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Summary:

Clean energy companies added almost 150,000 jobs in 2023, growing more than three times faster than overall U.S. employment to 3,460,406 clean energy jobs nationwide. Last year’s jobs spike corresponds with the first full year of historic clean energy investments and incentives under the landmark federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Only the post-pandemic recovery surge of 2021 (152,000 jobs) added more new jobs in a single year.

Every clean energy sector grew at least twice as fast as overall national employment. Clean vehicles saw double-digit growth for the third consecutive year. Energy efficiency continued to lead the clean economy in total jobs. Jobs in manufacturing and other services (including vehicle maintenance and repair) accounted for nearly 60 percent of all new clean energy jobs.

Over the past three years, clean energy jobs increased 14 percent to nearly 3.5 million workers. By comparison, that’s more jobs than there are nurses nationwide. The 149,170 new clean energy jobs created in 2023 accounted for 6.4 percent of all jobs created economywide, and nearly 60 percent of all jobs in the entire energy sector.

This growth sets the stage for the next several years as the industry begins to feel the full impact from historic investments and incentives in the IRA. Three hundred and forty major new clean energy projects have been announced across 40 states and Puerto Rico since the IRA passed. In those announcements, companies have said they are creating more than 109,000 new jobs while investing over $126 billion in private-sector capital.

Key Findings

RENEWABLE GENERATION: Renewable generation sectors added more than 25,000 jobs in 2023, led by solar (+18,400) and wind (+5,700). In all, almost 560,000 Americans now work in renewable generation— a 14 percent increase since 2020. 

ENERGY EFFICIENCY: Energy efficiency remains the single-largest employer across the entire energy sector, employing nearly 2.3 million Americans. The sector accounted for half of all new clean energy jobs in 2023, adding nearly 75,000 workers (+3.4%). 

STORAGE + GRID MODERNIZATION: The storage and grid modernization sector added over 7,000 jobs (+4.6%) and now supports nearly 160,000 workers—more than there are highway maintenance workers.5 Jobs making power grids more resilient and able to handle more wind and solar generation led the sector, growing 5 percent followed by battery and energy storage (+4.3%). Since 2020, the sector increased employment by 15 percent. 

CLEAN VEHICLES: Clean vehicle makers continue to lead all sectors in growth, adding over 40,000 jobs (+11.0%). Electric vehicles (EVs) led the sector, adding over 17,000 jobs (+12.9%), followed closely by hybrid EVs with 15,900 jobs added (+10.5%). Over the past three years, clean vehicle jobs have jumped nearly 60 percent. The sector continued to outgrow the gas- and diesel-powered vehicle industry (+1.5%) and now employs over 410,000 workers. 

BIOFUELS: The smallest clean energy sector, biofuels added over 1,200 jobs in 2023. Since 2020, the sector has increased employment by 12 percent to more than 

2024 Clean Energy Employment Toplines

FOCUS: Toyota announces $8 billion EV battery plant expansion in Liberty, N.C.

North Carolina has been actively courting investments from Japan for more than 40 years. But since the state first opened its economic development office in Tokyo in 1978, no other investment comes close to matching what the Japanese carmaker Toyota announced on the last day of October – $8 billion to add eight EV lithium-ion battery production lines to its fast-growing plant in the small Piedmont town of Liberty.

The project is expected to create 3,000 jobs. Toyota first announced it was building an EV factory in Liberty two years ago. October’s announcement was the third time it expanded on those plans, with the company’s total investments in North Carolina now expected to approach $14 billion. That represents the largest economic development project in North Carolina history, and it will help rejuvenate an area hit hard by the decline of the once-dominant textiles, tobacco and furniture industries.

“Toyota’s latest expansion in North Carolina is monumental,” North Carolina state senator Phil Berger said in a press release.

Toyota’s announcement is also by far the largest in terms of investment dollars that E2 has tracked across the entire country since the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed into law in August 2022. (The second-largest investment E2 has tracked across all states and sectors in that time was also in North Carolina: In September 2022, Durham-based Wolfspeed announced a $5 billion manufacturing facility for efficient silicon carbide materials and devices with applications in industries including renewables, energy storage and EVs.)

