Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

This fact sheet by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) provides a comprehensive overview of employment trends in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors within the United States and globally, primarily using data from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) as of 2016 and 2017.

• In the first quarter of 2016, the clean energy industry in the United States—which encompasses energy efficiency, smart grid, energy storage, renewable electric power generation, renewable fuels, and electric, hybrid, and hydrogen-based vehicles—directly employed 3,384,834 Americans.
• The U.S. energy efficiency industry directly employed nearly 2,200,000 people in its green appliance and green building subsectors, with a predicted job growth rate of 9 to 11 percent for 2017.
• U.S. renewable energy employment figures vary by source: the DOE reported 677,544 direct jobs in Q1 2016, while IRENA estimated 769,000 direct and indirect jobs in 2015, representing a 6 percent year-over-year increase.
• The solar energy industry in the U.S. experienced significant growth, with The Solar Foundation reporting a 24.5 percent increase between November 2015 and November 2016, totaling 260,077 jobs across all 50 states.
• Globally, there were approximately 8,079,000 direct and indirect jobs in the renewable energy sector at the end of 2015. The solar photovoltaic (PV) subsector was the largest employer worldwide with around 2,772,000 jobs.
• China is the global leader in renewable energy employment, with roughly 3,523,000 direct and indirect jobs, and leads the world in seven different renewable energy sectors, including solar PV and large hydropower.
• Brazil holds the second largest number of renewable energy jobs globally (918,000) and is the world leader in liquid biofuel employment, with approximately 821,000 jobs.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2017). Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_REEE_Jobs_021517.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. 2017. https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_REEE_Jobs_021517.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency |date=February 2017 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_REEE_Jobs_021517.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2017jobs, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2017}, month = feb, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_REEE_Jobs_021517.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }