Renewable Energy Engineers

Employers

More than 1.8 million engineers are employed in the United States. The renewable energy industry is a large and diverse field. Employment opportunities in each sector exist at manufacturing or research and development companies, both large and small; utilities; government organizations; and nonprofit groups and agencies. Research or education opportunities can be found at universities or trade associations. Because the benefits of renewable energy are a global concern, many employment opportunities can be found outside of the United States.

It is important to note that while employment in the renewable energy industry can be found nationwide, some sectors of the industry tend to be clustered in specific regions of the United States. A good example of this is the wind power industry. Although wind is everywhere, different regions of the United States are windier than others. For this reason, wind-related projects tend to be most concentrated in Texas, other western states such as California, Colorado, Kansas, North Dakota, and Oklahoma; the Pacific Northwest (especially Oregon); the Midwest (especially Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota); and the Mid-Atlantic. The wind industry employs more than 131,000 Americans, according to the American Clean Power Association.

There are a wide variety of employment opportunities available in the solar energy industry. Contractors, dealers, distributors, builders, utilities, government agencies, manufacturers, installers, and research and development companies can be found throughout the United States. The Southwest has the greatest potential for solar energy, although solar energy development has increased in other areas of the United States. In 2023, the U.S. solar industry employed 279,447 workers, according to the National Solar Jobs Census from the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). The top five states for solar jobs were (in descending order): California, Florida, Texas, New York, and Massachusetts. Manufacturers of solar power components and equipment are located throughout the United States. Large plants are located in California, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Currently, most geothermal employment opportunities in the United States exist where most geothermal reservoirs are located—in the western states. These include Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. However, since magma is located everywhere under the Earth's surface, better technology and more powerful tools enable geothermal-related projects to be found throughout the United States. Workers are also employed by construction subcontractors and suppliers of power and cooling systems components. In 2023, about 9,000 jobs existed in the geothermal energy sector, according to the IREC.

Geothermal energy workers are employed by government agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service that review and approve licensing requests from geothermal energy contractors. They also conduct geothermal energy research for the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of the Interior (National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey), and other agencies. Developers of geothermal energy resources are major employers of workers in the field. Workers are also employed by construction subcontractors and suppliers of power and cooling systems components.

Hydropower plants are found throughout the United States. Hydropower projects can be separated into two categories: large hydropower projects run by the federal electric utilities and operated by the Bureau of Reclamation and the Army Corps of Engineers, and nonfederal hydropower dams—about 1,610—licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. According to the National Hydropower Association, 47 states have hydropower facilities, and there are 2,252 active power plants. Approximately 72,400 people are currently employed in the hydropower industry. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the top 10 hydropower generating states are Washington, California, Oregon, New York, Alabama, Montana, Arizona, Idaho, Tennessee, and North Carolina.

Biomass is bulky and thus costly to transport. Because of this, bioenergy projects are located where biomass crops are grown. This is a great benefit for many rural areas of the United States since jobs and their economic benefits are kept close to home. Opportunities for bioenergy and biofuels workers are available throughout the United States, although certain areas of the country may offer better opportunities than others. For example, the majority of ethanol production takes place in the Midwest. The top states for ethanol production are Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Indiana.

Employers of fuel cell technology workers include automotive manufacturers with hydrogen vehicle programs, companies that manufacture fuel cells and related technology, merchant hydrogen producers, colleges and universities that conduct fuel cell and hydrogen research, and government agencies that conduct research in the field (most significantly, the U.S. Department of Energy and its National Laboratories, and the National Fuel Cell Technology Evaluation Center).

Starting Out

Industry and professional associations are a rich source of information, especially when you are looking for your first job. Association Web sites feature the latest industry news, project developments, market forecasts, and government policies, and also offer career advice and job postings on their Web sites.

Many companies recruit on campus or at job fairs. Check with your school’s career center for upcoming fairs in your area. Other good job hunting resources are trade journals, some of which may have job advertisements in their classifieds sections.

Internships are also a great way to get relevant work experience, not to mention valuable contacts. Many of the larger energy companies and nonprofit groups, as well as government employers, offer internships (either with pay or for course credit) to junior- or senior-level college students. For example, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory offers both undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to participate in its many research and development programs.