Elsewhere in the state last month, a company called Atuel said it will soon begin producing 5,000 fast DC car chargers annually in Greensboro, creating 400 jobs. Along the coast south of Wilmington, Epsilon Advanced Materials Inc. will invest nearly $650 million and create 500 jobs making battery components. Those jobs will have an average annual salary of $52,000 – about 12 percent higher than Brunswick County’s current average wage.

Not to be outdone, Indiana also racked up three big clean economy announcements last month. These include a $3.2 billion joint-venture battery gigafactory in Kokomo from Stellantis and Samsung and an $800 million solar manufacturing plant Canadian Solar is building near the Ohio River in Jeffersonville. That facility will be able to crank out about 20,000 panels a day. Combined, Indiana’s three announcements are expected to create 2,800 jobs.

Notably, all six announcements from both North Carolina and Indiana came from overseas, underscoring just how effective the IRA is at attracting foreign investments to small-town America. In addition to Japan, companies announcing investments in the Tar Heel and Hoosier states last month are based in the Netherlands, Korea, Canada, India, China and Austria.

Since the IRA was signed into law in August 2022, E2 has tracked 251 projects across 40 states representing more than $106 billion in investments that could help create more than 89,000 jobs. Nearly half of the announcements include companies headquartered overseas, creating opportunity and jobs here in the U.S.

For a complete rundown of all announcements E2 has tracked, please see here.

