Renewable energy creating jobs faster than most other industries

President Donald Trump has pledged to revive the coal industry through fewer regulations on coal mining and fossil fuel emissions in order to create more jobs. But aside from its serious environmental impact, coal isn’t a sustainable industry. Even with lifted bans and coal subsidies, power plants are turning to natural gas.

By the numbers, coal is experiencing steep declines in employment while renewable energy is quickly moving to the head of the line in job growth.

According to a new Bloomberg analysis of the US Bureau of Labor of Statistics’ biennial employment projections, solar panel installers and wind turbine technicians are slated be the fastest growing jobs in the country for the coming years.

Solar photovoltaic installer jobs could see a growth rate of 105.3 percent and wind turbine technicians will see similar expansion with an increase of 96.1 percent.

To put those numbers in perspective, Quartz reported that “solar & wind jobs will grow twice as fast as any other US occupation.” This is due in large part to an increase in solar power capacity in the United States, having grown an average of 72% each year.

As much as utility companies would like to keep a monopoly on power, renewable energies are quickly becoming an economic force to reckon with.

The Bloomberg report shows not only that the current administration’s efforts to bring the coal industry back to its glory days is a largely futile endeavor, but also that solar and wind power will be strong investments in the coming years.

Not only does renewable energy help the environment, but it may also be a dependable path for young people going into the workforce.

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By Kay Vandette, Earth.com Staff Writer