Archives

Clean Jobs Rural Midwest

Growing Rural Economies

Clean energy creates jobs, supports local tax bases and infrastructure development, while providing new opportunities for farmers—driving economic benefits that are becoming ever more apparent. In rural communities facing economic challenges, investments in wind, solar, and energy efficiency are growing. This report from E2 focuses on one part of America – the rural Midwest – that exemplifies the growth in clean energy jobs in rural areas nationwide.

More than 8,000 new rural clean energy jobs were added in the 12-state Midwest region stretching from Ohio to North Dakota in 2016 alone, bringing the total number of rural Americans who work in clean energy in this region to nearly 148,000 (see Figure 1)—nearly a 6 percent increase over 2015. Of those 148,000 jobs, almost 22,000 are in renewable energy generation, with the rest in energy efficiency and sustainable transportation.

Key Findings

• Majority of Midwest states have more clean energy jobs per capita in rural areas than urban ones
• Clean energy employment represents a bright spot in rural communities that have otherwise lost population and jobs
• Clean energy jobs in the Midwest are growing 6% a year
• 99% of U.S. wind capacity is in rural areas
• Nearly 150,000 rural Midwesterners work in clean energy, including almost 22,000 in renewable energy generation
• More than 8,000 new rural clean energy jobs were added in rural Midwest areas in 2016 alone

Looking for More Info?

This report follows E2’s Clean Jobs America analysis which found the clean energy jobs account for nearly 3.3 million jobs across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Both reports expand on data from the 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. E2 is a partner on the USEER, the fourth installment of the energy survey first released by the Department of Energy in 2016. Clean energy jobs have grown every year since the first report was released in 2016.

If you are looking for additional insight into E2’s Clean Jobs Rural Midwest 2018 or our other Clean Jobs America reports, visit e2.org/reports. You can also contact E2 Communications Director Michael Timberlake ([email protected]). An FAQ is also available here to answer any questions.

Download

The complete report is available for download at this link.

Mapping Clean Energy: Illinois

Illinois’ clean energy economy is clearly thriving.

But where is all this economic activity happening?

That’s exactly what E2 — along with our partners at FracTracker Alliance — attempted to find out with this interactive map showing the location of more than 1,000 clean energy businesses across the state as well as sites where renewable energy is generated.

The purpose of this map is to help policymakers, press and individuals better understand the scope of Illinois’s clean energy economy – and how much room it has to grow.

On the map you’ll find:

• Clean energy businesses: Locations of energy efficiency and solar, wind and geothermal installers.
• Renewable energy infrastructure: Existing and proposed utility-scale wind, solar and hydroelectric generation facilities larger than 1 MW as well as schools with solar energy generation and public EV fueling stations.
• Income per capita and legislative and congressional district boundaries.

Key Takeaways from the Map:

• There are nearly 1,000 businesses displayed in the map, which includes energy efficiency contractors and renewable energy (solar, wind and geothermal) installers, covering the vast majority of the state.
• Half the state already has utility-scale renewable energy projects, with many utility-scale projects in the queue waiting to be built.

We’ve done our best to capture as many businesses as possible but we know we’ve missed some.  This map isn’t comprehensive; it represents one snapshot in time of an industry to show how robust it is. If you know we’ve missed something, please send an email to Micaela Preskill at [email protected] and we’ll add it to the map.

How to Use the Map:

When viewing the map, zoom in to see the intricacies of what’s happening in each part of the state. If you click “Layers” on the black bar at the top of the map you will see a drop-down menu, which you can use to make data appear or disappear on the map.

For more information about what you’re seeing, click directly on the map. A pop-up box will appear to show you specifics. Use the arrows on the top right of the pop-up box to see all the information that applies to that spot on the map. For example, if you click on a pin representing a energy efficiency contractor, you’ll see information about that business. You can also use the arrow to see what legislative districts that business is in.

