Tough Talk About Leading the World in Clean Energy

It’s always gutsy for a Bears fan to fly into Green Bay anytime, but especially in the week after the famous rivalry game.

That’s where President Obama disembarked, on route to Orion Energy Systems, Manitowoc, Wis., on Wed., Jan. 26. It might have been rather a chilly reception, I imagine, if the Bears had won the Packers/Bears game the Sunday prior instead of the reverse.

“Let me start by saying something. I am not here because I lost a bet. I just want to be clear about that. I have already been given three Green Bay jerseys and I’ve only been on the ground for an hour,” he joked. “So let’s just get it out of the way. Sunday was a tough day for Bears fans,” President Obama said.

The game wasn’t the only tough topic, of course. Times are tough. Global competition is tough.

“In this new and challenging time, when America is facing tougher competition from around the world than ever before, we’ve got to up our game. We’re going to need to go all in. We’re going to need to get serious about winning the future,” the president said, both in his State of the Union address and while addressing Orion employees.

“All of us as a country, America and our government, needs to invest in innovation,” he said. “The nation that leads the world in clean energy will lead the global economy in the 21st century.”

Orion is the model of the future, he said. The clean energy company, founded in 2004, has grown exponentially, in part because it capitalized on government loans and tax credits. It now employs 250.

In the aftermath of Evergreen Solar’s announcement of its exodus from Massachusetts to set up manufacturing in China—taking 800 clean energy jobs with it—President Obama’s insistence that the government must help U.S. clean-tech companies compete globally by supporting them financially gained credibility.