Hydroelectric Plant Technicians

There will be slow employment growth in the next few years for hydroelectric plant technicians. Technicians will be needed to replace workers who leave their positions for other opportunities or retire from the field. Hydropower is an important renewable energy resource due to its abundance and its ability to generate electricity inexpensively without harmful emissions. Employment growth is hampered, however, by the lengthy process for licensing hydropower projects. Federal and state agencies must review license requests before approving them, and this is often a slow process, particularly when projects' goals conflict with government regulations.

Employment in the hydropower industry will grow if the U.S. government establishes a renewable electricity standard, a regulation that requires the production of more energy from renewable energy resources such as hydropower and solar and wind energy. There are about 30 states that have a renewable electricity standard, but there is no federal standard. Experts believe that many new jobs could be created in hydropower if a national renewable electricity standard and other industry-friendly policies, such as federal production and investment tax credits for new hydropower projects, are implemented.