No longer rhetoric for political platforms, cleantech jobs have become a viable and important reality for the American economy.

A new report from research firm Clean Edge, Inc. reveals how the cleantech industry has become one of the key markets for growth and job creation.

Industry  Background:

In a Pew Charitable Trusts
report published in June 2009, clean-energy jobs accounted for half a
percent of total employment in the U.S.-- roughly 770,000 jobs in 2007.

While this number might seem small, when placed in the same sphere
as other mature U.S. industries as biotech (200,000 jobs),
telecommunications (989,000), and traditional energy including
utilities, coal mining and oil and gas extraction (1.3 million), it
becomes quickly contextualized. 

The Pew report also found that clean-energy jobs are growing faster
than other sectors, increasing by 9.1 percent from 1998 to 2007
compared to 3.7 percent growth for all U.S. jobs over that same time
period.

According to Clean Edge research, the solar PV industry alone now
represents approximately 200,000 direct a