“I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.”
Wayne Gretzky
Where the puck is going to be
These days the news is full of job cuts and predictions of future job losses to AI. On the bright side, demand for some jobs is soaring. It turns out the growth of quality jobs is a big upside of the energy transition. So what are some hot jobs in the booming clean energy economy?
The shift away fossil fuels is happening. As the cost of clean energy plummets, and evidence of climate change mounts, the way we power our lives is going in a new direction. Renewable energy companies, and those that support these technologies, are off and running. And booming business = job creation.
Demand for workers in the sector is far exceeding supply. For example, from 2021 to 2022, demand for wind turbine technicians spiked by over 90%, and for solar consultants by more than 60%.
Jobs in renewable energy have increased by 237% over the past 5 years. And that is before either the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) took effect. Both of these are igniting investment and growth in clean energy-related companies. As a result, new jobs will be abundant in every state, as you can see in this map from RMI.org.
Working through the transition
True, jobs will be lost during the transition, especially in coal. Oil and gas work will dwindle too. To help solve this problem, the Infrastructure Act is funding clean energy projects at former coal mining sites. Also, several programs are helping workers retrain for good-paying, clean energy jobs. And organizations like this are training workers with skills for high-demand jobs.
As we electrify our lives, there is a growing need for electricians and electrical engineers. Here is an example I read about this week in my back yard. Likewise, we recently upgraded our home electrical to prepare for our new EV (more on that later), and the electrician told me how desperate they are for workers. He said many companies will pay for their employees to be trained.
Here are some hot jobs in clean energy:
- Wind turbine technician
- Solar consultant or technician
- Electrician
- Engineer (all specialities)
- HVAC (heat pumps)
- Sustainable fashion
- Electric vehicles
- Green construction
If you are just starting out in your career, or are moving on to your next act, skate to where the puck is going to be. Clean energy is the future and these hot jobs are calling your name!
Let’s do something about climate change. Learn about it. Think about it. Talk about it.