When people hear the phrase, “clean energy jobs,” many think of solar panel installers or wind turbine technicians. But those are just two of many careers in clean energy.

Keefe: “Think about the manufacturers that produce, for instance, energy-efficient appliances, who produce electric vehicles … construction workers … who go out and make our homes, our offices, our schools more energy efficient through better insulation, through better windows and doors, through better lighting systems, better HVAC systems and that sort of thing. That’s actually the biggest part of the clean economy and the clean jobs market.”

Bob Keefe directs Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), which publishes an annual clean jobs report.

The report finds that more than 3 million people in the U.S. are employed in clean energy, and clean jobs grew 4% in 2022.

These jobs are expected to keep growing, so Keefe says it’s important to make people aware of the many career paths available in clean energy.

Keefe: “And starting at an early age. We need to be talking to high school students […]