The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority has announced that New York’s growing clean energy economy employed nearly 159,000 workers in 2018, according to the state’s 2019 Clean Energy Industry Report. Since 2016, the state’s clean energy economy saw 8.9-percent employment growth, more than double that of the state’s overall economy.
The announcement supports Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s Green New Deal, a clean energy and jobs agenda that puts the state on a path to a carbon-neutral economy.
The Clean Energy Industry Report compares data on clean energy jobs, geographic distribution, and employee needs, revealing patterns and trends to inform policy recommendations on how to meet the state’s clean energy and climate goals, help create jobs, and drive economic opportunity.
Energy efficiency continues to be the largest clean energy technology category, with 123,292 jobs, or 77 percent of all clean energy employment in New York, according to the report.
Firms in the grid modernization and energy storage technology category grew five times faster than national employment in this sector. In 2018, employment increased by 35 percent, exceeding last year’s 8-percent growth during this time and five times greater than national employment growth of 7 percent in this sector.
Regions throughout the state are demonstrating strong energy work-force opportunities, according to the report.
“Under Governor Cuomo, New York has staked out a clear global leadership position in advancing a plan to combat climate change and advance clean energy, and this report demonstrates that those efforts are already paying off,” Alicia Barton, NYSERDA’s president and chief executive officer, said in a Sept. 24 statement.
“The clean energy industry is adding high-quality jobs at more than twice the rate of the overall economy, and New York is quickly beginning to outpace the rest of the country in becoming a global hub for clean technology businesses. By continuing to invest in New York’s clean energy businesses and workers, the governor is providing exactly the kind of leadership we need today to build the thriving clean energy economy of tomorrow.”