Over 50,000 Missourians now work in clean energy jobs. That growing figure currently ranks the state a middling 22nd in number of clean energy jobs and 25th as a percentage of total employment. But renewable energy advocates in the state are particularly encouraged by Missouri’s recent surge in wind power production and new legislation that is expected to speed the […]
Missouri’s clean energy job market faced a considerable decline during 2020’s economic downturn but still managed to bounce back by the end of the year, according to a recent study. More than 9,300 clean energy workers filed for unemployment in Missouri at the peak of the economic crisis tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the 2020 Clean Jobs Midwest report from […]
The COVID-19 pandemic hit the Midwest clean energy job market hard, with more than 17,000 workers at one point filing for unemployment. But the industry appears to be rebounding, according to an analysis of employment data released by the nonpartisan business group E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs) and Clean Energy Trust. Clean energy companies employed 113,456 Michiganders at the […]
According to the nonpartisan business group E2, or Environmental Entrepreneurs, more than 115,000 Illinoisans worked in the clean energy sector at the end of last year, with workers in all of the state’s 102 counties. The final 2020 job numbers show an 8.2% drop in Illinois’ clean energy workforce from 2019, representing more than 10,000 […]
More than 677,900 Midwesterners worked in clean energy and clean vehicles at the end of 2020, making the sector a major – and promising – part of the region’s economy, according to this comprehensive analysis of employment data.
Like most of the economy, clean energy was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn in 2020. According to this year’s Clean Jobs Midwest, 2020 was the first year-to-year decline since E2 and Clean Energy Trust began tracking Midwest clean energy jobs. At one point, more than 131,600 Midwest clean energy workers had filed for unemployment, but the sector surged back 10.7 percent in the second half of the year to recover more than half of the jobs initially lost. The final 2020 job numbers represent an 8.9 percent drop in the Midwest clean energy workforce from 2019, or 66,100 jobs. Last year’s job losses were a dramatic change of pace for the industry. Last year’s job losses were a dramatic change of pace for the industry. In the 3 years leading up to 2020, for example, clean energy jobs grew almost 4 times as fast as overall employment.
The biggest sector of the Midwest’s clean energy industry is energy efficiency, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the region’s clean energy jobs. But as more automakers and their suppliers continue to shift to electric vehicles, the advanced transportation sector saw a job increase of 3 percent across the region, with growth in most states. The sector added nearly 3,000 new jobs for a total of more than 90,000 workers.
Among clean energy subsectors, wind power, hybrid cars, and electric vehicles were the region’s brightest spots. Wind energy jobs in the region grew by more than 4 percent to 37,800 workers and the number of hybrid vehicle manufacturing employees grew by 6 percent to 43,000 workers. Electric vehicle (EV) jobs grew by an even healthier 8.5 percent, and are poised for future growth with supportive policies and significant commitments to EVs by major regional employers such as Ford and GM.
Clean energy jobs are found in every corner of the region. While big cities like Chicago (81,707), Detroit (50,229), and Minneapolis (34,958) were some of the largest hubs for clean energy jobs, more than one in five — or more than 143,800 — jobs are in rural areas.
The complete report along with interactive breakdowns for all states is available at this link.
View Report »As North Carolina considers joining the multi-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to help achieve the power sector climate pollution reductions called for by Governor Roy Cooper in his Executive Order 80, 39 North Carolina executives, investors, entrepreneurs, and other business professionals signed onto this E2 letter in support of North Carolina joining the program.
RALEIGH – Today, the North Carolina legislature is expected to begin debate on a sweeping energy bill that would reshape the state’s power sector away from coal but towards natural gas, according to a just-released draft of the proposed legislation. Following is a statement from Zach Amittay, Southeast Advocate for the nonpartisan business group E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs): “Our […]
“Both the Biden and Wyden plans would provide projects more assurances for financing” over the coming decade, said Sandra Purohit, director of federal advocacy for E2, a clean energy advocacy group. Projects that take longer to launch wouldn’t be at risk of losing out on incentives, which would translate into better terms for getting the […]
Electric pickup trucks are cool. But when it comes to building a cleaner economy and creating the jobs and other economic opportunities that come with it, so are heat pumps, Energy Star appliances and climate finance, the Biden administration showed this week. While up in Michigan the biggest game-changing electric vehicle since Tesla — the Ford F-150 Lightning — stole the […]
Letter signed by 388 business executives, entrepreneurs, and investors says bold target would send right signal to drive growth As the Biden administration prepares for its April 22 international Leaders Summit on Climate, nearly 400 business leaders from across the U.S. on Monday called on President Joe Biden and his administration to commit to a […]
E2: Administration takes a “whole of economy” approach to climate action WASHINGTON (March 31, 2021) – President Biden will outline his plan for rebuilding America’s infrastructure in a speech later today in Pittsburgh. Biden’s American Jobs Plan will focus on how smart investments in priorities such as ensuring safe drinking water, modernizing the energy grid, […]
WHAT Profound change is afoot in the quest to meet California’s ambitious decarbonization targets and our state’s electric grid is a critical lynchpin; delivering zero-carbon electricity to California citizens and businesses is critical as we work to power our industries, buildings, and transportation sector with clean electricity. Realizing 100% clean energy and statewide carbon neutrality […]