Clean Energy Employs 3,700 in Valley, Report Finds

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Just over 3,700 workers in the Mahoning Valley work in clean energy, a report from Clean Energy Trust and Environmental Entrepreneurs finds.

Using figures from the Department of Energy’s United States Energy and Employment Report, the report found clean-energy business in Mahoning County employ 1,788, along with 1,438 in Trumbull County and 482 in Columbiana County.

Statewide, 108,030 – 1.95% of the workforce – are employed by clean-energy businesses, ranking Ohio No. 3 in the 12-state region highlighted in the “Clean Jobs Midwest” report.

The organizations found energy efficiency – which includes businesses working with efficient lighting, advanced materials at HVAC systems – was the top clean-energy sector in the state, employing 79,653. The No. 2 sector was clean vehicles with just over 14,000 employed, including 12,762 employed by companies working on hybrids and electric vehicles.

Elsewhere, renewable energy such as wind and solar power, employ 9,369 residents, while 3,330 work in grid modernization and energy storage.

The study also found employers project 5.5% job growth in 2018.

“With further investment and smart state policy, clean jobs will continue power Ohio’s economy into the next decade,” said Environmental Entrepreneurs spokeswoman Micaela Preskill in a release.

Covering a 12-state region, Clean Jobs Midwest reported Michigan and Illinois led the region in clean-energy employment, employing 122,264 and 119,377, respectively.

The full report is available here.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.