According to the Advanced Energy Economy Institute, the advanced energy industry in California has about 431,800 jobs. The number of opportunities in this field is expected to grow 17% in the coming year, so that total could reach 500,000 soon.
Half a million advanced energy workers in California soon? What would you wager it doesn’t make the nightly news if it happens?
Building energy efficiency is the largest segment of the advanced energy industry and about 300,000 California residents work trying to make buildings, homes, and other structures more energy efficient.
Almost 73,000 work in the solar power field in both full and part-time roles. This number has grown steadily over the last year.
“California is the national leader in the advanced energy economy and that leadership is contributing to significant job growth across multiple sectors in every region of the state,” explained GO-Biz director Kish Rajan.
Over 43,000 businesses in California also serve the advanced energy market. Obviously, a company like Tesla would be considered one of these businesses because it makes electric cars. Tesla has about 6,000 workers.
One of the great things about stories like this is that they provide a human perspective on energy, when frequently the news is more about the technology. So, we get a glimpse of the societal shift that is taking place.
It isn’t surprising that it is taking shape in California more than any other state, because the Golden State has been supportive of alternative energy for some time. Generally, we might hear about benefits to such support in terms of reduced air pollution or CO2. It is heartening to hear the state’s economy and workers benefit too. Energy jobs will continue to grow because currently the US only generates about 0.5% of its electricity from solar power, but solar power is expanding fast and is expected to continue doing so. The US will benefit health-wise by decreasing fossil fuel consumption, but big renewable energy growth will also result in big job growth. We look forward to seeing Advanced Energy Economy Institute’s job numbers in the coming years.
Image: Pete Bobb
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