RI's Green Energy Jobs Touted at East Providence Solar Plant

EAST PROVIDENCE, RI—Jobs, jobs, jobs. It's Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo's favorite subject and it was front and center in front of rows of solar panels at a former landfill site in East Providence on Wednesday.

Specifically, clean energy jobs.

"We've made extraordinary strides in promoting renewable energy - from expanding our solar industry to construction of the nation's first offshore wind farm. Rhode Island is leading the way, and I look forward to continuing to work with our partners to keep the momentum going, Raimondo said at a news conference to unveil the 2016 Clean Energy Jobs Report.

The highlight of the report is a reported 40 percent increase in employment in clean energy jobs over the past 12 months, thanks in part to growth in the energy efficiency, solar and wind sectors. A huge portion of that is related to the construction of the Block Island wind farm project, according to the report.

The sector now accounts for 14,000 jobs across Rhode Island. Raimondo and other officials at Wednesday's press conference, which was held underneath a bright blue sky in front of the glinting solar array, said that the growth surge should be just the beginning.

"Through a number of legislative and administrative initiatives over the past several years, we have positioned Rhode Island to see many more exciting developments like the solar array we see here today, and each one will represent a move toward shrinking our carbon footprint and toward a stronger green economy that provides good jobs for Rhode Islanders," said Rep. Arthur Handy of Cranston, also the chairman of the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee.

East Providence Mayor Thomas Rose said that his city, now home to the largest solar field in the state, is a hopeful sign of more positive things for generations to come.

"Looking back at what we've been able to accomplish, I'm hopeful that we can work together to implement policy that will benefit the environment and the state's economy," he said.

Other highlights of the report picked by the Raimondo administration include:

• The number of renewable energy jobs in Rhode Island increased by 84 percent in the last year, with the solar workforce accounting for nearly three-quarters of renewable generation employment;
• Wind energy is increasingly becoming a source of diverse employment across the state, now supporting nearly 500 jobs;
• Energy efficiency employment represents 8 in 10 clean energy workers, adding 2,900 jobs across the state;
• Three-quarters of Rhode Island's clean energy firms serve in-state customers, up from 68 percent last year;
• Renewable and energy efficient heating and cooling firms grew their workforce by 900 jobs.

For the full 2016 Rhode Island Clean Energy Jobs Report, visit www.energy.ri.gov/cleanjobs.

Ground was broken at the former Riverside Landfill in for the solar project in 2013.

The project brought new life to a site that had been dormant and unproductive for decades. It had been eyed in the Comprehensive Plan as a possible site for renewable energy.

Fill material from the Interstate 95 relocation project was donated by the state Department of Transportation, saving the city about $1 million in landfill closure costs.