It is often assumed that environmental protection inevitably comes at a financial cost. However, an increasing number of studies are finding precisely the opposite is true in the case of renewable energy: that greater use of renewable energy systems provides economic benefits through investments in innovation, and through new job creation, while at the same time protecting the economy from political and economic risks associated with over-dependence on too limited a suite of energy technologies and fuels. This report reviews the range of recent studies on the job creation potential of the renewable energy industry. We critically analyze the studies with a view to answering four main questions:
How can one compare and make sense of employment impact numbers derived through different methods, and presented in different units?
What are the potential regional employment impacts of large-scale growth in the renewable energy sector?
What would large-scale growth in the renewable energy sector mean for those employed in the fossil fuel energy sector?
What policy measures would maximize the net positive economic and employment benefits that the renewable energy industry offers?
| Date Of Record Release | 2010-04-22 14:42:02 |
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| Description | It is often assumed that environmental protection inevitably comes at a financial cost. However, an increasing number of studies are finding precisely the opposite is true in the case of renewable energy: that greater use of renewable energy systems provides economic benefits through investments in innovation, and through new job creation, while at the same time protecting the economy from political and economic risks associated with over-dependence on too limited a suite of energy technologies and fuels. This report reviews the range of recent studies on the job creation potential of the renewable energy industry. We critically analyze the studies with a view to answering four main questions: How can one compare and make sense of employment impact numbers derived through different methods, and presented in different units? What are the potential regional employment impacts of large-scale growth in the renewable energy sector? What would large-scale growth in the renewable energy sector mean for those employed in the fossil fuel energy sector? What policy measures would maximize the net positive economic and employment benefits that the renewable energy industry offers? |
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| Source | National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) |
| Selector | Selection Committee |
| Date Of Record Creation | 2010-04-22 14:27:45 |
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| Date Last Modified | 2010-04-22 14:42:02 |
| Creator | Kammen, D.M., Kapadia, K., Fripp, M. |
| Language | English |
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