Nevada leads country in new clean energy jobs, report finds

By Andrea Domanick

Monday, March 16, 2015 | 4:45 p.m.

Nevada leads the country in clean energy job growth, with more new green jobs announced in 2014 than any other state, according to a tracking analysis report from business group Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2).

Nevada companies announced plans to add 8,591 jobs last year, out of nearly 47,000 nationwide. E2, which describes itself as a national nonpartisan group of business leaders and investors advocating for clean energy policy, tracks only new job announcements and not actual hirings.

Nevada took the top spot in the group’s annual ranking after placing seventh the year before. The jump in ranks can largely be attributed to the announcement of Tesla Motors’ 6,500-employee Gigafactory site in Reno, the largest single announcement in any clean energy sector all year. Other new green jobs in Nevada came from solar providers like SolarCity, which quadrupled its local projected hires following state efforts to bolster Nevada’s SolarGenerations program.

California placed second with 7,323 jobs, followed by New York at 7,175, Michigan at 3,628 and Arizona at 3,402.

“The clean energy revolution continues,” E2 Executive Director Bob Keefe said in a statement. “Nearly 47,000 good-paying jobs in businesses ranging from solar energy to electric vehicles were announced in almost every state last year.”

E2 estimates that more than 233,000 clean energy and transportation jobs have been created in the U.S. since it began tracking job announcements three years ago. Despite Nevada’s success, however, the report suggests that the pace of renewable energy job creation has slowed on the national level. Last year’s total of 47,000 jobs announced across 170 projects marks a sharp decline from 78,000 new job announcements across 260 projects in 2013.

Keefe blames the slowdown on inaction from policymakers.

"The one place in the country that doesn't seem to get it is Congress," he said. "Instead of sitting on Capitol Hill endlessly debating new ways to prop up coal, oil and other dirty energy companies, lawmakers ought to actually look at what's happening in their states and quit stalling on smart policies that will keep clean energy working for all of America."