Wind and solar farms do not directly replace coal, oil, and gas jobs, but the renewables industry as a whole does. These stories need to be told loudly and often on general principles, and as part of this year’s election campaigns. We can’t leave this to the malarkey-spinners.
This is what happens when a wind farm comes to a coal town
In 2022, the country's first major climate policy, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, passed with the promise to speed up that transition, offering at least $4 billion to boost development of renewable projects like the Pinnacle Wind Farm in Keyser.
That law passed with the key vote of West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, but Tillman is skeptical that those benefits will reach Keyser.
"Manchin [is seen as] selling out to Biden and his fellow Democrats, and politically that hurt him," says Kercheval.
"But at the same time, there's all this green energy money that's coming to West Virginia and the last two years has seen more economic development announcements than I can remember in this state."
Hoppy Kercheval hosts the daily radio program Talkline on West Virginia MetroNews and has been on the air for nearly 50 years.
Those "green energy" dollars funneling into a predominantly conservative state with a historic connection to coal have created political dynamics that Kercheval describes as paradoxical.
Researcher Eleanor Krause, who studies labor in the renewables sector, points out another challenge.
"Coal mining employment happens where coal mines exist," she explains. "These coal mines aren't necessarily the same places where the wind blows and the sun shines the brightest, and so it's not necessarily the case that we can just replace coal mines with wind turbines or solar panels."
I and others have pointed out that the sun shines and the wind blows on all of the mountain tops whose peaks have been blasted off for coal. There are more than 500 of them in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. They all have roads and electric power lines.
Truth Brigade: A Deal Deal for WV?
Renewable Thursday: Coal Fields to Solar Farms
👍 President Biden’s Department of Energy announces renewable projects in remote and rural areas Cristen Hemingway Jaynes EcoWatch
The Biden administration has announced that the United States Department of Energy (DOE) will provide $366 million in funding for 17 renewable energy projects in remote and rural areas of the country to alleviate high energy bills and improve reliability.
The funding supports the administration’s target of directing 40 percent of climate-related investment benefits to communities that have been subjected to a disproportionate amount of pollution or are underserved, reported Reuters.
“These projects overall are going to create more affordable, more reliable energy sources, they will lower families’ energy bills, and they’ll create good paying jobs in their communities,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm told reporters, as Reuters reported.
As part of the administration’s Investing in American Agenda, the funds will support clean energy projects in 30 Tribal communities and nations and 20 states, a press release from the DOE said.
How does ‘Energy Transition’ impact the overall Workforce?
By 2030, it is anticipated that the energy transition will create 14 million jobs in the energy supply industry and an additional 16 million jobs in the clean energy sector, such as efficiency, automotive, and construction, for a combined total of 30 million jobs for people across the globe.1
Within the NetZero scenario, there is an anticipated loss of 5 million jobs in the fossil fuel industry by 2030; however, the loss is more than compensated for by new job opportunities. The projections are set on a global scale and, while promising, may present challenges for regions that are dense with extraction, refinement, and generation workers.
The IRA is projected to create up to 9 million new jobs, which will be dispersed across the country, including in places dependent on fossil fuel production. The IRA operates by enhancing support from the private sector to drive investment into disadvantaged communities to create a cycle of innovation.
The creation of 30 million new jobs worldwide due to these changes by 2030 is expected to alter the labor market for decades. The risk of unemployment decreases through effective upskilling and reskilling of current energy employees.
We don’t need coal, but we still need miners. We don’t need fracking, but we still need people to drill deep geothermal wells.
Want Green Energy? Then you need more mining, much more mining
Clean Energy Job Creation and Growth
There are just over 8 million jobs in renewable energy today. In 2021 and 2022, energy jobs grew faster than overall U.S. employment.
The United States needs millions of good-paying union jobs to manufacture and deploy batteries, electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar panels, energy-efficient appliances, biorefineries, and more. DOE is at the forefront of scaling up technologies that will put Americans to work in quality jobs in construction, skilled trades, and engineering—building new infrastructure and a clean energy economy, while supporting workers affected by the energy transition.
Which is why Texas Gov. Goodhair (Rick Perry) wanted to shut it down.
Clean Energy Jobs Are Booming, Making Up For Rising Fossil Fuel Unemployment
Renewables Jobs Nearly Doubled in Past Decade, Soared to 13.7 Million in 2022
Worldwide.
