The Green Jobcast, episode 10, is a short news segment with information about green jobs making headlines across the country. (download mp3) 3 minutes

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TRANSCRIPT

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said this week that she believes hiring in the alternative energy industry will pick up in the next year, but it will take longer than that for green jobs to become a bigger part of the U.S. job market.

Solis told The Associated Press that new government incentives will kick-start hiring in the fledgling industry as companies regain confidence and find it easier to borrow money.

Quote: “Once you start seeing more investments made in our economy recovering, as we stabilize and we get people back to work, then I think there’ll be more interest in expanding,” Solis said. “There’ll be more, hopefully, credit available for this expansion, because there will be more confidence because that’s what we’re lacking right now — that investment and confidence in the market.”

Prism Solar Technologies will receive $3.6 million in federal funding for them to create a spin-off company focused on developing a new form of photovoltaic technology here in the Hudson Valley.
Prism Solar Technologies, in Highland NY part of Ulster county, is a manufacturing partner of The Solar Energy Consortium and their spin-off company is expected to create around 300 jobs over the next three years as they manufacture and bring to market a flexible solar ribbon cell.

In Maryland, the CUMBERLAND Times News is reporting that a start-up wind company that has recently received federal stimulus funding, could have local people back to work by the holiday season.

John Congedo, president of AC~Wind, , told the Times-News Tuesday that AC~Wind has contracted with Brunswick Corp., parent company of Bayliner, to use its facilities in Cumberland and Salisbury. The two locations have the potential to employ a combined 700 people, Congedo said, with the Mexico Farms location expected to come online first.

The NY times is reporting that New Jersey will soon double their solar power output. PSE&G Solar, a subsidiary of the big New Jersey utility, has received the regulatory go-ahead to add 80 megawatts of solar capacity in its territory by the end of 2013, effectively doubling the amount of solar power in the state. That will maintain New Jersey’s position as the nation’s second-ranked state for solar photovoltaic installations, behind only California.

Of the 80 megawatts, half will be filled by 200,000 panels mounted atop utility poles. Each will provide 200 watts. These solar panels will look like the ones used to power emergency telephones by the sides of interstate highways. The installation will be the world’s largest in terms of pole-mounted solar units, according to the manufacturer, Petra Solar, which is based in New Jersey and will add 100 employees to the 40 working there now.