Jobs in fledgling green sector growing, study finds

NEW YORK — The fledgling renewable energy industry has grown steadily over much of the past decade, adding jobs at more than twice the national rate, according to a Pew Charitable Trusts study released Wednesday.

Solar and wind-power companies, energy-efficient light bulb makers, environmental engineering firms and others expanded their work force by 9.1 percent from 1998 to 2007, the latest year available, according to Pew.

The average job growth in all industries was 3.7 percent during the same period.

In 2007, there were nearly 5,200 jobs in Utah's clean energy economy, according to the Pew study. "The Clean Energy Economy: Repowering Jobs, Businesses and investments Across America" report found that Utah is one of the few states in the nation where jobs in the clean energy economy declined between 1998 and 2007, while total jobs grew.

"Utah is poised to promote significant growth in its clean energy economy," Lori Grange, Pew's interim deputy director, said in a news release.

"The state already has begun capitalizing on its advantages. For example, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has designated Highway 15, an interstate cutting through Utah, as a natural gas corridor and is pushing to expand the clean energy infrastructure with additional concentrated natural gas fueling stations."

Nationally, the entire energy sector has experienced growth in recent years as well, according to the Bureau of Labor. Bureau data shows coal mining jobs jumped 16 percent from 2003 to 2009. Oil and gas extraction jobs jumped 28 percent.

The Pew study does not include employment data from the past 18 months, a volatile period for the energy industry.

Since the data was collected, the government has said it would pump billions into renewable energy and efficiency programs. The banking meltdown made it nearly impossible to raise cash and oil prices have collapsed.

Alternative energy companies have been hit hard by the recession, with a string of bankruptcies in the ethanol industry and layoffs in the wind-power industry.

Grange said that while green industries will certainly benefit from the influx of billions in stimulus dollars, the report shows that the clean energy sector has proven itself sustainable.

States like California, Texas, Florida, and New York continue to employ the most people in the industry. However, states experiencing the largest growth rates were Idaho, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming, according to the report.

Contributing: Jasen Lee, Deseret News