TOTAL PROJECTS BY STATE

ALABAMA

• Projects: 6
• Investment: $1.603 billion
• Jobs: 1,350

ARKANSAS

• Projects: 2
• Investment: $250 million
• Jobs: 500

ARIZONA

• Projects: 8
• Investment: $5.901 billion
• Jobs: 2,280

CALIFORNIA

• Projects: 12
• Investment: $1.6 billion
• Jobs: 160

COLORADO

• Projects: 7
• Investment: $880 million
• Jobs: 2,382 

CONNECTICUT

• Projects: 4
• Investment: $24.8 million
• Jobs: 100 

FLORIDA

• Projects: 2
• Investment: $72 million
• Jobs: 250

GEORGIA

• Projects: 23
• Investment: $14.577 billion
• Jobs: 14,031

IDAHO

• Projects: 2
• Investment: N/A
• Jobs: N/A 

ILLINOIS

• Projects: 6
• Investment: $2.064 billion
• Jobs: 2,719

INDIANA

• Projects: 10
• Investment: 4,222
• Jobs: $6.416 billion

KANSAS

• Projects: 1
• Investment: N/A
• Jobs: N/A

KENTUCKY

• Projects: 6
• Investment: $646 million
• Jobs: 1,129

LOUISIANA

• Projects: 4
• Investment: $1.214 billion
• Jobs: 983

MASSACHUSETTS

• Projects: 6
• Investment: $45.7 million
• Jobs: 1,041

MARYLAND

• Projects: 1
• Investment: $14 million
• Jobs: 145 

MAINE

• Projects: 1
• Investment: $6 million
• Jobs: 200

MICHIGAN

• Projects: 20
• Investment: $12.163 billion
• Jobs: 10,107 

MINNESOTA

• Projects: 3
• Investment: $145 million
• Jobs: 570

MISSOURI

• Projects: 1
• Investment: $100 million
• Jobs: 250

MISSISSIPPI

• Projects: 2
• Investment: $115 million
• Jobs: 340

NORTH CAROLINA

• Projects: 13
• Investment: $18.62 billion
• Jobs: 7,606 

NEW HAMPSHIRE

• Projects: 1
• Investment: $16.3 million
• Jobs: N/A

NEW MEXICO

• Projects: 5
• Investment: $1.243 billion
• Jobs: 2,542

NEVADA

• Projects: 6
• Investment: $6.6 billion
• Jobs: 5,250

NEW YORK

• Projects: 10
• Investment: $783 million
• Jobs: 2,739

OHIO

• Projects: 13
• Investment: $6.395 billion
• Jobs: 3,839

OKLAHOMA

• Projects: 5
• Investment: $2.45 billion
• Jobs: 1,490

OREGON

• Projects: 1
• Investment: N/A
• Jobs: N/A

PENNSYLVANIA

• Projects: 2
• Investment: $116.1 million
• Jobs: 15 

PUERTO RICO

• Projects: 1
• Investment: N/A
• Jobs: 800

RHODE ISLAND

• Projects: 1
• Investment: N/A
• Jobs: N/A

SOUTH CAROLINA

• Projects: 19
• Investment: $11.071 billion
• Jobs: 11,072

TENNESSEE

• Projects: 13
• Investment: $5.174 billion
• Jobs: 4,110

TEXAS

• Projects: 18
• Investment: $6.769 billion
• Jobs: 6,861

UTAH

• Projects: 1
• Investment: N/A
• Jobs: N/A

VIRGINIA

• Projects: 3
• Investment: $45.5 million
• Jobs: 149

VERMONT

• Projects: 1
• Investment: N/A
• Jobs: 12

WISCONSIN

• Projects: 6
• Investment: $242 million
• Jobs: 262

WEST VIRGINIA

• Projects: 3
• Investment: $1.335 billion
• Jobs: 850

FOCUS: From opposite coasts, projects in green hydrogen, offshore wind jolt U.S. clean economy

From a Silicon Valley startup flush with venture capital to a hulking legacy shipyard in Virginia’s Hampton Roads region, at least 13 major clean energy projects were announced in September from coast to coast. Combined, they include $2.7 billion in private-sector investments that promise to create 6,100 jobs.

Out West, a startup called Verdegy announced it is building a 100,000-square-foot green hydrogen electrolyzer manufacturing plant. Founded only two years ago, Verdegy recently closed a $73 million Series B funding round. Now, it wants to double its workforce to service customers in heavy industries like chemicals, fertilizer, steel and e-fuels.

Verdegy said its advanced manufacturing plant could help dramatically scale up the production of electrolyzers that use renewable electricity to split hydrogen from oxygen molecules in water. With the U.S. Treasury Department finalizing guidance on requirements needed to qualify for the Inflation Reduction Act’s “45V” hydrogen tax credits, Verdegy could be poised for even more growth.

Back East, family-owned Lyon Shipyard announced a new $8.5 million investment to help it better serve commercial ships and vessels involved in Virginia’s fledgling offshore wind industry. The Norfolk, Va.-based company, founded in 1928, said its latest investment is expected to create 134 jobs. Lyon’s current job postings include openings for riggers, marine electricians, dockmasters, painters and machinists – creating new opportunities for workers in old-school occupations thanks to the new industry of clean energy.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of Lyon’s new 900-ton boat lift, Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin sounded bullish about offshore wind’s potential. “In this emerging industry….we are going to see a thriving hub of activity,” he said.

The Biden administration seems to agree. It set a goal of developing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030, enough to power more than 10 million homes. While high interest rates and a slowly developing supply chain have stunted industry growth, ports up and down the East Coast are competing to attract domestic offshore wind companies in a sector expected to be worth some $57 billion by the end of the decade.

In addition to green hydrogen and offshore wind, E2 tracked announcements from four other industries: solar, EV, battery and grid/transmission. The month’s largest announcement came from Chinese EV battery company Gotion. At a 150-acre site in Manteno, Ill., Gotion is planning a $2 billion gigfactory expected to create 2,600 jobs, though projects the company has announced in other states have received some pushback. Illinois Gov. JB Prizker called it “the most significant new manufacturing investment in Illinois in decades.”

Since the IRA was signed into law in August 2022, E2 has tracked 234 projects across 40 states representing nearly $91 billion in private-sector investments that could help create more than 80,000 jobs. For a complete rundown of all announcements E2 has tracked, please see here.

SPOTLIGHT: Using AI to help underserved communities address social and environmental issues

NIKHIL BHAMBI

Co-founder / CEO / vice chairperson
Narralytics, Inc
Bakersfield, California

What did you do early in your career?

I abstained from the innate pressures of entering the family business of being a doctor and got into investment banking. But by December 2019, I was burned out and looking to change careers. I intended to pursue a biotech career, but a few months later, COVID upends the world. It was really a period for me to find myself. I started applying to various nonprofits to use skills I gained as an investment banker for good. Eventually, I was volunteering for an environmental health equity think-tank called the Pittsburgh Platform. This was my “Sustainability 101” course.

What motivated you to make climate your career?

One of our team members was talking about the significance of green spaces. I rolled my eyes – how big of a deal can a park be, right? After the call, I looked at a map of urban heating in Richmond, Va. It showed summertime temperature differences between certain regions reached 18 degrees Fahrenheit. Then I realized that map was identical to another one showing Richmond’s formerly redlined neighborhoods. That was a lightbulb moment: Climate change isn’t just an environmental crisis. It’s a social crisis, too.

What did you do next?

I co-founded an early-stage climate tech company called Narralytics. We’re developing an AI-powered software platform that makes it easy, effective and financially compelling for U.S. businesses to use data to measure, report and optimize their social and environmental impacts within underserved communities. We’ve raised $275,000, we’re looking to raise another $500,000, and we’re hoping to commercialize by summer 2024.

What sets your company apart from other data analytics companies?

We record stories in frontline communities. Using enabling technologies like large language models and natural language processing, we take unstructured narratives and turn them into structured data and integrate it with our quantitative insights to ensure our analytics are ultimately contextualized, enriched and validated by the lived experiences of the communities we intend to serve. Our business hypothesis is simple: It’s that who is better to identify and co-develop solutions for systemic inefficiencies than the frontline communities which deal with these issues day-in, day-out.

Where are you piloting your product?

The model is most attuned to cities. Initially, the markets we’re going to be servicing are Watts and Compton, two neighborhoods in southern Los Angeles. But it’s challenging. I’m not a native of those communities, I’m an outsider. Compounding that, I’m representing a data analytics company. A lot of these communities have been poked and prodded by various institutions over the years with little to no change occurring. You have to combat a lot of skepticism.

What do you think about public investments like the IRA and the Justice40 Initiative?

Trillions of dollars will be spent over the next few decades decarbonizing the economy and instituting a just transition. There are probably good ways and less good ways to do that. And robust independent analysis and community engagement can help support better decision-making and allocate capital more efficiently and equitably. We did a line-by-line review of the IRA, and we estimated that in underserved urban communities, there can be as much as $78 billion allocated. That’s huge. It represents a shift in shift in philosophy in how we address the climate crisis.

How so?

The IRA signals something of a shift in U.S. policy away from globalization toward a more nationally focused industrial policy. Since the ’80s, the dominant paradigm has been that free markets and low barriers to international trade are the most effective and efficient way to allocate goods and

services. And it’s a paradigm in which the economy is, in some ways, de-politicized, with markets autonomous and self-correcting. But the last few years three developments have shaken some of this faith in globalization and free markets – COVID, the energy crisis in Europe, and finally the more general push toward supporting domestic industry and reducing outsourcing to countries that may have lower labor costs and labor standards. And I think it’s highly likely that Hamas’s attack on Israel, Iran’s purported backing of that attack, and the growing regional instability will lead to a spike and overall volatility in crude prices, further substantiating a shift toward a more nationally focused industrial policy.

What does this have to do with the IRA?

This means the IRA is poised to spur and accelerate the energy transition. I think the sustainability boom can have the same massive scale of the Industrial Revolution. But due to enabling technologies like artificial intelligence, like the Internet of Things and the prevalence of data, it will happen much more quickly. It will have the speed of the digital age.

TOTAL PROJECTS BY STATE

ALABAMA (6)
Investment: $1.603 billion
Jobs: 1,350
ARKANSAS (2)
Investment: $250 million
Jobs: 500
ARIZONA (8)
Investment: $5.901 billion
Jobs: 2,280
CALIFORNIA (11)
Investment: $1.6 billion
Jobs: 160
COLORADO (7)
Investment: $880 million
Jobs: 2,382
CONNECTICUT (4)
Investment: $24.8 million
Jobs: 100
FLORIDA (2)
Investment: $72 million
Jobs: 250
GEORGIA (21)
Investment: $14.401 billion
Jobs: 13,331
IDAHO (2)
Investment: N/A
Jobs: N/A
ILLINOIS (6)
Investment: $2.064 billion
Jobs: 2,719
INDIANA (7)
Investment: 1,422
Jobs: $2.416 billion
KANSAS (1)
Investment: N/A
Jobs: N/A
KENTUCKY (6)
Investment: $646 million
Jobs: 1,129
LOUISIANA (4)
Investment: $1.214 billion
Jobs: 983
MASSACHUSETTS (6)
Investment: $45.7 million
Jobs: 1,041
MARYLAND (1)
Investment: $14 million
Jobs: 145
MAINE (1)
Investment: $6 million
Jobs: 200
MICHIGAN (19)
Investment: $9.163 billion
Jobs: 10,107
MINNESOTA (3)
Investment: $145 million
Jobs: 570
MISSOURI (1)
Investment: $100 million
Jobs: 250
MISSISSIPPI (2)
Investment: $115 million
Jobs: 340
NORTH CAROLINA (10)
Investment: $9.973 billion
Jobs: 3,706
NEW HAMPSHIRE (1)
Investment: $16.3 million
Jobs: N/A
NEW MEXICO (4)
Investment: $1.194 billion
Jobs: 2,455
NEVADA (6)
Investment: $6.6 billion
Jobs: 5,250
NEW YORK (10)
Investment: $783 million
Jobs: 2,739
OHIO (13)
Investment: $6.395 billion
Jobs: 3,839
OKLAHOMA (5)
Investment: $2.45 billion
Jobs: 1,490
OREGON (1)
Investment: N/A
Jobs: N/A
PENNSYLVANIA (2)
Investment: $116.1 million
Jobs: 157
PUERTO RICO (1)
Investment: N/A
Jobs: 800
RHODE ISLAND (1)
Investment: N/A
Jobs: N/A
SOUTH CAROLINA (19)
Investment: $11.071 billion
Jobs: 11,072
TENNESSEE (13)
Investment: $5.174 billion
Jobs: 4,110
TEXAS (17)
Investment: $6.769 billion
Jobs: 6,661
UTAH (1)
Investment: N/A
Jobs: N/A
VIRGINIA (3)
Investment: $45.5 million
Jobs: 149
VERMONT (1)
Investment: N/A
Jobs: 12
WISCONSIN (6)
Investment: $242 million
Jobs: 262
WEST VIRGINIA (2)
Investment: $1.260 billion
Jobs: 750

Summary:

Clean energy and clean vehicle jobs in America grew 4 percent in 2022, bringing the total number of workers in renewable generation, energy efficiency, clean vehicles, battery and storage, grid modernization, and biofuels to more than 3.3 million. Clean energy now employs over 40 percent of all energy workers in America.

The increase in 2022 marked the full workforce recovery for multiple sectors following the earlier impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Renewable energy, biofuels, and storage and grid modernization sectors officially surpassed their sectors’ pre-pandemic job numbers in 2022 while clean vehicles—which continued to add jobs during the pandemic—kept up its industry-leading growth pace.

Approximately 127,000 jobs were added across all sectors—accounting for more than 3 percent of all U.S. jobs added in 2022. Over the past two years clean energy jobs have grown by more than 10 percent, faster than the overall energy industry and overall U.S. employment.

It’s a trend that’s expected to continue as the clean energy sector begins to feel the full impact from historic investments passed in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Clean energy and clean vehicle companies announced 210 major projects across 38 states in the year after the IRA was signed into law on August 16, 2022.² The numbers in this report do not reflect the estimated 74,000 jobs to be created by the projects announced.

Key Findings

• The states with the most clean energy jobs remained unchanged from 2021, led by California and Texas with over 500,000 and 250,000 jobs respectively, followed by New York, Florida, Michigan, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio, and North Carolina all with at least 100,000.
• Employment increased by more than 6 percent in five states (Tenn. Ky., Okla., N.J., N.M.), while the sector accounted for more than 5 percent of all 20 jobs in Vermont and over 3 percent in four other states (Mass., Wyo., Md., R.I.).
• Los Angeles County (Calif.), Harris County (Texas), Orange County (Calif.), Cook County (Ill.), and San Diego County (Calif.) led all counties for the most clean energy jobs with at least 50,000 jobs in each. 
• Kenedy County (Texas), Pulaski County (Ill.), and Storey County (Nev.) had the highest density in clean energy employment while Dewey County (Okla.), Hoke County (N.C.), and Hopewell County (Va.) had the fastest growth rates. 
• Clean energy sectors set record employment highs two years after the pandemic-fueled unemployment crisis cost the industry more than 620,000 jobs. 
• Energy efficiency remained the single-biggest employer across the entire energy sector, employing more than 2.2 million Americans, adding more than 50,000 jobs in 2022 (up 2.3%). 
• 1.6 million construction jobs were supported by clean energy in 2022, which would account for about 1 in every 7 construction workers nationwide. 
• Jobs grew across all subsectors of renewable energy, led by wind energy (7.5%) and geothermal (5.0%). In all, nearly 20,000 jobs were added in 2022 and over 535,000 Americans now work in renewable energy sectors—an 8.5% increase since 2021. 
• The storage and grid modernization sector added over 8,000 jobs in 2022, up 5.8%. Jobs making power grids more resilient and able to handle more renewable energy led the sector, growing 11.6% followed by battery and energy storage (6.2%). Since 2021, the sector increased employment by 9.8%. 
• Clean vehicle makers continue to lead all clean energy sectors in growth, adding nearly 50,000 jobs. Electric vehicles (EVs) led the sector, adding nearly 30,000 jobs alone in 2022 (26.8%), followed closely by hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles (25.2%). Since 2021, every clean vehicle subsector has increased employment by over 27% with EVs and hydrogen and fuel-cell vehicles seeing job growth rates over 60%. The sector also continued to outgrow the gas and diesel-powered vehicle industry (1.6%). 
• The smallest clean energy sector, biofuels, added over 1,000 jobs in 2022. Since 2021, the sector has increased employment by 8.4% and over 3,000 jobs. 

2023 Clean Energy Employment Toplines

FOCUS: It’s almost harvest time (for electric tractors)

Companies in business for nearly two centuries are as dependable as they are shrewd. They anticipate customers’ needs, innovate, and deliver. And they do this again and again and again.

That’s why John Deere’s Aug. 14 announcement that it’s building a plant to produce more batteries and chargers is noteworthy – it’s the latest sign that America’s economy is rapidly electrifying, from the farmer’s field on up. 

Deere’s was one of 18 major clean economy announcements that companies made across the country last month, amounting to 9,529 new jobs and more than $6 billion in investments. All told, since the Inflation Reduction Act was announced just over a year ago, E2 has tracked 223 projects across more than three-dozen states amounting to about 75,000 jobs and $88 billion in investments.

A welder at John Deere’s plant in Kernersville, N.C. The iconic manufacturer announced in August it will expand its operations there to make batteries and chargers. (Photo courtesy of John Deere)

Deere’s new 115,000 square-foot plant will be in Kernersville, N.C., adjacent to another the company has operated since 1988. The facility is expected to help Deere, founded in 1837, produce more than 20 electric and hybrid electric models for the construction market by 2026, including excavators, forklifts and wheel loaders. It could also help roll out an autonomous, battery-powered electric utility tractor for the agricultural market, also by 2026.

 “[W]e are prioritizing the development of a robust charging ecosystem and battery portfolio that can support and sustain the long-term adoption of electrification across a wide variety of applications,” said Pierre Guyot, SVP of John Deere Power Systems and Chairman of Kreisel, an Austrian battery company in which Deere acquired a majority stake last year.

The $69 million Deere project is expected to create about 50 jobs in North Carolina, with an average annual pay of more than $60,000. Occupations include assemblers, material handlers, packagers and quality inspectors.

The announcement was part of another big month for EV projects in the South. Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee each had at least one major EV project announcement. There were also billion-dollar solar manufacturing announcements in both Louisiana and New Mexico; grid announcements in Waukesha, Wisc., and Nacogdoches, Texas; and Singapore-based Bila Solar said it’s investing $35 million to repurpose an old Eli Lilly factory in Indianapolis, where Bila will also establish its new U.S. headquarters, creating some 240 new jobs.

OPPORTUNITIES

Biden-Harris administration announces $30 million to build up domestic supply chain for critical minerals

The Energy Department announced up to $30 million to help lower the costs of the onshore production of rare earths and other critical minerals and materials from domestic coal-based resources, including coal, coal waste and associated by-products. Rare earths and other critical minerals are key to U.S. manufacturing of clean energy technologies – such as solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cells. Extracting these materials creates good-paying jobs in communities that have historically produced fuels and electric power from fossil energy resources, supporting the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to revitalize energy communities. Read more.

 Biden-Harris administration announces $100 million to transform climate pollution into sustainable products

The Energy Department is making $100 million available to support states, local governments and public utilities in purchasing products derived from converted carbon emissions. The goal is to speed up adoption of advanced carbon management technologies, creating a market for environmentally sustainable alternatives in fuels, chemicals and building products sourced from captured emissions from industrial and power generation facilities. Read more. 

DOE announces $46 million to boost energy efficiency and slash emissions from buildings

DOE’s Buildings Energy Efficiency Frontiers and Innovation Technologies (BENEFIT) funding opportunity will provide $46 million to 29 projects across 15 states. The funding will support building technologies and retrofit practices that will create healthier households and communities and reduce energy waste. Read more.

