Several job opportunities are arising in the field of renewable energy in the United States. These new job opportunities create a high rate and stable employment for the blue-collar workers in some states of the country, which is heavily fossil-fueled. This is an opportune time since the coal industry is currently spiraling down.
The economics are hitting two birds with one stone here. Investing in renewable energy sources is significantly cheaper than the current coal plants. Additionally, the prices of renewable energy get cheaper and cheaper every year. Predictions state that by the year 2025, almost all coal plants in the United States will cost more in their operation than building new infrastructure for harvesting solar energy and wind energy.
Many states and utilities across the country are now setting goals to achieve 100 percent clean energy. This creates new demand for skilled workers to build more wind turbines and solar panels. The plans of transitioning from coal energy to clean energy create several economic opportunities across the United States. Several policy-making individuals are already following this direction.
The new job opportunities in the renewable energy sector offer higher rates to their employees. The renewable energy industry is now the leading employer in the United States. Statistics show that about 3.3 million Americans are currently working in the renewable energy industry. This figure outnumbers the workers in the fossil fuel industry by a 3 to 1 ratio. More than 300,000 employees are in the solar industry, and more than 110,000 employees are stationed in the wind industry.
There are only about 211,000 workers in the coal mining and other fossil fuel energy industries in pale comparison. In 2018, the employment rate in the clean energy industry grew by about 3.6 percent. This adds about 110,000 new jobs, and according to the employer, employment rates will again increase to up to 6 percent in the year 2019.
