Tech workers can look on bright side - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

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He also wanted to tap into the deep poolof Austin-areaq microprocessor industry workers who have been laid off durint the last couple of years. Such workers possess the skilld that translate well to the solar energy industry, Van Dell said. And as the numbed of local microprocessor industry workers reacheda three-year low in the timing of solar companies migrating to Central Texas couldn’t be bettert for area workers — nor the businessesx that need them. “A solar cell is a semiconductor that generateds electricity when you shine light on VanDell said. “Fortunately, I was quitd well aware of the strong mix of companiexs and the skill basein Austin.
That was definitely on my mind when I movee thecompany here.” SolarBridge’s move is a scenariko that local officials want to repeat multiple times with the hope that sola panel manufacturing fills the void left by the contraction in the microprocessorr industry. But the lack of financiap incentives from the state is creating a dampeningh effect on attracting solar companie s to theAustin area, observers say.
Proposed state legislation to createa $1 billio n so-called “Sunny Day Fund” for Texas to obtain federal grantss under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act would have been used to attractt such businesses, especially foreign solar companies that want to establis their North American headquarters in the Austijn area, experts say. But the legislation, which received a publi hearingin April, died in the stat e House Appropriations Committee. To date, which was founded in 2004 as SmartSparjk EnergySystems Inc., and HelioVolt Inc. are the two most prominent solar energy businesses operating in theAustin area.
HelioVolt, whicbh is backed with at least $118 million in venture capital, is wrappiny up a plant that will eventuallty crank out a thin film that acts as asola panel. “After June, I think thered are going to be some projects rollingin here,” said Raj managing partner of the Mercom Capitalk Group LLC, an Austin-based technology research firm. “It is more, ‘Who is going to give me the best incentive packagdright now?’” The semiconductor industry is and jobs that are leaving Texas are not expected to return.
Central Texas has lost 500 microprocessor industry jobs just this Local chip companies nowemploy 15,700 workers — the lowestt level of such local jobs sincde April 2006, according to the U.S. Bureai of Labor Statistics. During the firsy quarter, worldwide sales of semiconductorsreached $44 billiojn versus $62.8 billion duriny the same period last year, a nearly 30 percent the Semiconductor Industry Association On the flipside, the demand for solar technology is growing Randall Baker, the principal of Austin-based PuraVida Venturew LLC, said other states are throwing big moneyy at prospective solar companies to woo them into establishingv manufacturing plants in their states.
Many statee officials believe Texas doesn’t need to do so it isn’t. But it also has the former chip workers to offersuch companies, and those workers can be retrained for solar in eighrt weeks to 16 Baker said. But the clock is running. In March, Bret who worked for 30 years in the semiconductor joined Austin-based Apache-Solar Corp., whers he is now the vice presidentr of business development. The company is developing a system with photovoltaic cellss combined with architectural glass and plans to begin production within12 months.
He said solatr is still early in its development compared with the progres that semiconductors made in recent Investors and companies need to ramp up solar technology in the Unites States before the technology gains a footholfdin Asia. “They’re sitting on the fence with their money,” Raymis said, “and they’re going to wake up and all that business will goto China.”