| This paper studies the momentum of renewable energy-related industrial sectors and the characteristics of related firms in New England. Where renewable energy-related firms are being located, the products and services being offered, and patterns visible from analyzing their distribution are examined. Additional comparisons are made between these renewable energy firms and broader measures of industrial employment change, establishment growth, and wages earned.;States firms more concentrated and clustered have firms more likely to specialize solely in their respective technology through activities like manufacturing or engineering while the dispersed firms of northern New England are offering many technologies through services like retail distribution, installation, and maintenance -- services of lower innovative and skill intensity. Additionally, the data in this thesis illustrate a development life cycle of certain technologies as they move from design and engineering stages in concentrated industrials areas to retail distribution and general consumption over the broad landscape. In drawing comparisons between renewable energy and various high tech industries by NAICS, examining the rate of change in number of establishments over the decade suggests a resiliency of high tech establishments that has allowed them to weather the current economic climate. |
