• Activewear/Outdoor Gear
• Cleantech
• Advanced Manufacturing
• Software

» Targeted Clusters Home

Why Cleantech?

• Strength in manufacturing and semiconductors attract solar and wind energy companies
• Portland leads the nation in green buildings and is gaining a reputation in this field of expertiseRecruitment of SolarWorld and Vestas confirm Portland's reputation as a sustainable leader

Cleantech Cluster Snapshot
Total Regional Employment (2006)	9,817
Average Annual Wages	$59,000
Employment Growth (2001-06)	+ 1,212%
Portland Share of Regional Employment (2006)	46%

 

Green Development and Smart Growth

• Companies involved in designing and/or developing green buildings; designing or developing infrastructure to support green buildings and/or eco-districts; developing sustainable land use policies, and sustainable transportation clusters. 

Waste Management, Materials Recovery and Reuse

• Companies involved in collecting and transporting hazardous and non-hazardous waste and/or managing facilities where this waste is disposed; collecting and transporting e-waste or other industrial waste that can be recycled into inputs for production.

Environmental Services and Technology

• Companies specializing in soil, water, air and carbon emissions testing; wastewater management; stormwater management; watershed management; surface water and sediment assessment; geologic and hydrologic assessment; site assessment and brownfield and/or mining remediation. Companies may also be engaged in R&D of technology required to perform testing and assessment.

Alternative Fuel

• Companies involved in R&D and/or production of fuel from: biodiesel, biofuel, biomass, algae, cellulosic ethanol, wood chips and other plant or life sources. Companies may also be involved in the R&D of technology needed to convert waste to energy and/or produce energy from waste.

Clean Energy

• Companies involved in the R&D of geothermal, wind, wave, solar energy generation and/or in the R&D of equipment needed to store or transport this energy.

Clean Energy and Energy Efficient Equipment Installation Contractors

• Contractors who work to install cleantech or clean energy equipment or to improve the energy efficiency of a building.

Clean Technology

• Companies involved in R&D of technology, products or services that improve the energy efficiency of buildings, a range of industrial equipment, consumer goods and/or vehicles.

 

There are no federal, state or local definitions to distinguish “green” companies from their counterparts or standard codes to measure these companies’ unique impact in the economy. Therefore, methodology for quantitative measurement of this cluster differs from other clusters. Please note that the information in this document contains figures for companies who focus on green business as well as companies whose sustainable efforts comprise only a part of the total business.

PDC focuses its recruitment, retention and expansion efforts on companies involved in developing green buildings; energy; and environmental consultation and remediation services. PDC also provides assistance to companies that recycle industrial waste (NAICS: 42393).

• Alternative energy: Companies that research, develop or/or operate alternative energy facilities, such as biomass, ethanol, solar and wind power generation facilities.
  • NAICS: 221119, 333611 (Hoovers suggests: 22111, 221330, and 541710—the latter is used for Bio)
    
    
• Environmental consultation and remediation services: Companies that provide environmental engineering and consulting; environmental testing and analysis; and remediation services.
  • NAICS: 54162, 541330, 562111 and 562910 (Hoovers recommends 541380)
    
    
• Green Buildings: Companies that design, develop, and/or provide general contracting, remodeling and renovation services for residential, industrial or commercial buildings and use the LEED or comparable certification standards to ensure the buildings meet energy efficiency and environmental impact reduction standards.
  • NAICS: Currently no NAICS codes to track these firms. The US Green Building Council tracks buildings completed that meet LEED standards but not the firms or professionals certified through their system.
    
    
• Energy Efficiency: Companies that promote weatherization and other energy efficiency investments, policies, and infrastructure. This cluster is growing rapidly in the Portland region.

 

• Green building has catapulted Portland into the national media. Articles on green building leaders, developments or the city’s attitude towards green development in general typically highlight Portland’s competitive advantages for firms within this cluster and high quality of life.
  
  
• Alternative Energy and Green Building clusters have attracted highly collaborative and creative entrepreneurs willing to invest in social capital, as well as the physical capital necessary to operate a business.
  
  
• Cleantech entrepreneurs have been strong and active advocates for public policy changes along multiple dimensions.
  
  
• These clusters provide Oregonians and others with employment opportunities that allow them to find work that appeals to their consciences. In fact, the “green” perception attracts an unquantifiable number of residents to Portland.
  
  
• In 2006, companies that qualified for the Business Energy Tax Credit contributed to:1
• Increasing Oregon’s economic output by $142.7 million
• Creating 1,240 new jobs in Oregon
• Increasing Oregon wages by $18.6 million
• Increasing tax revenues for state and local government by $10 million
• Decreasing Oregonian’s commercial and residential energy costs by $48 million

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¹“Economic Impacts of Oregon Energy Tax Credit Programs in 2006 (BETC/RETC),” May 2007,  EcoNorthwest

Top PDC Initiatives	Why
Establish Portland + Oregon Sustainability Institute(POSI) and a permanent home for PDX Lounge	Synergy inspires innovation. The centers will provide a venue for industry networking and education; a showcase for demonstration projects; and be a one‐stop shop for businesses in search of information about the region.
Develop Green Jobs training agenda for the region and increase synergy between educational institutions and these industries	Increase supply of skilled workers across the industry
Recruit Vestas headquarters	The headquarters is projected to create 850 jobs in the region.

 

• Oregon’s Business Energy Tax Credit incents firm investment
• Active and collaborative entrepreneurs
• High Tech legacy provides fertile ground for a developing solar industry
• Presence of a strong and collaborative metals manufacturing network can lead to synergy with wind energy firms
• Proven community commitment to a spectrum of sustainable policies from land use planning to peak oil energy mandates.

 

• Voids in NAICS and SOC codes make it impossible to separate CTSI firms from their non‐green cohorts and standardize definitions for cluster under the CTSI umbrella
• Start‐up firms present funding challenges for lenders and there is a regional lack of funding for untested industries
• Lack of research and PR materials about regional competencies

• Vestas was recruited in 2008
• Oregon Sustainability Center at PSU is moving forward and aims to be the first commercial living building in the US