A nonpartisan group called E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs) has been tracking the new clean economy projects, expansions, and production announced across the U.S. since the Inflation Reduction Act was passed. By their count, so far there have been 223 such projects announced across 39 states, amounting to over $88 billion in total domestic clean energy private investments […]
“The strong policy leadership from Sacramento over the past 20 years has not only driven strong job growth but has helped California develop into a global hub of clean vehicle innovation and development,” said Andy Wunder, Western states advocate for E2, a national, nonpartisan group of business leaders, investors and professionals.
“President Biden’s executive order is the right thing to do and solidifies our support for the people of Ukraine” said Mr Keefe. “But it’s just a first step to lessen our dependence on oil and the foreign governments that control it. The best way we can reduce our dependence on oil and gas and the […]
America’s reliance on petroleum continues to be a risk to our national security, our economy and our environment. The current crash in oil markets—and the job losses, industry bailout requests and increased vulnerability to foreign powers such as Russia and Saudi Arabia that come with it—is but the most recent example. At the same time, […]
E2 is proud to be a sponsor of the summit, designed to address the trends, technologies, and policies that are shaping the energy sector and to develop a community of veterans and allies committed to advancing US energy leadership.The Summit will feature business and military leaders, policymakers, and others with insights into where energy markets and […]
Join us for a panel discussion on the intersection of cleantech and defense. The US Department of Defense relies heavily on electricity and non-renewable fuel sources to carry out energy intensive military operations. The reality of climate change threatens US National Security and it is mission critical that DoD strengthen their climate resilience. Needless to […]
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 »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 »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 »The military’s plans to expand its use of biofuels in planes, ships and other vehicles would generate at least about $10 billion in economic activity and create more than 14,000 jobs by 2020. A synopsis can be found here.
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