Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

The document provides a comprehensive overview of clean energy employment, highlighting the U.S. and global landscapes. In the U.S., it details job figures across energy efficiency (buildings, appliances, transport) and renewable energy (solar, wind, biofuels, geothermal, hydro, and waste-to-energy). Globally, it identifies China as the leader in renewable energy employment, followed by Brazil, the U.S., India, and Germany, with solar PV being the largest employment driver worldwide.

• The Ecotech Institute reported a 13 percent increase in clean job openings from 2013 to 2014, rising from 3.6 million to 3.8 million, with an estimated 1.2 million openings in the first three months of 2015.
• In the U.S. energy efficiency sector, green buildings are a major employer; a U.S. Green Building Council study found the sector supported over 2.3 million jobs in 2015 and is projected to support more than 3.3 million by 2018, which would be one-third of all U.S. construction jobs.
• U.S. renewable energy employment reached 724,000 jobs in 2014, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), representing a 16 percent increase from the previous year, though this figure excludes large-scale hydropower.
• The U.S. solar energy industry provided 173,807 direct jobs as of November 2014, a 21.8 percent increase from November 2013; total employment, including indirect and induced impacts, exceeded 705,000 jobs.
• The U.S. wind energy industry provided 73,000 full-time equivalent jobs by the end of 2014, with 23,000 of those added during that year. Texas is the leading state for wind jobs, employing over 17,000 people.
• Globally, IRENA estimated 7.7 million direct and indirect jobs in the renewable energy sector in 2014. Solar PV is the largest employer with roughly 2.5 million jobs, followed by liquid biofuels (1.8 million) and wind power (approximately one million).
• China is the global leader in renewable energy employment with approximately 3.4 million direct and indirect jobs, leading in eight of the nine sectors covered by IRENA, including solar PV (1.6 million jobs), solar heating/cooling (600,000 jobs), and wind power (502,400 jobs).

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2015). Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_REEE_Jobs_110615.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. 2015. https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_REEE_Jobs_110615.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency |date=November 2015 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_REEE_Jobs_110615.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2015jobs, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2015}, month = nov, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_REEE_Jobs_110615.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }