Ruby Gates and Stephanie Swanson

Our understanding of energy exists in clearly defined terms: a gallon of gas, a liter of water, a quart of milk. Amps, kilowatts and megawatts rarely mean anything to us in our daily lives…until recently.

We are quickly moving away from an industrial revolution framework—one that defined our working hours, our production and our transportation system by output—to a new infrastructure is growing to replace the old—one that is based on clearly defined energy reduction goals.

This shift is evident in every sector of our lives, including at home. To our kids, water comes from the tap, electricity comes from the switch on the wall, gasoline from the pump. As we transition from fossil to renewable this dialogue will take new shape. Our basic understanding about core power sources generates new ideas, behavior and industrious natural resource technology. A new generation moves away from amps and kilowatts to wind patterns, ocean tides and sun trajectory. The simple energy basics get a facelift, courtesy of fresh perspective and a brave new technology frontier.  

Companies are putting their ears to the ground, trying to decipher this new landscape. Traditional business drivers, such as mass production for mass consumption, are quickly disintegrating, creating powerful opportunities to set profound new paradigms in place. 

And the beginning of that paradigm shift is driven by necessity. Energy costs are high, resources are scarce, competition is fierce and the workforce needs education and training to adapt to new energy systems, technologies and behavioral changes. Smart, practical business leaders understand that today’s investment in renewables and energy efficiency is not only a short-term solution for reducing operational costs, but a long-term view toward competitive advantage.  

For example, in Oregon alone, the Business Energy Tax Credit, a 35 percent tax credit for energy efficiency and renewable project investment, created more than $616 million in economic investments and wages, and more than 1,700 jobs in the last two years.