Department of Energy announces up to $4.7 million for manufacturing cybersecurity innovation

The U.S. Department of Energy announced a new request for proposals (RFP) for up to $4.7 million to enhance cybersecurity within American manufacturing. This RFP, which will focus on energy efficient cybersecure manufacturing, is soliciting projects within three industrial use cases – industrial control systems, secure industrial digitization and industrial additive manufacturing. Read more.

TOTAL PROJECTS BY STATE

Alabama (5)

Arizona (8)

Arkansas (2)

California (10)

Colorado (7)

Connecticut (4)

Florida (2)

Georgia (21)

Illinois (4)

Indiana (7)

Iowa (2)

Kansas (1)

Kentucky (5)

Louisiana (4)

Maine (1)

Maryland (1)

Massachusetts (6)

Michigan (18)

Minnesota (3)

Mississippi (2)

Missouri (1)

Nevada (6)

New Hampshire (1)

New Mexico (3)

New York (10)

North Carolina (10)

Ohio (13)

Oklahoma (4)

Oregon (1)

Pennsylvania (2)

Puerto Rico (1)

South Carolina (18)

Tennessee (13)

Texas (14)

Utah (1)

Vermont (1)

Virginia (2)

West Virginia (2)

Wisconsin (6)

FOCUS: The Great American EV Road Trip

This summer, more Americans are hitting the open road in an electric vehicle (EV) than ever before. For evidence of the EV market’s expansion, look to two places.

The first is the lane next to you. About 1 million new EVs are expected to be sold in the U.S. this year, a record. In the second quarter alone, Americans bought 300,000 new EVs, led by Tesla, Chevrolet and Ford. That’s nearly 50 percent more than the second quarter a year ago. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, Americans drove 19 billion miles in light-duty plug-in EVs in 2021, 57 percent higher than the previous year. In 2023, those miles are certain to increase by billions more.

Another good place to look for EV market growth is the list of more than 200 projects E2 has tracked since the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed into law last summer. Of those announcements, more than 90 are related to EVs, amounting to some 43,000 new jobs and more than $51.5 billion in investments across 18 states. Twelve announcements came from the UAW stronghold of Michigan alone – more than any other state, suggesting many jobs we’ve tracked provide good union wages that can sustain growing families.

Last month, six of the 10 projects E2 tracked were related to EV manufacturing. For example, Kia said it will soon start production of its three-row, plug-in electric SUV in Georgia, creating nearly 200 jobs and generating about $200 million in private investments. In Tennessee, meanwhile, a major hub for Ford suppliers – the so-called “BlueOval City,” after the carmaker’s iconic nameplate – will add another 1,050 American jobs. The governors of Georgia and Tennessee, both Republicans, lauded the clean economy projects in their respective states, calling them “generational” job creators that will provide “new opportunities for families to thrive.”

With all these new EVs hitting the road, where will they charge? Currently, there are 62,700 public EV charging stations across the U.S. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes $7.5 billion to help expand that network, especially along the interstates and other major highways where most long-distance trips occur. Earlier this year, the White House said it wants 500,000 charging stations nationwide by 2030 – about eight times what’s currently available.

SPOTLIGHT

DREW GRAVITT

Director, Strategic Partnerships
Schneider Electric
Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina

You work on microgrids at Schneider Electric. What are some trends you’re seeing?

I’ve been with Schneider about 15 years. One industry challenge is that a lot of the technology that a homeowner or a commercial industrial business uses to install renewables or microgrids has been heavily customized and engineered. That’s starting to change. Now, you’re seeing a lot of standardization, a lot of products and solutions coming in a more packaged format. This evolution is making microgrids, and the renewables that power them, more accessible to all of us. It does this by driving down manufacturing, installation and service costs allowing consumers and utilities see meaningful financial returns while lowering their carbon footprint.

A big focus of this newsletter is how federal clean energy policies and investments are benefiting the economy. How is Schneider benefiting from the Inflation Reduction Act?

This pre-dates the IRA, but we worked closely with Duke Energy to set up a microgrid for Montgomery County, Md. The county had been hit by major storms in recent years that kept knocking out power, and it wanted to enhance resiliency for critical infrastructure like a correctional facility and the county’s public safety headquarters. We came up with a concept that relied on technologies like solar and CHP, developed the project, validated the system and brought together the various renewable energy generation technologies so they could work in sync. We already see the IRA bringing more projects like this to fruition.

