Tennessee Economic Partnership Leads State Delegation on Mission to Recruit More Clean Energy Jobs

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tennessee Economic Partnership (TEP) is leading a team of economic development leaders from across the state to take part in two of the nation's largest renewable energy events this month, beginning this week with the Renewable Energy Technology Conference (RETECH) Feb. 3-5 in Washington, D.C., and followed by the Renewable Energy World Conference Feb. 23-25 in Austin, Texas.

The delegation is being joined by Commissioner Matt Kisber from the Department of Economic and Community Development (ECD) and Commissioner Reagan Farr from the Department of Revenue in Washington on Wednesday to meet with top prospects and consultants in the renewable energy sector. While in Washington this week, the delegation also will meet with members of Tennessee's congressional delegation to discuss issues important to Tennessee's ability to keep and attract jobs.

"This is an extraordinary opportunity to tout Tennessee's leadership in the renewable energy sector directly to more than 7,000 industry executives, many of whom are hungry for more information about why they should choose Tennessee over another state to expand or relocate their business," said TEP Chairman Mike Evans of the Clarksville/Montgomery County Economic Development Council. "Tennessee has fast become a major player in the clean energy sector, and we have a state-level strategy to provide superior site locations, a ready workforce, a second-to-none business climate and, particularly in the solar sector, a rapidly developing supply chain."

"The interest we're seeing in Tennessee from the renewable energy and clean tech sectors shows the real value of the partnership between the state, TEP and local economic developers," said Commissioner Kisber. "Working together provides us an advantage over many competitor states."

This month's clean energy jobs push comes on the heels of last fall's first-ever Tennessee Solar Symposium, a summit hosted by TEP and ECD to help give communities across the state a competitive advantage in the emerging solar industry. In the past two years, Tennessee has seen its solar-industry strategy blossom into more than 1,000 new jobs and more than $2 billion in capital investment.

Last week, Missouri-based Confluence Solar announced it had selected Clinton, Tennessee, as the home of its new $200 million manufacturing, warehousing and distribution facility, which will create 250 new jobs and produce premium quality mono-crystal silicon ingots for photovoltaic solar power generation. Confluence joins a growing number of clean energy companies that have chosen to call Tennessee home, including Hemlock Semiconductor, Wacker Chemie, Sharp Solar, Shoals Technologies Group, AGC Flat Glass, and SIAG Aerisyn L.L.C., DuPont-Danisco, Genera Energy and Alstom Power. In 2009, Tennessee was named one of the three leading states in the U.S. for clean technology job growth by the Pew Center for the States.

Tennessee's presence this month at RETECH and at the Renewable Energy World Conference will help further open doors to new jobs across the entire renewable energy marketplace, including wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, biomass and biofuels.

About the Tennessee Economic Partnership

Tennessee Economic Partnership is a public-private program created in 1990 by the state's leading economic development professionals and corporate executives to organize marketing opportunities that attract new jobs to the state. Through strategically planned networking events, TEP generates leads and business relationships with key prospects and consultants. In partnership with the State of Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the state's business and economic development community, TEP works to increase private capital investment and create higher incomes for all Tennesseans. For more information, visit www.tennep.com.

SOURCE Tennessee Economic Partnership