The Map

Other Resources:

Illinois supports 119,395 clean energy jobs – 2017 Clean Jobs Midwest Report
Over 3 million Americans work in clean energy – Clean Jobs America

Mapping Clean Energy: Michigan

Michigan’s clean energy economy is clearly thriving.

But where is all this economic activity happening?

That’s exactly what E2 — along with our partners at FracTracker Alliance — attempted to find out with this series of  interactive maps showing the location of more than 1,200 clean energy businesses across the state as well as sites where renewable energy is generated.

Since Michigan passed legislation in 2008 requiring utilities to generate 10% of their electricity from renewables by 2015, we’ve seen the state’s clean energy economy grow. Then in December of 2016 lawmakers decided to uphold and improve aspects of the state’s clean energy standards. The renewable portfolio standard was increased and new energy efficiency incentives were created to push utilities to do more. With recently strengthened laws, it is no surprise that Michigan’s clean energy sector – as seen on this series of maps – is so robust.

The purpose of these maps is to help policymakers, press and individuals better understand the scope of Michigan’s clean energy economy – and how much room it has to grow.

Key Takeaways

• There are over 1,200 businesses displayed in the map, which includes energy efficiency contractors and renewable energy (solar, wind, and geothermal) installers, covering all 38 state senate districts and all 110 state house districts.
• Approximately 75 percent of the state has potential for either wind, solar or geothermal power.
• 32 counties already have large-scale renewable energy projects, which many more projects in the queue waiting to be built

We’ve done our best to capture as many businesses as possible but if you know we’ve missed something, please send an email to Micaela Preskill ([email protected]) and we’ll add it to the map. This map isn’t comprehensive; it represents one snapshot in time of an industry to help you understand just how robust it is, and where it still has room to grow.

How to Use the Maps:

We’ve created 3 maps to show different parts of Michigan’s clean energy economy. One map shows clean energy businesses, one shows renewable energy utility-scale infrastructure, and one shows renewable energy potential.

When viewing the map, zoom in to see the intricacies of what’s happening in each part of the state. If you click “Layers” on the black bar at the top of the map you will see a drop-down menu, which you can use to make data appear or disappear on the map.

For more information about what you’re seeing, click directly on the map. A pop-up box will appear to show you specifics. Use the arrows on the top right of the pop-up box to see all the information that applies to that spot on the map. For example, if you click on a pin representing a energy efficiency contractor, you’ll see information about that business. You can also use the arrow to see what legislative districts that business is in.

The Maps

The Clean Energy Business Map shows locations of energy efficiency contractors and solar, wind and geothermal installers.

Clean Energy Businesses

The Renewable Energy Infrastructure Map shows utility-scale wind and solar generation facilities larger than 1 MW and schools with solar energy generation.

Renewable Energy Infrastructure

The Renewable Potential Map shows the potential for wind, geothermal and solar power generation.

Renewable Energy Potential

Other Resources:

• Michigan supports over 92,000 clean energy jobs – 2017 Clean Jobs Midwest Report
• Over 3 million Americans work in clean energy – Clean Jobs America

The 3 Rs of Electricity: Reliability, Resilience, & Renewables (Boston, MA)

The days of large coal, nuclear, and gas-fired power plants are waning. More than 100 cities, from Seattle to Nairobi, now receive at least 70 percent of their electricity from renewable energy. One of the leading drivers of this energy revolution is the need for greater resilience. A major part of the answer? Installation of […]

E2 Partner Event: ACORES’s Renewable Energy Policy Forum (Washington, DC)

ACORE’s Renewable Energy Policy Forum (March 14, 2018 – Washington, D.C.) will bring together industry leaders and policymakers to discuss energy and tax policy, debate pressing issues in the changing electricity marketplace, and identify priorities for Congress, the states, and relevant agencies. The forum offers an important platform to identify how best to address developments […]

E2 Partner Event: ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit March 13-15 (Washington DC)

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s (ARPA-E) Energy Innovation Summit is the premier event of the year for energy innovators, investors, and influencers. Set for March 13-15, 2018 in Washington, D.C., this annual conference gathers more than 2,000 experts from government, academia, and business to advance cutting-edge energy technologies. The 3-day program features inspiring keynotes, practical seminars, a […]

Colorado Business Leaders Support Xcel’s Stipulation Filing

This past summer, Xcel Energy and a wide group of stakeholders at the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), filed a “Stipulation” – a proposed update to Xcel’s Electric Resource Plan. It is an agreement between Xcel, its customers, Colorado businesses, local environmental organizations and others on how and where Xcel sources its power. The plan would […]

Oppose Tariffs That Will Hurt American Solar Workers

In a letter to President Trump, E2 members urge him to reject levying a tariff on foreign made solar panels which will result in thousands of American jobs and slowed growth for our solar sector.

Mapping Clean Energy: New York

New York’s clean energy industry is thriving.

But what, exactly, does the economic activity happening all across the state look like?

E2 — along with our partners at FracTracker Alliance, and in continuing partnership with New Yorkers for Clean Power and the Alliance for Clean Energy New York — attempted to find out.

We compiled a series of four maps showing the location of clean energy businesses across the state as well as sites where renewable energy is generated.

The purpose of the maps is to help policymakers, press and individuals better understand the scope of New York’s clean energy economy — and how much room it has to grow.

Map user’s guide

When viewing the map, note the “Layers” option on the black bar at the top of the map. Click the drop-down menu to select different layers of information. When a layer is selected, a description of that layer is displayed in the left-hand column.

Renewable energy businesses

Solar

Wind

Electric Vehicles (EVs)

Animated Maps for Social Media

Residential Solar Photovoltaic                                                                          

Non-Residential Solar Photovoltaic

Clean Jobs Midwest 2017

E2 and our partners at Clean Energy Trust released our 2017 “Clean Jobs Midwest” report, showing there are nearly 600,000 clean energy jobs in the 12-state region. Energy efficiency is the top sector, and across the Midwest clean energy jobs grew about five times faster than jobs in other sectors.

Clean Jobs Pennsylvania 2017

Report

There are nearly 70,000 clean energy jobs in Pennsylvania, according to Clean Jobs Pennsylvania 2017 released in August 2017 by E2 and partners at the Keystone Energy Efficiency Alliance (KEEA). The complete report is available here and by clicking the cover:

Key Findings

• Energy Efficiency Jobs – 55,500
• Renewable Energy Jobs – 10,000
• Solar Jobs – 5,800
• Wind Jobs – 71,600
• Clean Vehicle Jobs – 782
• TOTAL Colorado Clean Energy Jobs – 69,923

Looking for more info?

If you are looking for additional insight into E2’s Clean Jobs Pennsylvania 2017 or our other Clean Jobs America reports, visit e2.org/reports. You can also contact E2 Communications Director Michael Timberlake ([email protected]). An FAQ is also available here to answer any questions.

Download

The complete report is available here and below

Fact Sheet

Download and print a 2-page snapshot (pictured below) of the clean energy jobs data in Pennsylvania — and the policies needed to ensure more growth at the state ad federal levels here.

Opportunity Lost: How Rolling Back the Clean Power Plan Hurts America’s Economy

In June 2017, E2 released “Opportunity Lost: How Rolling Back the Clean Power Plan Hurts America’s Economy.”

The Trump Administration’s effort to unwind the Clean Power Plan (CPP) represents a failure to capitalize on the economic and environmental benefits of clean energy.

Analysis shows that the CPP could create up to 560,000 jobs and add $52 billion to the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2030. From states with relatively small populations like Maine and Montana to highly populated states like Florida, the CPP could have substantial employment and economic benefits – benefits that would disappear with the Trump Administration’s repeal of the policy.

Policymakers should oppose any efforts to weaken or rescind the CPP because doing so would reduce the employment and economic opportunities that come with it. Policymakers should also pursue other smart clean energy policies that support great efficiency, renewable energy, electric vehicles, and grid modernization efforts, which would further grow our nation’s economy while accelerating the urgently needed transition to a low-carbon future