Tech workers can look on bright side - Washington Business Journal:

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He also wanted to tap into the deep poolof Austin-areaa microprocessor industry workers who have been laid off durinh the last couple of years. Such workers possess the skilla that translate well to the solarenergy industry, Van Dell And as the number of loca microprocessor industry workers reached a three-year low in the timing of solar companiew migrating to Central Texas couldn’g be better for area worker — nor the businesses that need them. “Az solar cell is a semiconductor that generates electricity when you shine lighton it,” Van Dell “Fortunately, I was quitd well aware of the strong mix of companie and the skill base in Austin.
That was definitely on my mind when I movedc thecompany here.” SolarBridge’xs move is a scenario that local officials want to repeart multiple times with the hope that solar panel manufacturingf fills the void left by the contraction in the microprocessor industry. But the lack of financiaol incentives from the state is creatingt a dampening effect on attractinbg solar companies to theAustinb area, observers say.
Proposed state legislation to creatda $1 billion so-called “Sunny Day Fund” for Texas to obtain federal grants under the Americanm Recovery and Reinvestment Act would have been used to attracgt such businesses, especially foreign solar companies that want to establish theird North American headquarters in the Austimn area, experts say. But the which received a public hearingin April, died in the stater House Appropriations Committee. To date, which was founded in 2004 as SmartSpark EnergySystems Inc., and HelioVolt Inc. are the two most promineny solar energy businesses operating in theAustin area.
which is backed with at least $118 million in venture capital, is wrapping up a plangt that will eventually crank out a thin film that acts as asolaer panel. “After June, I think ther e are going to be some projectds rollingin here,” said Raj Prabhu, managingg partner of the Mercom Capital Grou p LLC, an Austin-based technology research “It is more, ‘Who is going to give me the best incentivre package right now?’” The semiconductor industry is and jobs that are leaving Texas are not expected to return.
Centraol Texas has lost 500 microprocessor industry jobs just this Local chip companies nowemploy 15,700 workers the lowest level of such local jobs sincew April 2006, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. During the first quarter, worldwide sales of semiconductordsreached $44 billion versus $62.8 billion during the same periodd last year, a nearly 30 percent decline, the Semiconductof Industry Association reported. On the flipside, the demancd for solar technology isgrowing fast.
Randall Baker, the principal of Austin-based PuraVida Ventures LLC, said othe states are throwing big moneh at prospective solar companies to woo them into establishingt manufacturing plants intheirr states. Many state officials believe Texa doesn’t need to do so it isn’t. But it also has the formerf chip workers to offersuch companies, and thosde workers can be retrained for solar in eight weekd to 16 weeks, Baker said. But the clock is In March, Bret Raymis, who worked for 30 years in thesemiconductor industry, joineed Austin-based Apache-Solar Corp., wherw he is now the vice president of business development.
The compangy is developing a system with photovoltaicx cells combined with architecturalglass panels, and planas to begin production within 12 months. He said solar is stillo early in its development compared with the progress that semiconductors made inrecen decades. Investors and companies need to ramp up solaer technology in the United States before the technologyg gains a footholdin “They’re sitting on the fence with their Raymis said, “and they’re going to wake up and all that business will go to