Global Renewable Energy Employment by Technology
Growing the Economy of the Future: Job Training for the Clean Energy Transition
US unveils up to $3.5 bln funding to boost domestic battery manufacturing
Here's where the US stands on EV battery production, 1 year after the Inflation Reduction Act was signed
In 2019, just two battery factories were operating in the United States with another two under construction. Today there are about 30 battery factories either planned, under construction or operational in the country.
Data provided by company and by state.
All of the above omits employment by IC chip manufacturers, which are also essential throughout renewable energy systems and electric vehicles.
The semiconductor industry is booming, with expected average annual growth of 6 to 8 percent through 2030 and yearly revenues forecasted to reach $1 trillion. The industry will have to double semiconductor production to keep pace with future demand, but most fabrication plants, commonly called fabs, are already operating at capacity. To increase supply, many companies have announced plans to build new fabs and some are already in the construction phase. And in a coordinated push to achieve a microelectronics resurgence, the United States is becoming a hot spot for fab construction.
The value of US-based semiconductor projects that are under way, announced, or under consideration totals $223 billion to over $260 billion through 2030.1 But it’s not just private companies that want to move more manufacturing to the United States. Semiconductor production is getting more funding from the federal government, which recently approved $54 billion in grants for domestic semiconductor manufacturing and research through the US CHIPS and Science Act.
The Carter Family - Coal Miner's Blues (1938)
Other Renewable News
DOE Releases Efficiency Standards for Washers and Dryers
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced two Congressionally-mandated energy-efficiency actions that will save American households $2.2 billion per year on their utility bills, while significantly cutting energy waste and harmful carbon pollution
Today’s actions are part of a suite of energy efficiency standards advanced by the Biden-Harris Administration this term that DOE projects will together provide nearly $1 trillion in consumer savings over 30 years and save the average family at least $100 a year
U.S. Secretary of Energy “For decades, DOE’s appliance standards actions for clothes washers and dryers have provided loads of savings” “DOE will continue to roll out innovative appliance solutions throughout 2024 to lower costs for the American people—continuing the cycle of household savings”
This Colorado community is already living in the all-electric future
In the Geos neighborhood, heat pumps, solar and energy efficiency abound. The net-zero community offers a glimpse into what a decarbonized home can look like.
Texas will add more grid batteries than any other state in 2024
With cheap land and a competitive market irresistible to energy storage developers, the Lone Star State will even overtake California in battery deployments this year.
Heat pumps outsold gas furnaces again last year — and the gap is growing
While sales of both heat pumps and gas furnaces were down in 2023, heat pumps are proving more popular than ever.
Wow! Spain’s electricity is almost free right now due to record high outputs of wind and solar energy 🎉Spain’s clean energy output is so high they are greening France’s grid by exporting excess electricity, at dirt cheap prices too:
Spain’s electricity: $5.20 per MWh
France’s electricity: $68.86 per MWh
Spain’s record high of renewables output is expected to continue into March!
- Prices in Spain are near €2/MWh, compared with €67 in France
- Strong solar and wind generation is expected to continue
For owners of Ford EVs, travel potentially got a bit easier yesterday, Feb. 29, as they now have access to 15,000 Superchargers across the U.S. (and maybe Canada; don’t know about that for sure). Ford is mailing adapter plugs to owners of Mach-E and F-150 Lightnings for free upon request, if the request is made prior to July 1.
Better still, the chargers will respond to Ford’s own software app, dodging the need to ID a credit card for the purchase.
This access improvement is a big deal for Ford, with GM, Volvo, Rivian, and Polestar soon to follow, possibly as early as this month.
So if range anxiety and charging access really are the barriers slowing down U.S. EV adoption, this improved access to charging may accelerate matters for the better. Here’s hoping.
Almost all OEMs will begin producing cars in 2025 with North American Charging Standard (NACS) plugs, which should improve access even more.
Chart: Gas-powered cars are losing market share to EVs and hybrids
Electric vehicle sales hit record heights last year. Sales of hybrids also soared. The trend is eating away at the market share of conventional cars.
Last year, traditional internal-combustion vehicles accounted for 84 percent of total passenger vehicle sales in the U.S. — their lowest-ever share of sales. Meanwhile, sales of fully electric vehicles and hybrids are climbing to new heights.
On Daily Kos
Weekly Spotlight on Climate & Eco-diaries (3/3/24). If you missed some, you can find them here. by Meteor Blades.
Closing Music