Jobs from Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency

The document provides a comprehensive overview of employment trends in the clean energy sector, contrasting the job-creation potential of renewables and energy efficiency with traditional fossil fuel industries. It highlights specific national and state-level projections in the U.S., international trends in the EU and Brazil, and sector-specific data for wind, solar, biofuels, and geothermal energy, while also noting the decline of coal mining employment.

• In 2006, the renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) industries in the United States created a total of 8.5 million jobs, with 450,000 in RE and 8 million in EE.
• Renewable energy is found to generate more employment per megawatt of installed power, per unit of energy produced, and per dollar of investment compared to the fossil fuel sector.
• Specific U.S. state-level projections indicate significant job growth from clean energy: Texas could add 123,000 high-wage jobs via solar power by 2020, Florida could create over 14,000 jobs by 2023 through energy efficiency, and California's 20% RPS by 2017 was estimated to create 119,000 person-years of employment.
• International employment growth in the European Union is projected to reach 950,000 under current policies, potentially increasing to 1,660,000 if the Advanced Renewable Strategy (ARS) target of 22.1% renewable energy demand by 2010 is met.
• Sector-specific U.S. data shows the ethanol industry created 163,034 jobs in 2006, while the wind industry created 36,800 total jobs in 2006. Solar energy is projected to employ 150,000 people in 25 years, with the SEIA aiming for 260,000 jobs by 2030.
• Employment in the U.S. coal mining industry has seen a steady decline from 185,000 jobs in 1985 to 80,000 in 2005.
• The U.S. Congress passed two significant job training programs in 2007: the $100 million Sanders-Clinton Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Worker Training Program and the $125 million Green Jobs Act of 2007.

APA

Elles, C., & Beck, F. (2007). Jobs from Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/files/EEREJobsFactSheet_11-8-07_0.pdf

Chicago

Elles, Chrissy, and Fredric Beck. Jobs from Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2007. https://www.eesi.org/files/EEREJobsFactSheet_11-8-07_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Elles |first1=Chrissy |last2=Beck |first2=Fredric |title=Jobs from Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=8 November 2007 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/EEREJobsFactSheet_11-8-07_0.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{elles2007jobs, author = {Elles, Chrissy and Beck, Fredric}, title = {{Jobs from Renewable Energy \& Energy Efficiency}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2007}, month = nov, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/EEREJobsFactSheet_11-8-07_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }