TODAY’S STUDY: 3.3 Million Jobs Now In New Energy

Clean Jobs America; Nearly 3.3 Million Clean Energy Jobs

March 13, 2019 (E2)

In every region and every state in America, clean energy is creating jobs and careers. Nationwide, nearly 50,000 new clean energy jobs were created in 2018, bringing the total number of Americans who work in clean energy to 3.26 million.

While jobs in solar declined in part because of tariffs on steel and solar panels, wind energy jobs grew by nearly 4 percent and now competes with fossil fuels in many markets.2

Energy efficiency continues to lead the clean energy sector in total number of jobs, growing 3.4 percent to 2.3 million jobs.

But the big story in 2018 was around clean vehicles and storage.

Driven by growing consumer demand, the number of jobs in clean vehicles manufacturing increased by 16 percent. About 254,000 Americans now work at companies building hybrid, electric and other clean vehicles, while another 486,000 Americans work in companies that manufacture parts that make vehicles more efficient.

Energy storage saw a 14 percent increase in jobs as utilities, businesses and consumers deployed more batteries in EVs and with solar and wind installations, while grid modernization jobs grew by 3.3 percent.

Smart state policies continue to drive much of the growth in clean energy and the jobs and investments that come with it. But with a new Congress comes new opportunities to pass meaningful legislation on a federal level to keep these jobs growing nationwide. See sidebar for more.

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WANTED: FEDERAL ACTION ON CLEAN ENERGY

To continue creating tens of thousands of new jobs for Americans across the country, Congress should:

// Make sure any infrastructure bill includes policies to modernize the grid and expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure to keep grid and storage jobs growing.

// Stop rollbacks to fuel economy (CAFE) standards that are saving business and consumers money with every visit to the pump and also are driving jobs and American innovation in the clean vehicles sector.

// Upgrade and extend expired energy efficiency tax credits for commercial and residential buildings; clarify the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) to apply to energy storage and offshore wind and lift the cap on the electric vehicle tax credit to create more jobs in these sectors.

// Properly fund R&D investments in clean energy innovation and efficiency at the U.S DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Loan Programs Office, and programs such as ARPA-E, and the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) program.

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CLEAN VEHICLES 255,000 JOBS

Clean vehicles now account for about 13 percent of all the jobs in the motor vehicles industry

// 15.4 percent nationwide job growth in 2018

// 42 states saw double-digit job growth in 2018, with 15 seeing above 20 percent growth

// 486,000 additional employees in the motor vehicle industry work with parts making vehicles more fuel efficient

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GRID & CLEAN STORAGE 139,000 JOBS

9 percent job growth in 2018, with employers projecting growth of 4.4 percent in 2019.

// Grid modernization industries added over 2,000 jobs, a 3.3 percent growth rate.

// California and Texas lead the U.S. in Grid & Clean Storage jobs again, but Nevada saw biggest rise in rankings—jumping from 25th to 4th thanks to a 380 percent job surge in 2018.

SOLAR + WIND 446,000 JOBS

335k SOLAR JOBS

// Solar provides the largest share of electric power generation in the U.S., 100,000 more than the next two sectors combined.

// Solar jobs fell 4.2 percent in 2018—after nearly a decade of growth—but employers are projecting job growth of over 8 percent in 2019.

// 89 percent of solar job losses were in maturing in states of MA and CA. In 18, solar jobs increased.

// 66 percent of solar jobs (224k) are involved in manufacturing and construction.

// Clean vehicles now account for about 13 percent of all the jobs in the motor vehicles industry

// 15.4 percent nationwide job growth in 2018

// 42 states saw double-digit job growth in 2018, with 15 seeing above 20 percent growth

// 486,000 additional employees in the motor vehicle industry work with parts making vehicles more fuel efficient

// 9 percent job growth in 2018, with employers projecting growth of 4.4 percent in 2019.

// Grid modernization industries added over 2,000 jobs, a 3.3 percent growth rate.

// California and Texas lead the U.S. in Grid & Clean Storage jobs again, but Nevada saw biggest rise in rankings—jumping from 25th to 4th thanks to a 380 percent job surge in 2018.

111k WIND JOBS

// Wind provides the 3rd largest share of electric power generation jobs, about 1,500 fewer employees than natural gas.

// Jobs grew 3.5 percent last year, with employers projecting job growth of nearly 5 percent for 2018

// All but five states (and D.C.) saw job growth in wind energy in 2018

// 56 percent of wind jobs (63k) are involved in manufacturing and construction.

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ENERGY EFFICIENCY 2.3 MILLION JOBS

76,000 The number of new jobs added by energy efficiency companies in 2018—accounting for over half of all new energy jobs

7.4% Expected job growth in 2019 by employers, the highest across the entire energy sector

1.4 M The number of energy-efficiency jobs in construction

321,000 The number of manufacturing jobs in energy efficiency, an increase of 2 percent

1 in 3 More than one out of every three employees working in the energy sector (from traditional energy to motor vehicles) is involved in energy efficiency

1 in 4 In 2018, ENERGY STAR appliances employed more than 1 out of every 4 energy efficiency workers, largest category of employment…

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CLEAN ENERGY INVESTING A TRILLION DOLLAR MARKET WAITING TO BE UNLEASHED

With the right support and policies, U.S. investors could turn clean energy into an economic powerhouse and unlock a market with near unlimited potential.

A TURNING POINT OPPORTUNITY:

Renewable energy resources are now expected to be the fastest-growing source of U.S. electricity generation for at least the next two years, with growth forecasts of 10 percent in 2019 and 17 percent in 2020.20

Roughly 18 percent of U.S. energy generation is now supplied by renewable sources, up from 11 percent in 2009.21

By the year 2035, renewable energy is expected to become the world’s ominant power source. And by 2050, renewables are expected to supply 75 percent of the world’s energy.22

A GROWING MARKET

Financial institutions in the U.S. (including banks, asset managers, and private-equity firms) are expected to double planned investments in renewable energy, with the potential to mobilize $1 trillion in cumulative private capital by 2030.23

Corporate contracts for clean energy technology more than doubled in 2018 to 13.4 GW (up from 6.1GW in 2017), totaling now more than 32 GW since 2008— the generation capacity of the Netherlands.24

The U.S. is beginning to dominate a new global market, accounting for 60 percent of global corporate clean energy purchases in 2018.

GOOD JOBS FOR VETERANS

Clean energy employs a greater percentage of veterans than most industries—including oil and gas. Percentage of veterans in the workforce of: 10% WIND, 9% SOLAR PV. 10% ENERGY EFFICIENCY, 8% CONCENTRATED SOLAR POWER, 6% NATIONAL AVERAGE, 6 to 9% FOSSIL FUEL AND NUCLEAR…

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