"Green" economy adding jobs in state, Tampa

With more than 100,000 jobs in so-called clean or green economy, Florida ranks seventh among states in developing industries that provide an environmental benefit, according to a report released by The Brookings Institution today.

The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area ranked 34th among the nation's metropolitan areas, with 15,347 clean-economy jobs. North Port, in south Sarasota County, and Lakeland, made the list at No. 94 and 95, respectively.

The report, built on a database of employment statistics compiled from 2003 to 2010, is meant to highlight the growing importance of clean-energy industries to individual communities and the United States' economy, as a whole.

Behind the broad clean/green economy label lies a diverse group of businesses, including traditional industries such as manufacturing, wastewater treatment and mass transit; and the small but fast-growing segment of the economy focused on sustainable industry – such as the solar, wind, fuel cell, smart grid, biofuel and battery industries.

Overall, what the Brookings researchers defined as clean-energy companies accounted for 2.7 million jobs nationwide. Clean-energy companies added half a million jobs between 2003 and 2010, growing at an annual rate of 3.4 percent – lagging the national economy's average annual growth rate of 4.2 percent, according to the study.

However, energy-focused companies saw "explosive job gains" and outperformed the national economy during the recession, the study concluded.

"All of these things are growing rapidly and ultimately should be of great interest to the country in thinking about the future and policy, because that's where job growth will come and innovation will come," Mark Muro, a senior fellow with The Brookings Institution, said in a video clip on the policy group's website.

Of key importance to the U.S. economy is that clean-economy companies provide production jobs, manufacturing and exports, Muro said. The next-generation technologies they are advancing will require investments now, and partnerships between the public sector, universities and government research labs, Muro said.

However, the industry is too small to make anything but moderate contributions to the overall economy for the next three to five years and won't be able to offset the large number of jobs lost in the recession, he said.

Among the report's findings about Florida and the Tampa Bay area:

• Clean jobs: 102,967 in Florida, 15,347 in the Tampa Bay area

• Growth: 28,298 in Florida between 2003 and 2010 (4.7 percent annual growth), 4,614 in the Tampa Bay area (5.2 percent annual growth)

• Intensity: Clean-economy jobs account for 1.4 percent of Florida's workforce and 1.3 percent of the jobs in the Tampa Bay area.

• Wages: The estimated annual wage in Florida's clean economy is $38,085 and $37,300 in the Bay area.

• Fastest-growing: Statewide, the fastest-growing segments of the clean economy are solar energy, heating and air conditioning/building control systems, sustainable forestry products, wind energy and conservation.

In the Tampa Bay area, the fastest-growing areas are heating and air conditioning/building control, solar energy, green architecture and construction, professional environmental services and green building materials.