North Carolina's green jobs sector has grown to 14,800 jobs, an 18 percent increase in the past year, according to a Raleigh trade group for green tech industry.

More than 1,000 businesses and organizations are doing business in the clean energy sector in the state. Wake County has the most offices, 396, with Mecklenburg and Buncombe counties each hosting more than 200.

The N.C. Sustainable Energy Association released its annual green jobs census this afternoon at the group's annual conference in Raleigh. The trade group is also active in lobbying for support and subsidies, such as a state mandate requiring green energy production, that make such jobs possible.

Celgard, a Charlotte company that's become a darling of politicians for its green technology work and job creation, will get a little more love on Monday morning.

Gov. Bev Perdue is expected to announce that Celgard will receive another financial-assistance package in exchange for the promise of adding more jobs. Perdue is scheduled to make a jobs announcement at 10 a.m. in Concord, where Celgard is opening a facility to make membranes used in lithium-ion batteries.

U.S Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, N.C. Department of Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco and other officials are expected to join Perdue at the facility's dedication ceremony.

N.C. Commerce Department officials will meet in Raleigh shortly before that on Monday morning to approve an incentives package. It's unclear how much money is involved or how many jobs are planned.

The Triangle is the nation's second-fastest growing region for green jobs, according to a report issued today by the Brookings Institution, one of this country's most influential think tanks.

The Brookings report, "Sizing the Clean Economy," is the first attempt at a comprehensive assessment of the nation's green jobs sector. Regional studies issued in the past have not been consistent in how they define and count green jobs, making comparisons all but useless.

For example, North Carolina had nearly 79,000 green collar jobs in 2010, according to the Brookings count. That total is bigger by orders of magnitude than the 12,500 green jobs counted last year by the state's green-collar advocacy group, the N.C. Sustainable Energy Association.

Still, the Brookings study tells us something valuable: that North Carolina has the nation's 11th largest statewide green economy, while the Triangle is the 30th largest regional green economy.

The N.C. Solar Center is offering a half-day career workshop on the much-touted job trend: green jobs.

The sessions at N.C. State University's McKimmon Center will cover such issues as networking, training, certification, financing and grants. The Dec. 8 event is free and open to the public.

The only caveat is that you are supposed to register in advance to reserve your place. So we're telling you about it a week ahead of time.

A German company that makes fabric-based composites plans to expand its Huntersville operations and create 178 jobs over the next three years.

North Carolina officials touted the expansion in Mecklenburg County by Saertex USA as another example of green-energy jobs coming to this state. The company makes materials used in the wind energy, auto, aerospace and shipbuilding industries.

North Carolina's green collar sector has grown to 12,500 jobs statewide, a 22 percent increase in one year, a Raleigh trade group said today.

The N.C. Sustainable Energy Association said green jobs now exist in all 100 counties, spread across private industry, nonprofits and government agencies.

The N.C. SEA also said that Wake County leads the state in green jobs, with 128 organizations responding to the trade group's survey. Mecklenburg County is second in total green jobs.

The city of Durham has received a $200,000 job training grant as part of nearing $80 million in grants awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to cleanup brownfield sites.

Durham's grant is for training 48 students in how to conduct various environmental clean-up procedures, including asbestos abatement and testing for air quality and mold.

Other North Carolina communities receiving grants include the City of Wilson and Wayne County, which each received $200,000 to inventory local brownfield sites.

The city of Charlotte received $400,000 to conduct environmental assessments and cleanup planning.

The EPA awarded a total of $78.9 million in brownfields grants to communities in 40 states, four tribes, and one U.S. Territory. 

The funding will be used for the assessment, cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields properties, including abandoned gas stations, old textile mills, closed smelters, and other abandoned industrial and commercial properties.

The state has qualified for nearly $6 million in federal stimulus funds to pay for job training programs for convicts, migrants, veterans and others without work or with few job skills.

The stimulus money, announced Wednesday, will be used to develop careers in green industries through training in energy efficient building construction and retrofits, and in energy efficient building assessment.

The N.C. Department of Commerce qualified for this state's portion out of nearly $190 million in federal stimulus funds announced nationwide by the U.S. Department of Labor.