Renewable energy creates more jobs than fossil fuels

By: Jordana Levine.

If renewable energy production in the US was increased 20% by 2020, 185,000 new jobs would be created in renewable energy development.  Consumers would also save $10.5 billion on electricity and gas bills and farmers, ranchers, and rural landowners would have $25.6 billion added to their total income.

The Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory in Berkeley discovered that renewable energy not only creates more jobs per megawatt of power installed, but also more jobs per unit of energy produced and per dollar invested compared to the fossil fuel energy sector.

In the European Union, net employment growth in the EU is projected to increase to 950,000 with current policies, and up to 1,666,000 jobs by 2010 under the Advanced Renewable Strategy (ARS) that has been implemented.  Renewable energy would also make up 22.1% of the EU’s total energy by 2010

The Environmental Energy Study Institute has a fact sheet discussing jobs from renewable energy and energy efficiency both within the US and around the world.  It lists the improvements in energy resources, including the increase in wind, geothermal, solar and tidal energy and well as biofuels and clean-coal plants.  The fact sheet shows the immense number of jobs that these industries add to the economy.

The full fact sheet can be downloaded at the EESI website

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