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Clean-Energy Jobs Surpass Oil Drilling for First Time in U.S.
by
Anna Hirtenstein
May 25, 2016 — 10:00 AM EDT
Employment in the U.S. solar business grew 12 times faster than overall job creation, the International Renewable Energy Agency said in a report on Wednesday. About 8.1 million people worldwide had jobs in the clean energy in 2015, up from 7.7 million in 2014, according to the industry group based in Abu Dhabi.
Fed by state initiatives to spur clean energy and innovative financing measures offered by companies such as SolarCity Corp., developers are adding workers at record rates to install rooftop panels. Oil and gas producers by contrast have slashed 351,410 jobs worldwide since prices began to slide in the middle of 2014, according to Houston-based Graves & Co.
“The continued job growth in the renewable energy sector is significant because it stands in contrast to trends across the energy sector,” said Adnan Amin, director-general of Irena, which is based in Abu Dhabi. “This increase is being driven by declining renewable energy technology costs and enabling policy frameworks. We expect this to continue as the case for renewables strengthens and countries move to achieve climate targets.”
The pace of jobs growth worldwide slowed last year from 18 percent in 2014 mainly because of lower investment in biofuels following the oil price slump, which made alternative fuels less economically attractive, Irena said. Brent crude prices slipped 35 percent last year, the third consecutive decline. Biofuels made from crops such as sugar and corn employed 1.7 million workers, second to solar with almost 2.8 million jobs.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...bs-surpass-oil-drilling-for-first-time-in-u-s
by
Anna Hirtenstein
May 25, 2016 — 10:00 AM EDT
- Green workforce rose 5% worldwide in 2015 to 8.1 million
- Irena expects as many as 24 million in clean energy by 2030
Employment in the U.S. solar business grew 12 times faster than overall job creation, the International Renewable Energy Agency said in a report on Wednesday. About 8.1 million people worldwide had jobs in the clean energy in 2015, up from 7.7 million in 2014, according to the industry group based in Abu Dhabi.
Fed by state initiatives to spur clean energy and innovative financing measures offered by companies such as SolarCity Corp., developers are adding workers at record rates to install rooftop panels. Oil and gas producers by contrast have slashed 351,410 jobs worldwide since prices began to slide in the middle of 2014, according to Houston-based Graves & Co.
“The continued job growth in the renewable energy sector is significant because it stands in contrast to trends across the energy sector,” said Adnan Amin, director-general of Irena, which is based in Abu Dhabi. “This increase is being driven by declining renewable energy technology costs and enabling policy frameworks. We expect this to continue as the case for renewables strengthens and countries move to achieve climate targets.”
The pace of jobs growth worldwide slowed last year from 18 percent in 2014 mainly because of lower investment in biofuels following the oil price slump, which made alternative fuels less economically attractive, Irena said. Brent crude prices slipped 35 percent last year, the third consecutive decline. Biofuels made from crops such as sugar and corn employed 1.7 million workers, second to solar with almost 2.8 million jobs.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...bs-surpass-oil-drilling-for-first-time-in-u-s
Clean-Energy Jobs Surpass Oil Drilling for First Time in U.S.
by
Anna Hirtenstein
May 25, 2016 — 10:00 AM EDT
The number of U.S. jobs in solar energy overtook those in oil and natural gas extraction for the first time last year, helping drive a global surge in employment in the clean-energy business as fossil-fuel companies faltered.
- Green workforce rose 5% worldwide in 2015 to 8.1 million
- Irena expects as many as 24 million in clean energy by 2030
Employment in the U.S. solar business grew 12 times faster than overall job creation, the International Renewable Energy Agency said in a report on Wednesday. About 8.1 million people worldwide had jobs in the clean energy in 2015, up from 7.7 million in 2014, according to the industry group based in Abu Dhabi.
Fed by state initiatives to spur clean energy and innovative financing measures offered by companies such as SolarCity Corp., developers are adding workers at record rates to install rooftop panels. Oil and gas producers by contrast have slashed 351,410 jobs worldwide since prices began to slide in the middle of 2014, according to Houston-based Graves & Co.
“The continued job growth in the renewable energy sector is significant because it stands in contrast to trends across the energy sector,” said Adnan Amin, director-general of Irena, which is based in Abu Dhabi. “This increase is being driven by declining renewable energy technology costs and enabling policy frameworks. We expect this to continue as the case for renewables strengthens and countries move to achieve climate targets.”
The pace of jobs growth worldwide slowed last year from 18 percent in 2014 mainly because of lower investment in biofuels following the oil price slump, which made alternative fuels less economically attractive, Irena said. Brent crude prices slipped 35 percent last year, the third consecutive decline. Biofuels made from crops such as sugar and corn employed 1.7 million workers, second to solar with almost 2.8 million jobs.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...bs-surpass-oil-drilling-for-first-time-in-u-s
Despite our differences in opinion on AGW, I agree this is a positive trend.
Over the long term we need to wean ourselves off of fossil fuel and move towards green energy sources. The extraction of fossil fuels is a dirty business and having U.S. economy based on oil/gas means that we are importing from our enemies such as Venezuela.
The U.S. government should drive policies that support adoption of clean energy such as net metering, re-doing the U.S. electrical infrastructure to support micro-grid, and tax crdit incentives to install solar.