The renewable energy and energy efficiency (RE&EE) industries represented more than 9 million jobs and $1,045 billion in U.S. revenue in 2007, according to a new report from the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) and Management Information Services Inc. The renewable energy industry grew three times as fast as the U.S. economy, with the solar thermal, photovoltaic, biodiesel and ethanol sectors leading the way, each with 25%-plus annual revenue growth.
‘There's a new sense of optimism in the green economy,’ says Brad Collins, executive director of ASES. ‘But while the U.S. could see million of new jobs in renewable energy and energy efficiency, this will only happen with the necessary leadership, research, development and public policy at the federal and state levels.’
Key steps include a national renewable portfolio standard, long-term extension of the federal production tax credit, effective net metering policies and improved access to electric transmission infrastructure, ASES says.
According to the advanced scenario in the report, which represents the upper limit of what is technologically and economically feasible, RE&EE would generate about 37 million jobs and $4,294 billion in annual revenue by 2030. This forecast scenario is one of three highlighted in the report.
Under the base case (business as usual) scenario, which assumes no major change in policy or initiatives, the green job forecast is for more than 16 million jobs and $1,966 billion in revenue in the U.S. by 2030 – less than half the jobs and revenue than projected in the advanced scenario. The third scenario assumes moderate policy improvements at the federal and state level and forecasts 19.5 million jobs and $2,248 billion in revenue by 2030.
The full report is available at www.ases.org/greenjobs.
SOURCE: American Solar Energy Society
