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 »2015 was a big year for clean energy policy, with the finalization of the federal Clean Power Plan, which sets the first-ever limits on carbon pollution from power plants; an international agreement at the UN climate talks near Paris; extension of key federal tax incentives for wind and solar electricity; and major investments in clean energy by business leaders.
View Report »New analysis from the Cleantech Group and E2 shows California’s nation-leading clean energy policies, especially AB32, have helped stimulate big investments in key cleantech markets, driven job creation, and resulted in energy savings to businesses and customers. Other states are following suit.
View Report »Advancing climate solutions is vital for maintaining and enhancing U.S. infrastructure and national security. America should lead the rest of the world, not follow. E2 and its members advocate tirelessly to advance policies that help ensure the strength of U.S. agriculture, transportation systems, water health, and electricity grid. And given the leadership of our nation’s […]
In the second quarter of 2015, nearly 40 clean energy and clean transportation projects were announced across 22 states. Combined, these projects are expected to create nearly 10,500 jobs.
Texas, Nevada, and California led the nation in announced jobs, followed by Utah, North Carolina, Kansas, Arkansas, Colorado, Virginia, and Nebraska. In Texas, solar and wind installation projects drove the state’s top performance.
Two new wind farms will cumulatively produce 402 MW of power from wind turbines in the Lone Star State, while Spanish wind manufacturer GRI Renewable Industries will create 300 jobs with a new wind turbine manufacturing plant in Amarillo. Three solar farms will add another 320 MW of Texas power and could create up to 1,364 jobs in Windthorst, Floyd, Andrews, and Pecos counties.
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 »Wind is powering Colorado’s economy. All up and down the supply chain, wind companies in Colorado are taking advantage of the state’s supportive policies and strong resources to manufacture wind turbines, construct wind farms, and operate and maintain the power plants. For its wind energy sector to remain competitive with other state-based wind energy economies, Colorado must continue to lead on clean energy policies. The renewable energy standard has been a huge success, but Colorado’s growing renewable energy sector will need new policy momentum for the years after 2020. Colorado has the opportunity to grow its wind sector even more with strong renewables and efficiency policies to support state implementation of the federal Clean Power Plan. Colorado’s leaders should seize these smart policy opportunities — and reap the benefits of new jobs, investment, and a strengthened economy that come with them
View Report »More than 18,000 clean energy and clean transportation jobs were announced in 23 states during the third quarter of 2014. This represents an uptick relative to Q2. This quarter’s numbers are also higher than the corresponding quarter a year ago.
Despite the strong quarter, future clean energy job growth is anything but assured, especially given the uncertainty surrounding the political changes that came with the Nov. 4 election. It will be up to the new Republican-led Congress to decide whether to continue the job-creating clean energy policies that have been crucial to driving clean energy development and employment in every state in the country.
Both Republican and Democratic congressional districts benefited almost equally from clean energy job announcements — indicating that clean energy knows no political boundaries, according to E2’s analysis. At least 9,095 jobs were announced in Republican congressional districts, compared with 7,690 jobs announced in Democratic districts. About 1,250 job announcements spanned both Republican and Democratic districts.
Another reason this quarter’s results are not as rosy as they may initially appear is that utilities seeking maximum return on investment rushed to install solar projects ahead of the scheduled expiration of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for solar power. The current ITC stipulates that projects must be completed by the end of 2016 in order to qualify for the 30-percent tax credit. Should the lame-duck or new 114th Congress fail to extend or reinstate tax credits for solar, wind, and energy efficiency, it would remove some of the market certainty clean energy businesses need to hire more workers. This would continue to tilt the playing field in the favor of a fossil fuel industry heavily supported by subsidies, potentially slowing momentum of clean energy job announcements in multiple sectors in upcoming quarters. The e wind industry offers a grim example of what happens to growing industries when Congress prematurely removes or fails to renew incentives. After the wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC) expired in 2012, industry group American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) reported 32,000 industry jobs were lost the following year.1 Since the PTC expired at the end of last year, wind announcements once again are declining drastically: by Q3 2014, E2 has tracked just over 5,000 jobs — less than half as many as this time in 2012
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 »As Colorado business leaders, the members of the Rocky Mountain chapter of Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) are concerned by the mounting evidence that climate change will make it harder to meet the state’s future water needs, that these risks are not yet sufficiently understood, and that not enough is being done to reduce them.
We call on the governor and other key public officials to ensure that the new State Water Plan being developed includes specific measures to adequately reduce Colorado’s water risks, as magnified by climate change. Our central recommendation is that the state government, water providers, and the private sector work together to reduce per capita municipal and industrial (M&I) water use by 25 percent by 2025 and by 50 percent by 2050. This is a more ambitious goal than anyone has yet proposed for this state. But it is the action that is proportionate to the challenge. It is realistically achievable, as evidence from Colorado and other western states shows. And it is the most reliable, flexible, and affordable way to meet our water needs in a changed future.
View Report »More than 38,600 clean energy and clean transportation jobs connected to at least 58 projects were announced in the second quarter of this year. That was slightly higher than the 37,400 clean energy jobs that E2 tracked in the comparable quarter a year ago.
Power-generation projects from solar, wind, biomass, and other renewable energy sources will create more than 13,300 jobs if the announcements made hold true—more jobs than any other sector tracked by E2 this quarter.
About 9,600 public transportation jobs were announced, while major smart grid and electricity-transmission upgrade projects are projected to create more than 8,200 additional jobs. Energy efficiency also posted strong numbers with more than 5,700 jobs announced (see table 2). P
olices such as President Obama’s climate change initiative, announced in June of this year, along with the recent extension of renewable energy standards in some states, promise to keep the momentum going.
View Report »Our analysis reveals slow and steady growth for the advanced biofuel industry. Although some projects have been divested since last year’s report, numerous other companies have emerged and several facilities have begun producing. As predicted in previous market reports, growth in cellulosic ethanol continues at a slower pace, while drop-in capacity is increasing. There is significant potential in the conversion of existing corn ethanol facilities to produce cellulosic ethanol, as well as increased deployment of modular technologies to reduce carbon intensities at active ethanol plants.
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