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www.slenterprise.com September 30, 2019 Volume 49, Number 11 $1.50 OF NOTE Solar goal: 20% of U.S. production by 2030 only 2.4 percent of the nation’s energy mix. Proponents of the goal cite solar pow- Brice Wallace The energy industry of the future will er’s growth rate as a reason for optimism. The Enterprise be “clean,” said Julia Hamm, president and Solar accounted for less than 2 gigawatts of CEO of the Smart Electric Power Alliance U.S. power generation at the end of 2009 With sunny skies outside and optimism (SEPA), which also has a goal of carbon- but now is at over 69 GW. Over the past de- inside, proponents of solar energy outlined free energy production by the year 2050. cade, the solar industry experienced an av- a plan last week calling for solar to provide “It’s interesting to note that for young erage annual growth rate of more than 50 one-fi fth of U.S. electricity generation by generations, clean energy is not an op- percent. The industry now employs 242,000 2030. tion. It’s an expectation,” Hamm told the people and generates $17 billion in annual Kicking off the Solar Power Interna- crowd. “The cultural battle is being won by revenue. tional gathering of about 20,000 people at the simple reality of new generations with And while 2.4 percent may seem like the Salt Palace Convention Center, organiz- new attitudes. Solar, wind, storage and oth- a low generation fi gure, in 1999 solar ac- But it's just seasonal ers declared the time until 2030 to be the er technologies we’re all here to talk about counted for only 0.008 percent of total U.S. Package delivery giant FedEx is “Solar+ Decade.” The goal of 20 percent this week are not the alternative anymore. electricity. trying to hire 650 people at its compares with solar power being currently They are becoming the default.” That growth has been aided by the so- Salt Lake City processing facil- lar Investment Tax Credit (ITC). Since its ity for the holiday season. The implementation in 2006, it has helped cre- ate more than 200,000 American jobs, add- openings include package han- ed $140 billion in private-sector investment dlers and other support positions, many of which may become full- time opportunities as demand for see SOLAR page 21 FedEx services grows. Nationwide the company is looking for 55,000 seasonal emplyees. Industry News Briefs Jobless rate ﬂ at; pages 8-9 Business Calendar page 11 Utah job creation Opinion page 16 best in country For the third straight month, Utah’s un- The Utah Municipal Power Agency has signed an agreement with Salt Lake City's ePower to employment rate held steady at 2.8 percent buy power from a new 80-megawatt solar energy project in Juab County. The Clover Creek solar in August, meaning just over 45,000 were installation will be like this ePower solar farm in southern Idaho. Photo courtesy ePower out of work and actively seeking employment. The national jobless rate also remained unchanged at 3.7 percent in August. UMPA will buy electricity from Meanwhile, the state’s nonfarm pay- roll employment has grown by an estimated 3 percent, adding 45,900 jobs to the econo- ePower’s Clover Creek project my since August 2018. Utah’s current em- Salt Lake City-based renewable energy goal of more renewable energy in its pow- ployment level sits at about 1,562,500. producer sPower has entered into an agree- er mix. “Since becoming mayor, we have “The Utah economy continues func- ment with the Utah Municipal Power Agen- been pushing for adding more renewable tioning as a strong societal support,” said cy (UMPA) to provide power to the agency sources to Provo’s electricity mix,” Kaufusi Mark Knold, senior economist at the Utah from a new solar installation in Juab Coun- said. “For some time, we have watched the Department of Workforce Services. “Job ty. U MPA is an energy co-op established in growth of rooftop solar in our community growth remains as one of the nation’s best, 1980 that provides power to Levan, Man- and now we will be adding this large solar and that growth’s scope is extensive across ti, Nephi, Provo, Salem and Spanish Fork. project to the mix. Provo has been very ac- the industrial spectrum. One of the few ar- A representative of each city — either the tive in reducing its carbon footprint based eas not increasing employment is brick- mayor or a city council member — sits on on the efforts of Provo’s Sustainability and-mortar retail establishments due to the the agency’s board. Committee and our energy effi ciency pro- rise of e-commerce.” The new solar project, to be construct- grams. We