in 2010, according to data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics in March.
In 2011, green goods and services employment in Ohio accounted for 137,143 jobs, which is 4 percent of the total green employment in the country.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics defines green goods and services as goods and services produced by an establishment that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources.
Employment is categorized into five groups including energy efficiency, pollution reduction and removal, greenhouse gas reduction, natural resource conservation, environmental education and public awareness and production of energy from renewable sources.
“We all recognize that Ohio is well situated to offer a diverse portfolio of energy-generating resources and that, for me, means continuing the use of coal and oil and natural gas as well as pursuing alternative energy such as wind and solar,” said Sen. Lou Gentile, D-Steubenville.
Third Sun Solar, 762 W. Union St., based in Athens, employs at least 19 of Ohio’s green jobs. The company plans, designs and installs solar energy systems for residential homes, schools, businesses and organizations looking for a renewable energy option.
“We’re at the very beginning of building a new energy infrastructure,” said Geoff Greenfield, co-owner and president of Third Sun Solar. “There are a lot of jobs and economic development opportunities in renewable energy.”
Greenfield started Third Sun Solar with his wife, Michelle, 14 years ago. The couple had built their own solar system on their house in Athens and noticed that other residents wanted solar systems on their homes as well.
Athens is home to many environmentally motivated people, which is part of the reason why Greenfield said his company was successful.
“We have noticed that college towns across the country have more residential solar activity,” he said.
Since its founding, Third Sun Solar has completed more than 300 clean energy installations in Ohio and cities throughout the country, including Bloomington, Ind.; Boulder, Colo. and Ann Arbor, Mich.
“Ohio is already a leader in renewable energy, especially if you look at the manufacturing side of things,” Greenfield said. He added that the largest solar contractor in the world, First Solar, has one of its two manufacturing locations in Perrysburg, Ohio.
Greenfield said solar is a “no brainer” because it does not have the “boom and bust” cycle of the coal and natural gas industries.
“The challenge in switching to solar is with the folks already holding the power and benefitting from the status quo,” he said. “(Renewable energy) is the way of the future, it’s just a matter of how quickly we will get there.”
ls114509@ohiou.edu
