The Green Jobcast, episode 18, is a short news segment with information about green jobs making headlines across the country. This week news on solar projects and geothermal jobs. (download mp3) 3 minutes

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TRANSCRIPT

First up… the Hartford business journal is reporting that Constellation Energy Group Inc. said today it will build a photovoltaic system to generate solar power at an entertainment complex adjacent to the New England Patriots’ stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

The power system will generate about 525 kilowatts at Patriot Place, the 1.3-million-square-foot entertainment, retail and dining complex next to the NFL team’s Gillette Stadium. Topping seven roofs, the power system will supply about 30 percent of Patriot Place’s power, Constellation said.

Construction is expected to begin in late October and will require installation of about 2,800 photovoltaic panels, the company said. The work is expected to be completed by the end of the year, spokesman Aaron Koos said.

Constellation Energy estimates the system will generate more than 12 million kilowatt hours of electricity over 20 years and will prevent the release of more than 8,800 metric tons of carbon dioxide. The company said that is equal to removing more than 1,600 cars from the road for a year.

A large scale solar energy project at Fort Irwin California is expected to create hundreds of jobs, but shovels won’t be hitting the ground for another two to three years. The solar sites will create up to 400 construction jobs and 350 jobs to maintain and operate the power plants over a 10-year period, according to Brian Crunk, project manager of Clark Energy Group, one of the two renewable energy developers working on the project.

The Arlington, Va.-based group has teamed with Acciona Solar Power, based in Madrid, Spain, which operates the massive Nevada Solar One power plants in Boulder City, Nev. Once completed, the solar power plants will be the Department of Defense’s largest ever solar energy project.

In Pennsylvannia the Daily Item is reporting that the Milton Borough Council planning commission approved a $32 million plan to build the largest solar farm east of the Mississippi River in a portion of the Milton Industrial Park. The proposed farm, to feature 26,000 solar panels, will produce enough daytime power for two businesses in the industrial park. The project will create 10 full-time jobs to design, build and operate the farm, 50 full-time local green support jobs, and five temporary jobs, to build the solar farm system.

A new geothermal plant in Idaho is providing electricity for 10,000 homes and heating up Idaho’s clean energy economy. Recent analysis by federal agencies documents the West’s extensive geothermal resources, estimating over 8,000 megawatts of electrical power could be generated from identified geothermal resources in the western United States. “Across the rural West, we can warm up the job market, grow our businesses, and heat up our economy with geothermal power,” said Bill Midcap, Director of Renewable Energy Development for the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union.

The western United States has abundant geothermal resources. The recent federal report identified geothermal resources in all 12 western states. The report found that the “hottest resources” where “commercial electric generation would most likely occur” include central and northern Nevada, western Utah, and southern and central Idaho.