are grateful for the employees at Utah’s private-sector employment has ed in Juab County, will be an 80-megawatt Provo Power in providing reliable service grown by 3.4 percent in the past year with project that represents a capital expenditure and keeping our lights on.” the addition of 43,400 positions. All 10 of of approximately $80 million into the coun- Before becoming Utah’s 3rd District the private-sector major industry groups ty. Dubbed Clover Creek Solar, it will be representative in Congress, John Curtis measured in the establishment survey post- located on approximately 560 acres on the was mayor of Provo and was instrumental ed net job increases in August. west side of Mona Lake in Juab County. in promoting a sustainable and renewable The largest private-sector employment Michelle Kaufusi, UMPA board member and mayor of Provo, said the Clover Creek project will help the agency attain its see UMPA page 23 see JOBS page 23 2 • Sept. 30-Oct. 6, 2019 • The Enterprise - Utah's Business Journal LIFE IS AN ADVENTURE Auto insurance shouldn’t be. Get a free quote. 1-877-276-7882 Insurance products are not deposits, not an obligation of and not guaranteed by Mountain America Credit Union. Insurance macu.com/easy products are not protected by the NCUA, may be subject to risk and, in the case of life insurance, may go down in value. The Enterprise - Utah's Business Journal • Sept. 30-Oct. 6, 2019 • 3 Utah consumers stay optimistic, marginally worried about China situation Utahns may be hedging their fidence Index took a 9.1 point hit 8 percent of Utahns feel jobs are Utahns are more uneasy about fu- they are concerned about over- bets a little about things like the in September to 125.1. hard to get, down from 9 percent ture business conditions. Current- all economic volatility result- future of business in the state, The increase in the Pres- in August. The Present Situation ly, only 23 percent of Utahns feel ing from the negotiations; and 5 but they are still pretty optimis- ent Situation Index is due to sea- Index is 0.7 points lower than it business conditions will be better percent say the negotiations have tic about the economic situation sonal fluctuations and improving was in September 2018. six months from now, a drop of negatively impacted their busi- as a whole. The Zions Bank Utah sentiment toward business condi- “Utahns recognize that our 3 percentage points from a year ness through things like disrup- Consumer Attitude Index (CAI) tions and job availability, as few- job market is strong — key to ago. And 18 percent of Utahns tions to supply chains and job in- increased 6.2 points to 119.3 in er Utahns are pessimistic about their sentiment about the future,” feel business conditions will get stability. September, fueled mainly by the current economic conditions. In said Scott Anderson, Zions Bank worse in the next six months, an “The growth of the national Present Situation Index, a sub- September, 4 percent of Utahns president and CEO. “Even though increase of 4 percentage points consumer price index has been index of the CAI that jumped 6.9 feel business conditions are bad, we are hearing some concerns re- since September 2018. below target levels, so the tariffs points from August to September. down 1 percentage point from Au- garding the future of the economy, The Expectations Index, an- that China and the United States The September hike brought gust and just 1 percent above the Utah continues to be well-posi- other sub-index of the CAI, rose have already levied have not, as the year-over-year CAI to minus lowest level recorded since Zions tioned because of its robust and 5.7 points from August to Sep- of yet, done much to raise prices 4.7 points since last September. Bank began tracking consumer diverse economy.” tember. Utahns are notably more for American households,” said The national Consumer Con- confidence in 2011. Additionally, Compared to 12 months ago, positive about their future in- Randy Shumway, chairman and comes, with 40 percent of Utahns partner of Cicero Group, a Salt believing their income will in- Lake City research firm that does crease in the next six months, the data collection and analysis for Overstock names Johnson permanent CEO highest point since January 2018 the CAI. “But some expect that The board of directors of Salt closely with Rob for many years to serve as president of Overstock and an increase of 4 percent since effect to happen soon, particular- Lake City-based online retail- and he is a great person to oversee subsidiary Medici Ventures.

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