More than 2.5 million Americans work in clean energy nationwide, according to a comprehensive analysis of U.S. clean energy jobs. Energy efficiency, renewable energy and advanced vehicles were the clean energy industries with the most workers.
View Report »California’s 40-year commitment to energy efficiency has saved Californians $90 billion on their utility bills, created hundreds of thousands of efficiency jobs, and will have avoided the pollution from 41 power plants by the end of the next decade, according to a report published by NRDC and E2. However, the report cautioned that a major efficiency ramp-up is necessary to meet the state’s long-term climate and energy goals.
View Report »As Tennessee’s clean energy economy expands, the industry will contribute to statewide economic vitality. With a diverse renewable energy portfolio and robust employment across all value-chain activities, employers are optimistic about future growth. Increased support for local suppliers and vendors will encourage successful industry expansion, spur local job creation, and further bolster the state’s economy.
Tennessee could capitalize on its market diversity by tapping into the region’s renewable potential and committing to energy efficiency as a resource. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) found that Tennessee’s technical solar potential for utility-scale projects is 1,296 GW and 16 GW for rooftop photovoltaics. With an additional 54 GW potential from geothermal systems and 1 GW from hydropower, the state’s clean energy cluster will benefit by developing these resources.49 Other states provide solid examples of how effective energy efficiency policies focused on consumer incentives, rebates and proactive utility programs can create jobs across traditional industries, especially within the building trades.50 States that are leaders in energy efficiency have illustrated that supportive clean energy policies are highly correlated to economic impacts, particularly regarding construction-related employment. If Tennessee could emulate these policies, the resulting employment impact could exceed 10,000 new clean energy jobs across the state.
Tennessee is already home to more than 2,600 clean energy employers and nearly 45,000 workers. Its companies supply the market with electric cars, energy efficient materials, renewable energy and advanced building controls. Clean energy employers are adding jobs faster than the overall state economy and project continued growth in the coming year. To sustain this growth, many firms report the need for greater consumer incentives, more supportive policies on renewable energy and more innovative financing mechanisms to expand the state’s clean energy market.
View Report »Ohio’s clean energy and transportation businesses and workforce are driving economic growth and providing cleaner, more sustainale energy options for communities across the state. However, the significant progress Ohio has made, and the thousands of jobs that have come with it, are currently at risk unless policymakers reinstate the state’s successful clean energy standards and level the playing field for additional clean energy development. Ohio’s businesses have the ingenuity, manpower and commitment to make the state a continued leader in manufacturing and developing clean energy and transportation technologies. However, they need clear market signals to invest in these growing industries and provide access to the clean energy sources and advanced transporation options that Ohio homeowners and businesses want.
View Report »More than 57,000 Pennsylvanians currently work at 4,200 clean energy businesses statewide, according to a first-of-its-kind clean energy jobs report released in 2014 by nonpartisan business groups Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance (KEEA) and Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2).
View Report »More than 130,000 Floridians currently work at 14,000-plus clean energy businesses spread almost equally across the state, according to a first-of-its-kind Florida clean jobs census released today by the nonpartisan business groups Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy (FARE) and the Florida Chapter of the Energy Services Coalition. “Clean Jobs Florida: Sizing Up Florida’s Clean Energy Jobs Base and its Potential” shows that while clean energy is a significant employer in Florida, the state does not come close to living up to its potential.
View Report »Nearly 5,600 clean energy and clean transportation jobs were announced throughout the U.S. in the first quarter of 2014. This is a significant decline from the previous two quarters. The decline stems in part from the expiration of federal tax credits critical to leveling the playing field for renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, like wind, solar, and energy efficient lighting, continuing attacks on state clean energy policies, and low natural gas prices. Because of ongoing regulatory uncertainty and other energy sector trends, businesses held back investments that would likely have led to more hiring in the clean energy and energy efficiency sectors.
View Report »Clean Energy Trust, in partnership with other organizations including E2, presents a report based on a survey of Illinois clean energy firms, seeking to better understand employment in the sector.
View Report »More than 78,600 clean energy and clean transportation jobs were announced in 2013 at 260 projects tracked by Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2).
Solar power generation was the year’s top sector with more than 21,600 jobs announced.1 Other strong sectors included building efficiency (12,500) and public transportation (11,400). Job announcements were made in 46 states, with California’s roughly 15,400 jobs topping the list. California was followed by Texas, Hawaii, Maryland and Massachusetts.
This is the second full year E2 has tracked clean energy and clean transportation job announcements. Over the past two years combined, E2 has tracked announcements that could create more than 186,500 jobs.
Last year’s job announcements were about 30 percent lower than 2012. While this is in part due to our job tracking methodology,2 clean energy job growth also faced economic headwinds in 2013. These headwinds came from the continued low cost and volatility of natural gas as well as market uncertainty due to attempts by renewable energy opponents to roll back favorable policies at both the federal level and in numerous states. For example, fossil fuel industry supporters attempted to roll back renewable energy standards in states such as North Carolina, Kansas and elsewhere, while at the federal level, the wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC) and numerous energy efficiency tax incentives were left to expire at the end of 2013.
Looking at the fourth quarter alone, E2 tracked more than 70 projects nationwide that could create 13,000 jobs. Spikes in wind manufacturing and solar manufacturing added to the quarterly total, as did announcements from Southwestern states, responsible for nearly 40 percent of the jobs announced during the final three months of the year. The top five states for clean energy job announcements in the October-December period were: Texas (about 3,300 jobs), Arizona, New York, California and Iowa.
View Report »Renewable power generation led the way in the quarter. More than 6,700 renewable power generation jobs were announced, which included jobs producing renewable energy from sources like solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal. About 3,300 jobs were announced in the manufacturing sector, with advanced vehicle manufacturing and wind manufacturing the lead industries.
While this quarter’s total jobs numbers were higher than the third quarter last year, some of the difference may be attributed to E2 tracking recycling announcements for the first time. Fourteen projects potentially creating 1,300 jobs were tracked in this sector. The largest announcement came from Encore Recycling in California, which expects to create 500 jobs at a facility that can process 100 million pounds of plastic per year, much of it sourced from agricultural companies like Dole and Driscoll.
View Report »In the first quarter of 2013, E2 tracked more than 50 project announcements that could potentially lead to more than 12,000 clean energy and clean transportation jobs. Announcements were made in more than 20 states in communities ranging from Charlotte, North Carolina, to California’s Central Valley. These job announcements came in sectors as diverse as agriculture, manufacturing, and power generation.
The growth in clean energy and clean transportation jobs is reflective of what Americans say they want: A Gallup poll released in the first quarter of 2013 showed that more than 70 percent of Americans want more emphasis on clean technologies, including solar and wind power.
In many states, project announcements came despite concerted, politically motivated efforts to repeal renewable energy portfolio standards, which require utilities to get a portion of their energy from clean, renewable sources. E2’s findings indicate that portfolio standards work: Nine of the top 10 states that led the country in clean energy and clean transportation job announcements in the first quarter have renewable portfolio standards.
View Report »