July 27, 2012

Clean Energy

Clean energy in Northern Colorado has suffered as the industry struggles to compete with cheaper fossil fuels.

One of the hardest-hit: Danish wind turbine giant Vestas, which has manufacturing facilities in Windsor, Brighton and Pueblo. The company announced 2,335 global job cuts in January and warned that an additional 1,600 layoffs could occur nationwide if Congress fails to renew tax breaks for renewable energy.

Efforts to renew the credit, set to expire at the end of the year, were under way but with no assurances of passage.

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Solar energy companies were having problems, too, in part caused by overseas competitors who were flooding the market with cheaper goods.

Earlier in the year, Loveland-based Abound Solar said that it temporarily would slash 180 jobs and lay off another 100 temporary workers. It also put off opening a new factory in Indiana and stopped making its first-generation thin-film photovoltaic modules. In late June, the company announced it would file for bankruptcy.

Times seemed better for clean energy during the administration of Gov. Bill Ritter, who signed more than 50 bills dealing with renewable energy during his four years as governor. He helped create thousands of jobs as companies like Vestas established operations in Colorado.

Gov. John Hickenlooper’s administration insists he is as committed to renewable energy as his predecessor, but he has signed fewer bills and not as many clean energy companies have moved here as during Ritter’s term.

Despite its troubles, the industry remains a significant regional employer. Clean energy employed 2,750 in 2010, according to the Northern Colorado Economic Development Corp., though that figure declined from 3,130 in 2008.

Some promise exists for future growth in Northern Colorado.

Woodward, a Fort Collins-based company that makes technology to reduce emissions in aerospace and energy sectors, set a record of $132 million in net earnings last year. The company is adding employees, developing plans for a new manufacturing facility in the United States and expanding operations in Poland and China.

The Rocky Mountain Innosphere, which opened its new building last year, aims to serve 40 new start-ups to create more than 400 new jobs with salaries greater than $70,000. At least some of those companies will be in the clean energy sector.

Also, real estate developer Craig Harrison has proposed the Niobrara Energy Park in northern Weld County. The 640-acre park would integrate natural-gas and renewable-energy production.

Clean energy remains a focus of an array of Northern Colorado organizations. The city of Fort Collins, the Colorado State University Office of Economic Development, the Northern Colorado Economic Development Corp. and Upstate Colorado Economic Development all have established clean energy as a targeted cluster.

Additionally, those organizations and others participate in the Northern Colorado Clean Energy Cluster, a consortium seeking to promote the region’s clean-energy by building on existing competencies.

Clean energy in Northern Colorado has suffered as the industry struggles to compete with cheaper fossil fuels.

One of the hardest-hit: Danish wind turbine giant Vestas, which has manufacturing facilities in Windsor, Brighton and Pueblo. The company announced 2,335 global job cuts in January and warned that an additional 1,600 layoffs could occur nationwide if Congress fails to renew tax breaks for renewable energy.

Efforts to renew the credit, set to expire at the end of the year, were under way but with no assurances of passage.

Solar energy companies were having problems, too, in part caused by overseas competitors who…

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