Jobs from Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) details the job creation potential and economic impacts of renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) sectors across the United States and internationally. It compares the employment capacity of green industries against fossil fuel and nuclear sectors and highlights the role of specific policy instruments, such as Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) and tax credits, in driving workforce growth.

• In 2006, the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries in the United States generated 8.5 million direct and indirect jobs, with 8 million in energy efficiency and 450,000 in renewable energy. Projections suggest that by 2030, as many as 1 in 4 U.S. workers could be employed in these sectors, spanning roles in manufacturing, construction, accounting, management, and engineering.
• Renewable energy is found to be more labor-intensive than the fossil fuel sector, creating more jobs per megawatt of power installed, per unit of energy produced, and per dollar of investment. Additionally, a projected $100 billion green investment package over two years is estimated to create nearly four times as many jobs as an equivalent investment in the oil industry, potentially reducing the unemployment rate to 4.4% over that period.
• Specific U.S. state policies have demonstrated significant employment gains: California's energy-efficiency policies created nearly 1.5 million jobs between 1977 and 2007, while its 20% by 2017 RPS was estimated to create 119,000 person-years of employment. In Florida, adopting energy efficient strategies was projected to create over 14,000 jobs by 2023. Texas could potentially add 123,000 high-wage jobs by 2020 through solar power adoption.
• Globally, the renewable energy sector employed 2.3 million people directly or indirectly in 2006. This included over 1 million jobs in biomass and biofuels, approximately 300,000 in wind power, 170,000 in solar photovoltaic (PV), and at least 624,000 in solar thermal. Future projections for 2030 suggest the potential for 6.3 million jobs in solar PV, 2.1 million in wind, and 12 million in biofuels-related agriculture and industry.
• In Germany, renewable energy employment grew from 160,500 green jobs in 2004 to 249,300 in 2007. Wind power accounted for 34% of these green energy jobs, reaching 84,300 employees in 2007. Biomass also saw growth, employing 96,100 people in 2007 compared to 56,800 in 2004.
• The document notes a decline in traditional energy employment, specifically in the U.S. coal mining industry, where jobs dropped from 185,000 in 1985 to 80,000 in 2005. In contrast, the U.S. biodiesel industry supported more than 21,000 jobs in 2007, and the ethanol industry supported 238,541 jobs across all sectors in 2007.
• The extension of the 30 percent solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) was projected to support 440,000 jobs and increase domestic investment in the solar industry by $232 billion by 2016. The states expected to see the greatest economic boom from this extension include California, Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, and Washington.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2008). Jobs from Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. https://www.eesi.org/files/green_jobs_factsheet_102208.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Jobs from Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. 2008. https://www.eesi.org/files/green_jobs_factsheet_102208.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Jobs from Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency |date=22 October 2008 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/green_jobs_factsheet_102208.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2008jobs, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Jobs from Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2008}, month = oct, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/green_jobs_factsheet_102208.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }