Jobs in Renewable Energy

Did you know the renewable energy industry records a 12 percent faster growth than the whole United States economy?

Thanks to dropping technology costs, supportive policies and higher demand for clean energy, the renewable energy workforce has skyrocketed in recent years. While the clean energy industry employs 777,000 workers, the coal industry employs 160,000 workers, less than a quarter as many Americans as the renewable energy industry. Jobs in renewable energy are more abundant than ever, even during a global pandemic. Read on for facts about job growth in the clean energy industry:

1. Solar and wind energy jobs outnumber coal and gas jobs in 30 states, including the District of Columbia. The coal industry now employs approximately 160,000 workers, which is less than a quarter as many Americans as the renewable energy industry.

2. In 2016, energy storage jobs surged 235 percent from the previous year to reach 90,800 jobs. Meanwhile, efforts to create a more modern power gridhave created more than 55,000 jobs.

3. USEER reports that in 2018, 2,324,866 people worked in the United States energy efficiency sector. This represents an increase of more than 124,800 energy efficiency jobs since 2016, making it the energy sector with the highest job growth in the country.

4. The advanced vehicles and transportation sector employs 174,000 Americans who develop and make electric vehicles, including electrical and mechanical engineers and assembly line workers.

Sources: greencitizen.com, edf.org, globenewswire.com, eesi.org, irena.org, energy.gov, renewableenergyworld.com