Nationwide, 2008 might not be remembered with fondness as the economy took a serious downturn and unemployment numbers hit historical records, but jobs at clean-tech or alternative energy companies have grown in the golden state, with close to two-thirds of these jobs based in the Los Angeles area. These numbers, released on Tuesday are based on latest data available culled from data provided by the government and private research.   All in all, California employers created about 174,000 jobs in the fields of renewable energy, including solar, wind, hydropower and electric vehicle development and environmental consultation by 2009. Quite a contrast to the 111 in 1995.  

According to F. Noel Perry, Founder of Next 10, a self described  independent, nonpartisan organization that educates, engages and empowers Californians to improve the state’s future, “there are very few business sectors that can employ people across every region, especially in a state as large as California.  Green is providing a very solid foundation for future growth.”  

While the San Francisco bay area grew by an 8% jump, this northern CA region takes claim for 28% of green jobs and hosts 26% of the companies offering these new positions.  South of Los Angeles, Orange County hired workers to support the fuel-cell market anchored by UC Irvine’s innovative Fuel Cell Research Center.  

So much for the green movement being a “job killer”. Clearly this is a transition time for new companies to develop key products and services in a new and innovative market coupled with a challenging economic environment.  While CA has shown leadership in implementing new programs with local government support, I would like to see the nation shake off the status quo, and complacency that keeps us from becoming key players in a global market place.