As presidential nominees Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump prepare to face off in their first debate Tuesday night, voters will be tuning in for clarity on their plans to handle issues including the economy, inflation and job growth.
One sector that faces particular uncertainty after the election is clean energy, which has received a boost from the Biden administration but faced skepticism from Trump.
Climate change and a move toward more sustainable energy have bolstered job growth in the sector in recent years, thanks in part to funding from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Chips and Science Act. Recent data from the Department of Energy showed clean energy employment increased by 142,000 jobs last year, accounting for more than half of new energy-sector jobs.
The rate was more than double the growth for the rest of the energy sector and the overall U.S. economy, according to the newly released 2024 U.S. Energy and Employment Report.
Since the implementation of the IRA and the CHIPS and Science Act, there’s been more “long-term certainty” for jobs related to energy efficiency, renewables and climate resilience, the nonprofit Environmental and Energy Study Institute said. The IRA is projected to generate more than 300,000 jobs annually for new energy project construction and about 100,000 permanent jobs each year, according to the EESI.
While job growth in the sector faces uncertainty after the election, industry watchers say the future of energy production and consumption is always changing.
“Energy systems have been in transition for decades — it’s always in transition, it’s always in a state of flux,” Daniel Bresette, president of EESI, said of the upcoming election’s impact.
Ameresco, which integrates clean tech and develops, owns and operates renewable energy projects, is forging ahead with hiring plans regardless of the election’s outcome. It will increase its hiring by 300 workers in the U.S. and Europe this year, in positions ranging from engineers to project managers, developers, analysts and more. Ameresco provides efficient energy solutions for clients that range from federal and state governments to colleges and hospitals.
“Everyone needs energy no matter what, regardless of who is in the White House. So the driver is going to be increasing that need for more secure energy sources, for cheaper energy sources and for cleaner energy sources,” said Nicole Bulgarino, executive vice president and general manager of federal and utility solutions at Ameresco.
The company is also looking to Gen Z to fill the jobs, as fewer applicants are coming up through trade and vocational schools and younger workers have shown an interest in climate-friendly opportunities. Ameresco, which offers tuition reimbursement and mentorship programs, said it has had success in recruiting recent college grads and investing in their training.
Caroline Leilani Stevenson, a 22-year-old associate electrical engineer at Ameresco, is part of the Gen Z hiring push. Stevenson interned with Ameresco and came back full-time after graduation, working today on projects with the Department of Defense.
She was able to work on a solar project in Honolulu, which was particularly meaningful, as she grew up on Maui. Like others in her generation, she found the idea of working toward more sustainable energy solutions appealing.
“I wanted to make an impact and build something really big,” she said. “The energy needs of a large naval base are not the same as a small elementary school and the suburbs of New York or the energy usage of a hospital are not the same as a large data center … It’s great to be able to design something for a specific site and make a difference in that way. Being able to see and know that the power from these lines is going somewhere and it’s eventually going to improve life at large.”
As Harris and Trump prepare to debate their policies, neither candidate has put forth a comprehensive plan on energy and climate change so far, leading to uncertainty for the sector. But their experiences in the White House can help to inform possible paths.
Harris was a key part of implementing the Inflation Reduction Act, as she cast the tiebreaking vote to pass the bill as vice president to President Joe Biden. She also backed the Green New Deal while serving in the Senate but has walked back some of her earlier stances that veered further to the progressive left. Harris also said during an interview with CNN that she would not ban fracking, a position she’d taken in her previous bid for the White House.
Trump meanwhile has promised to make energy cheaper and focused on drilling for oil in the U.S. He also rolled back major climate policies and has said he would rescind the IRA’s unspent dollars if elected. He called the Green New Deal the “Green New Scam” at an event at the Economic Club of New York last week.
One thing is for sure: Industry analysts are projecting the need for energy to increase significantly, regardless of November’s outcome.
“There are lots and lots of new, especially in the electricity space, lots of new demand, [from] the transportation sector, electrification, data centers, artificial intelligence. All of that adds up to a lot of electricity demand,” said Bresette. “It is almost difficult to imagine how much more energy we’re going to need in the future.”
