14 DAY TRIAL // A new report pieced together by Synapse Energy Economics argues that the state of Montana has a long way to go until it can brag about the fact that it is exploiting its clean energy sources to the fullest.
Thus, the report, which was released by the Montana Environmental Information Center and the Sierra Club just yesterday, says that the state could easily add over 4,000 jobs in the clean energy sector by the year 2030.
However, in order for this to happen, it is mandatory that this region in the United States start making investments in technologies that would allow it to harvest renewables, and especially wind and solar.
“This report shows us that by investing in energy efficiency upgrades, solar and wind generation, we can create strong, family-wage careers for Montanans,” Marty Wilde with WINData LLC said in a statement.
Furthermore, “Our local potential is vast: We have some of the nation’s best wind resources. Montana can use its own sustainable natural resources such as wind to create in-state jobs and build businesses.”
What the WINData LLC CEO and principal engineer wished to say was that, in terms of wind resources, Montana ranked the third in the country. However, when it comes to installed capacity, it only ranks the 20th or the 21st, EcoWatch informs.
What's more, Montana's solar energy industry is not all that well developed either. On the contrary, it appears that this state is home to surprisingly few solar manufacturers, installers, and contractors, the same source details.
Together with the Sierra Club and the folks at Synapse Energy Economics, the Montana Environmental Information Center argues that investments in commercial and residential solar power are the ones most likely to transform Montana's job market.
More precisely, it is expected that such investments will generate 9.2 jobs per year for every megawatt installed. Energy efficiency would also help create a lot of jobs, seeing how an investment of $1 million (€0.73 million) should go hand in hand with a 11 jobs per year during the installation stage.
“It is important that development of Montana’s wind and energy resources moves forward. Not only will we create hundreds of family wage careers for Montanans during construction, but we will also create many more sustaining indirect jobs as a result.”
“We invest a lot of resources to produce the highest-skilled and most productive workforce in the industry – we have that workforce in Montana, ready to get started,” Ben Basom, a spokesman for the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters, told the press.