Advice provided by: Claire Moloney, LEED Green Associate, Cornell University

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According to the Chattanoogan, a group of local environmental organizations recently wrote a letter to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), asking them to increase their power production from renewable energy. They proposed 20% renewable energy by 2020 or 25% by 2025.

The environmental groups, which included the Tennessee Environmental Council, Tennessee chapters of the Sierra Club, and Tennessee Alliance for Progress, also asked the TVA to reconsider its cuts to solar incentives and to boost its renewable energy educational outreach to residents.

"The new energy economy is the single best economic engine we have to create jobs and drive ourselves out of the current recession," said Dr. John McFadden, executive director of the Tennessee Environmental Council. "Solar is a key component of that new energy economy, with over 6000 solar jobs already in TN and more on the way with Sharp, Hemlock, and Wacker investing in TN solar manufacturing jobs."

If the TVA were to adopt renewable energy standard, it would add to the already growing number of green jobs in Tennessee. A study released in 2011 showed that private investments are stimulating sustainable job growth in the state.

Private Investments Add Green Jobs in Tennessee

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development partnered with researchers from Middle Tennessee State University's Business and Economic Research Center (BERC) to publish a report titled "Green Jobs in Tennessee: Economic Impact of Selected Green Investments."

The June 2011 study, funded by a division of the U.S. Department of Labor, analyzed the "ground-breaking" green investments made by six local companies to determine their impact on the greater economy. The corporations were Hemlock Semiconductor, Wacker Chemie AG, Volkswagen, Nissan Leaf and Storage Battery Manufacturing, Tennessee Solar Institute and West Tennessee Solar Farm, and eTec Battery Charging Stations.

According to the findings, these companies will have invested more than $5.5 billion in green solutions by 2014. That investment led directly to more than 5,600 environmental jobs and nearly 7,000 green building jobs in 2011.

Ultimately, the projects will have created nearly 17,000 permanent positions across Tennessee, 10,000 of which are green, according to the report. Newly created jobs include machinists, engineers, solar installation managers, inspectors and electrical assemblers.

Green Job Training

"Labor market information like this gives educational institutions and job seekers guidance on workforce demands and the training it takes to get a job in this growing industry," said Labor & Workforce Development Commissioner Karla Davis said in a press release.

As Davis suggests, qualified workers with the right credentials may be in the best position to benefit from a statewide - and, indeed, nationwide - surge in demand for green jobs.

For instance, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, one of the country's leading providers of green building rating systems, has a credential program for green building professionals. A LEED Green Associate or LEED AP with Specialty credential could provide professionals with the strong foundation in green building that they need to find a job in the field.

Additionally, the North American Board of Certified Energy Practioners (NABCEP) provides certification for solar PV, solar thermal and small wind installers.

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