Archives

Clean Energy & COVID-19 Crisis | March 2020 Unemployment Analysis

Clean Energy Unemployment Claims in COVID-19 Aftermath, March 2020

More than 106,000 clean energy workers lost their jobs in the month of March alone, wiping out all the job gains in renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean vehicles and other clean energy sectors in 2019, according to an analysis of unemployment data by BW Research for E2.

The March layoffs were just the first indication of how badly the clean energy industry has been hit by the COVID-19 and economic crises. Much bigger job cuts are expected in the months ahead—making it imperative that Congress and state lawmakers seek ways to get the industry back on its feet, especially since clean energy has a proven history of helping pull the country out of economic crises.

What had been one the nation’s fastest-growing jobs sectors at the start of the year by March was experiencing significant job losses every week.

The job losses are across a wide variety of occupations, and in every state. Energy efficiency workers are losing their jobs after being shut out of homes and buildings to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Solar and wind turbine companies are laying off workers as they’re unable to access panels and parts stranded in shut-down factories and as financing disappears. Factory workers are being let go as assembly lines for Energy Star appliances and electric and hybrid vehicles are ground to a halt.

Industry Job Losses, March 2020

• Energy Efficiency – 69,800 job losses
• Renewable Energy – 16,500 job losses
• Clean Vehicles – 12,300 job losses
• Grid & Clean Storage – 4,300 job losses
• Clean Fuels – 3,400 job losses
• ALL US Clean Energy Sectors – 106,472

Download

The complete report is available for download at this link.

Listen

A live press conference was held announcing the report’s findings on April 15, featuring:

• Bob Keefe, executive director, E2
• Pat Stanton, director of policy, E4TheFuture
• Gregory Wetstone, president & CEO, American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE)
• Phil Jordan, vice-president and principal, BW Research

To download and listen to the one-hour press conference, click here.

Looking for More Info?

The analysis expands on data from the 2020 U.S. Energy and Employment Report (USEER) produced by the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) in partnership with the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), using data collected and analyzed by the BW Research Partnership. The report was released in March 2020 and is available at www.usenergyjobs.org. E2 is a partner on the USEER, the fifth installment of the energy survey first released by the Department of Energy in 2016 and subsequently abandoned under the Trump administration.

If you are looking for additional insight into this report or E2’s more than a dozen other annual clean energy employment reports, visit e2.org/reports. You can also contact E2 Communications Director Michael Timberlake ([email protected]).

Sign-Up for Email Updates

"*" indicates required fields

Phone

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

First Name*

Last Name*

Email*

Zip Code*

Title

Company*

Δ

From Good Idea to Great Business: Standing out, Innovating, and Making It Big in the Clean Energy Revolution

From Good Idea to Great Business: Standing out, Innovating, and Making It Big in the Clean Energy Revolution   Wednesday, June 13, 5 PM – 7 PM The Kinsale Irish Pub & Restaurant 2 Center Plaza, Boston, MA 02108       Nine out of ten startups fail. Hear from two gurus who know first-hand what the one in ten do to […]

Energy Efficiency Industry Seeks Aid as House Panel Seeks Ideas

Bob Keefe, executive director for E2, which represents business leaders, investors, and others in clean energy, said his group has lobbied Capitol Hill offices asking for help, from clean energy grants to refundable tax credits that would would help reassure increasingly nervous private equity firms. Keefe said he’s making the case that energy efficiency workers […]

Smart cities are solar cities

“There’s no doubt about it: The solar industry is a major employer and an increasingly important part of our economy,” says Bob Keefe, Executive Director of E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs), a national, nonpartisan business group advocating for sustainable energy policies. “It would benefit lawmakers to remember the hundreds of thousands of Americans who now work in […]

‘Horrible.’ Coronavirus unravels energy efficiency industry

“Bottom line, what we’re seeing and hearing is horrible,” said Bob Keefe, executive director of E2, a clean energy advocacy group. “We’re seeing work stoppages that are costing millions of dollars even for small companies. These people need help,” he added.

Economic Stimulus: What it means for business in the clean economy

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all corners of the economy, and clean energy and clean economy businesses are no exception. Please join E2 to learn more about the just-passed CARES economic stimulus package, what it means to businesses and their and workers, and what E2 is doing to make sure the next economic stimulus package and other […]

E2: New York Program Illustrates How Clean Energy Can Help Lead The Way on Economic Recovery

NEW YORK (April 2, 2020) – Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, the New York State Legislature has agreed to a fiscal year 2021 budget that includes a major provision to boost clean energy and get the state’s economy on track for recovery. The inclusion of the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth & Community Benefit Act will help […]

This Chicagoan is on a mission to help auto dealers sell electric vehicles

Now, through a fellowship from the organization E2 (Environmental Entrepreneuers), Deylami will help dealers learn more about and promote electric vehicles. E2, an organization of investors and business leaders promoting smart energy policies, awarded 10 $20,000 fellowships to young U.S. business leaders nationwide. The only other Midwest recipient is Grant Behnke of Columbus, Ohio, who […]

Trump Rollback Doubles Down on Economic Damage

Rollback threatens 740,000 US jobs in cleaner, fuel-efficient vehicles WASHINGTON, DC (March 31, 2020) – The Trump administration today finalized its plan to roll back the popular Obama-era fuel economy standards, reversing the federal government’s largest effort to fight climate change impacts. Following is a statement from Sandra Purohit, director of federal advocacy for the […]

Renewable Energy Advocates Decry Lack of Help in Stimulus Bill

Bob Keefe, executive director of the national business group E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs), in a statement sent to POWER said, “Congress threw a critical lifeline to America’s workers that will help struggling families pay their bills and make badly needed loans available for businesses to stay afloat and protect jobs. Now attention must turn to repowering […]

The Senate’s Stimulus Bill Is Full of Disappointments for Climate Advocates

“Some folks in Congress and in other parts of Washington, D.C. are suggesting this is a bunch of liberals angling for the Green New Deal, and these are coastal elites that just want to pad their investments in clean energy,” says Bob Keefe, executive director of Environmental Entrepreneurs, or E2, a nonpartisan group of business […]

Here’s The Next Step to Repowering America’s Economy, Post-Coronavirus

The $2 trillion stimulus package announced Wednesday by congressional leadership will send badly needed emergency checks to struggling American families and make loans available for businesses to stay afloat and protect jobs. With Americans from every corner of our economy out of work and struggling, it’s a much-needed lifeline. Now, lawmakers must quickly turn their […]