Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute provides employment estimates for the United States energy efficiency and renewable energy sectors, detailing direct, indirect, and induced jobs across wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal, and biomass industries.

• The document distinguishes between three types of employment: direct jobs (construction and maintenance of energy projects), indirect jobs (industries providing goods and services to energy companies), and induced jobs (economic activity supported by energy projects, such as local hotels or delis).
• Energy efficiency employment is difficult to quantify because many jobs exist within larger industries like home renovation. A 2010 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) study estimated that every $1 million spent on energy efficiency resulted in 2.5-8.9 person-years of employment. Additionally, a 2011 study found that appliance, equipment, and lighting standards generated 340,000 jobs in 2010, linked to $34 billion in energy savings.
• Employment in the U.S. wind and solar sectors showed volatility and growth: the wind industry employed 85,000 Americans in 2010, but the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) estimated this dropped to approximately 75,000 due to the economic downturn and lack of federal energy policy. The solar industry grew from 50,000 workers in 2009 to 93,000 in 2010, with a projected 26 percent increase by August 2011.
• Other renewable energy sectors reported the following employment figures: hydropower is estimated at 200,000-300,000 direct jobs based on 2-3 full-time equivalents per megawatt for a 100,000 MW fleet; geothermal had 5,200 direct jobs in 2010; the biopower industry provides 14,000 jobs, the biodiesel industry had 51,893 jobs in 2008, and the ethanol industry employs approximately 70,400 people directly.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2011). Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-jobs-in-renewable-energy-and-energy-efficiency1

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. 2011. https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-jobs-in-renewable-energy-and-energy-efficiency1.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency |date=1 June 2011 |url=https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-jobs-in-renewable-energy-and-energy-efficiency1 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2011jobs, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2011}, month = jun, url = {https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-jobs-in-renewable-energy-and-energy-efficiency1}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }