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Alternative energy may be forever linked with the granola, tie-dyed dresses and hippie culture of another time.

But today’s advocates for solar and other types of clean energy are just as likely to be serious businesspeople with an eye for profit within the public good.

A new wave of pragmatic environmental businesses, assisted by generous tax incentives, is on the edge of turning these technologies into mainstream products, and North Carolina is at the forefront, according to a new national report.

The state’s “clean jobs economy” grew twice as fast as overall jobs between 1998 and 2007 , according to the report by the Pew Charitable Trusts — “The Clean Energy Economy.” 

As of 2007 — just before the nation plunged into recession — the state had about 17,000 jobs  working in various clean-energy technologies in nearly 1,800 companies.

 Three of those companies are working in the Piedmont Triad to build solar energy projects and that part of the economy for themselves.

“I wanted to get into something I could be proud of, something that could give me an income and a future while actually doing something good for the community and the environment,” said Gary Miolen , owner of Solectric Solutions  in Greensboro. “As far as its potential, it’s astronomical. Every roof out there could be covered with solar panels and really, really make a huge dent in energy output that this country needs.”

With a shot at a major project with a Charlotte company and plans to work with electricians across the state, Miolen’s three-year-old company is now hitting its stride after some personal setbacks and the bad economy put him off course.

He and other companies are fighting sticker shock when some customers see the high cost of solar energy. But in just three years, he said, the price has fallen 30 percent.

Pew’s survey counted hard numbers of jobs, companies and investments in every state aimed at “developing clean, renewable sources of energy, increasing energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, and conserving water and other natural resources,” according to the report. “We found that jobs and businesses in the emerging clean energy economy have grown at a faster rate than U.S. jobs overall. And they are poised for even greater growth.”

Robert Smith  owns Sun Power Systems  in Winston-Salem, and with seven employees, he’s ready for a new phase of growth — if the economy heats up again.

His company sells a variety of solar electric products from modules mounted on roofs to complete systems that combine roofing material with embedded solar technology.

Smith and Miolen believe  their best prospects are in selling to commercial businesses.

One of this area’s biggest solar installations is at the North Carolina Zoological Park  in Asheboro.

Carolina Solar Energy   of Durham installed the system in 2008. It generates the amount of power required to run the park — the equivalent of power for about 13 houses. 

The zoo sells the 105 kilowatts to the local utility — Randolph Electric Membership Corp. — and essentially buys the same amount back.

Gerry Dudzik,  the chief operating officer of Carolina Solar, said his company doesn’t employ many people, but works on a project-by-project basis.

In addition to the zoo, his company built a project for N.C. State  that generates 75 kilowatts sold to Progress Energy.

Its current project is a 650 kilowatt  ground-mounted system in Person County to be called Person County Solar Park. The power from that system will also be sold to Progress Energy.

Dudzik admits that for all the government encouragement, the industry will grow slowly until the economy brings stronger cash flow.

“We’re very, very bullish,” he added. “And we believe that we’re seeing signs that the credit freeze is beginning to thaw. It’s simply not the world we all existed in prior to the meltdown.”

Contact Richard M. Barron at 373-7371 or richard.barron@news-record.com