Bloomberg Announces Green Jobs
Architecture, economy, Education, Energy, Environment, Equity, Green Tech, Sustainability, Urbanism
Yesterday, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced new plans for creating and growing the local green economy. The initiative list includes 30 opportunities for green economy development ranging from incentives for entrepreneurs to nuts and bolts training for entry level workers. The initiatives are targeted at four major areas that will account for 70 percent of the coming growth in the green economy. These four major pillars are: green buildings, onsite renewable energy, carbon trading and finance, and greener neighborhoods. We taxpayers will foot $7.5 million of this from City money, but other money from the City, State and federal stimulus funds will be utilized as well. 
To see a full list of the initiatives, visit NYC.gov. But those highlighted in the press release are as follows:
“Develop Urban Technology Innovation Center To address the lack of a major green technology research and development center, the City will partner with an academic institution or NGO to develop an Urban Technology Innovation Center. The Center will drive the creation of new technologies, promote the City as a testing platform for these technologies, and create an inventory of building technology development and deployment projects to share benchmarking data and best practices among building owners. In November, NYCEDC will release a Request for Proposals to select a partner to develop the Center, which is expected to open in 2010.
Establish “Solar Zones” to Encourage Expanded Solar PV Installations: As part of the Solar America Cities partnership, the City was awarded $1 million from the Department of Energy funding to establish several “solar zones,” which will facilitate solar installations in targeted areas by streamlining the permitting process, establishing an ombudsman to oversee implementation, and launching a one-stop website with mapping and incentive information. This proposal builds off a federally-funded study on the Con Edison grid that identified areas of the City that have desirable energy use patterns and adequate roof space.
Build Innovative Solar Project at the Brooklyn Army Terminal: In order to demonstrate the viability of solar PV installation to the private sector, the City will install up to a 500 kilowatt solar system at the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park. The system is estimated to generate up to 750,000 kilowatt hours of energy – enough to supply the power needs of 150 City households annually – and offset 400 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. Additionally, the system could save the City up to $120,000 in annual electricity costs. NYCEDC will issue a Request for Proposals for this project in December 2009. For a rendering of the installation, visit www.nycedc.com.
Launch Solar Thermal Grant Program: A study funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) identified New York City as the “most favorable” location in New York State for solar thermal systems which use sunlight to provide heat for hot water and space heating. Despite the fact that solar thermal tends to have a shorter payback period than other renewable energy technologies, there remains a lack of awareness, financial incentives, and regulatory clarity in regard to solar thermal technology. To provide a substantial boost to the number of solar thermal projects in New York City, the City will launch a $1 million pilot project to leverage federal funding (30 percent tax credit) and private capital (30 percent cost share). The project could lead to $3 million to $5 million in solar thermal projects in the next three years. Applications for funding are now available at www.nycedc.com/solarthermal. Project installations are expected to begin in early 2010. The NYCEDC-funded projects will also include monitoring equipment so that NYCEDC can study the performance of the systems installed to better understand the financial, technical, and regulatory barriers that must be overcome to foster a sustainable and robust marketplace for solar thermal systems in New York City.
Launch Urban Wind Demonstration Project: Of the 64 submissions to a Request for Expressions of Interest on renewable energy projects in the City released last year, nearly one-third were for building-sited wind projects. The City has responded to this interest by establishing a permitting process that, in absence of national safety standards, will allow for the installation of small wind turbines. The City is also launching an Urban Wind Demonstration, which will provide nominal funding and permitting assistance and help identify building sites to qualified small wind turbine manufacturers. The Demonstration will test the performance and safety of small wind turbine systems installed in a dense urban setting and is expected to launch in Fall 2009. Several wind turbine manufacturers foresee a market for 5,000 to 10,000 installations in New York City over the next decade.
Kick-off Green JumpStart NYC: To address the market gap in qualified talent to fill carbon trading, investment, risk management, and project development roles across the green sector, the City will launch Green JumpStart NYC, a training program to assist displaced or entrepreneurial junior to mid-level employees in exploring opportunities in carbon trading and related green finance jobs. The program run by SUNY’s Levin Institute will offer a training “boot camp,” after which participants will be offered a 10-week unpaid fellowship with a green company with the potential of converting to full-time employment. The first class will begin in early 2010.
Examine City and State Laws Relating to a National Cap-and-Trade System: As a global financial center, the City has the support infrastructure necessary to support the emerging carbon trading market. However, the City faces challenges including a potential for existing state laws to create obstacles in the City’s bid to become a carbon finance hub. To address these challenges, the City is working with the New York City Bar Association to examine City and State laws for areas which might present impediments to growth in the carbon market.
Create Green Knowledge Centers at City Schools: To address the gap in demand for advanced professional skills to implement green initiatives, the City’s Department of Education will partner with Columbia University and the Urban Assembly to develop Green Knowledge Centers throughout the five boroughs. The Centers will aim to create hands-on learning opportunities for students and focus on workforce development, as well as developing skills related to green energy; environmental sustainability; and science, technology, engineering, and math. The first Green Knowledge Center will be located on the Upper West Side at the Urban Assembly School for Green Careers and opened in September 2009. It is one of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) demonstration schools recommended by the Mayor’s Task Force on CTE Innovation. The Upper Manhattan Green Jobs Training Academy at Co-op Tech recently received federal stimulus funding to provide GED, ESL and technical skills training in green construction careers. The program will serve disconnected youth, veterans, youth aging out of foster care, and individuals with disabilities residing in Upper Manhattan.
Launch Green Incentives Guide: Sources of funding available to green businesses are diverse and change frequently, making it difficult for companies to identify and understand all opportunities available to them. To assist businesses, the City has updated www.nycedc.com/incentives to include information on funding and incentives available for green businesses in the form of a guide available for download.