You live further south, down in South Carolina. What kinds of impacts have federal clean energy policies had on your state?

I live in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., which is just outside Charleston. Clean energy projects are popping up all over the place, including EV charging stations. It really feels like South Carolina has a great opportunity to lead one of the biggest economic transitions our country has ever seen.

Specifically, what kinds of projects have you been reading about?

There have been plenty. I know E2 tracked a big EV announcement this month outside of Columbia, but that’s just the latest one in my state. BMW is also investing $1.7 billion to expand its Spartanburg factory to build electric cars. Albemarle Corp. is building a new $1.3 billion lithium processing plant in Chester County. Volkswagen is planning a new electric vehicle factory in Blythewood employing about 2,000 workers. Cirba Solutions is constructing a new $300 million battery materials company in Orangeburg that will create another 300 jobs.

What has struck you about these projects?

I’m not particularly interested in politics, but witnessing the transformative impact of recent federal climate and clean energy legislation on my industry and our state, I have to say I have come to appreciate the power of good policy.  These are lighthouse projects that will demonstrate what’s possible and draw more businesses, and people, into the growing clean energy economy.

Do you feel this progress could be at risk?

In the spring, it was disheartening to watch House Republicans vote to undermine clean energy investments as part of Speaker McCarthy’s federal debt ceiling bill, plus a separate solar panel policy provision that led to layoffs in solar and could result in retroactive fines for completed projects. These were shortsighted partisan games. In South Carolina, it was pretty clear our federal lawmakers were sending the wrong market signals to American companies and workers. The last thing we need is another lawmaker in South Carolina to turn their back on the jobs, cost savings and economic resiliency that clean energy delivers to our state. We have a massive economic opportunity, and we can’t let it slip away. Lawmakers need to put aside partisan politics and prioritize their constituents. In South Carolina, that means prioritizing our economy and our environment by standing behind policies like the IRA and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

TOTAL PROJECTS BY STATE

Alabama (5)
Arizona (8)
Arkansas (2)
California (8)
Colorado (7)
Connecticut (3)
Florida (2)
Georgia (20)
Illinois (3)
Indiana (6)
Iowa (2)
Kansas (1)
Kentucky (5)
Louisiana (3)
Maine (1)
Maryland (1)
Massachusetts (5)
Michigan (18)
Minnesota (3)
Mississippi (2)
Missouri (1)
Nevada (5)
New Hampshire (1)
New Jersey (1)
New Mexico (2)
New York (11)
North Carolina (9)
Ohio (13)
Oklahoma (4)
Oregon (1)
Pennsylvania (2)
South Carolina (18)
Tennessee (12)
Texas (12)
Vermont (1)
Virginia (3)
West Virginia (2)
Wisconsin (4)

OPPORTUNITIES

Biden-Harris administration launches historic $20 billion in grant competitions to create national clean financing network

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched two Notices of Funding Opportunity for $20 billion across two grant competitions under the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, an Inflation Reduction Act program central to President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda and environmental justice goals. Together, these competitive grant opportunities will mobilize private capital into clean technology projects to create good-paying jobs and lower energy costs for American families, especially in low-income and disadvantaged communities, while cutting harmful pollution to protect people’s health and tackle the climate crisis. Read more.

Biden-Harris administration to jumpstart clean hydrogen economy with new initiative to provide market certainty, unlock private investment

The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) released a Notice of Intent, which includes a Request for Information, to invest up to $1 billion in a demand-side initiative to support the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs, or H2Hubs. Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the H2Hubs program will help form the foundation of a national clean hydrogen network vital to reducing emissions from some of the most energy-intensive sectors of our economy, including industrial and chemical processes and heavy-duty transportation. Read more.

USDA announces new investments to improve measurement, monitoring, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture will invest $300 million to improve measurement, monitoring, reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration in climate-smart agriculture and forestry. Read more.

DOE announces $150 million for states to train residential energy efficiency contractors

The DOE announced funding for states to begin training a new generation of residential energy contractors. The State-Based Home Energy Efficiency Contractor Training Grants Program will provide $150 million in grants for states to reduce the cost of training, testing and certifying residential energy efficiency and electrification contractors. This funding will attract and educate new workers in the industry, train and empower existing workers, and support business owners to make homes healthier and more energy efficient. Read more.