Renewable Energy Careers

Prospects are bright for green-industry jobs. There were 16.2 million global renewable energy jobs in 2023, up from 13.7 million in 2022, according to the Renewable Energy and Jobs Annual Review 2024 from the International Renewable Energy Agency. More than 1 million of these jobs were located in the United States. Worldwide, the solar photovoltaic sector accounted by 7.1 million, followed by biofuels, 3.8 million jobs; hydropower, 2.3 million jobs; and wind, 1.5 million jobs.

According to the U.S. Energy and Employment Report, approximately 900,000 people were employed in the electric power generation (EPG) sector overall in 2023. "Both solar and wind, the two largest employment sectors of EPG technologies, increased from 2022 to 2023, following increases from 2020 through 2022," according to the report. "Solar had the largest number of jobs gained and the fastest growth rate, adding 18,401 workers (5.3 percent). Land-based wind had the second largest, adding 5,715 workers, for a growth rate of 4.6 percent. Employment in other renewable energy EPG technologies also grew in 2023, including traditional and low-impact hydropower employers, which added 2,100 jobs (3.2 percent) and geothermal employers, which added 235 jobs (2.7 percent). Though the absolute number of jobs gained for some renewable energy technologies, such as offshore wind and bioenergy, is small, they exhibit above average rates of growth." The fast growth of solar and wind industries can be attributed to lower production costs. Better technology and equipment have lowered the cost of wind- and solar-generated electricity. This almost matches the cost of electricity generated by conventional methods such as coal or nuclear.

The U.S. Energy and Employment Report indicated that a lack of qualified workers was a challenge for the industry. Seventy-six percent of employers across all energy sectors reported "some difficulty" hiring qualified workers. "Motor vehicles (90 percent) and electric power generation (85 percent) employers reported the highest overall difficulty among all technologies," according to the report. "Just under half (48 percent) of all motor vehicles employers indicated that finding qualified workers was 'very difficult' in 2023, down from 57 percent in 2022. Energy efficiency employers had the second largest share of employers responding that it was 'very difficult' to find qualified workers at 43 percent, down from 50 percent in 2022." This suggests that workers with the right skill sets should find good opportunities in the coming years.

Hydropower is a leading renewable energy resource because of its abundance and ability to produce electricity inexpensively without harmful emissions. However, some dams and other water reservoirs have been found to harm fish and wildlife located in or near the project site. The industry has responded to such claims by hiring specialists to protect vegetation and wildlife affected by hydropower projects. Two factors may limit growth in the hydropower industry. First, most potential sites for hydropower projects have already been utilized. Second, the licensing process for hydropower projects is slow and inefficient. License requests must be reviewed and approved by federal and state agencies, which often have a conflict in goals and regulations, making it difficult to obtain a license.

Improved technological advances, such as more powerful drilling tools, have helped the geothermal energy industry grow in the past few years. Employment opportunities are greatest in the West (especially in California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah) for the direct use, or drilling, of geothermal energy, and in the Midwest for geothermal heat pumps. However, with advances in technology, employment opportunities will be plentiful throughout the United States. Long delays in obtaining geothermal land leases from the government could hinder the growth of this industry.

Bioenergy is also experiencing steady growth. Interest in bioenergy will not only stem from its electricity potential, but also the biofuels converted from biomass such as ethanol biobutanol, and biodiesel. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has estimated that approximately 17,000 jobs are created for every million gallons of ethanol, an important biomass byproduct, produced. Employment opportunities will exist for chemists, engineers, and other agricultural scientists.

The U.S. Department of Energy predicts that the growing incorporation of fuel cells in motor vehicles could create 675,000 new jobs by 2035.

Public interest in renewable energy has grown in the last decade. Research has brought better technology, lowered generating costs, and even developed other uses for renewable energy. However, there are still many barriers that hinder this industry's growth potential: lack of infrastructure to transport renewable energy reliably, competition for local distribution, and lack of government funding for additional research and projects. Increased domestic production of nonrenewable energy resources like natural gas and crude oil also may limit employment growth in the renewable energy industry.